NameCensus.

UK surname

Feetham

An Anglo-Saxon surname originating from a place name derived from Old English words referring to an area frequented by cattle.

In the 1881 census there were 170 people recorded with the Feetham surname, ranking it #14,265 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 365, ranked #12,721, up from #14,265 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Hilperton, Whaddon, Darlington and Gateshead. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Sheffield, Pembrokeshire and South Holland.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Feetham is 392 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 114.7%.

1881 census count

170

Ranked #14,265

Modern count

365

2016, ranked #12,721

Peak year

1998

392 bearers

Map years

8

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Feetham had 170 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #14,265 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 365 in 2016, ranked #12,721.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 353 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Feetham surname distribution map

The map shows where the Feetham surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Feetham surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Feetham over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 112 #15,913
1861 historical 87 #22,681
1881 historical 170 #14,265
1891 historical 242 #13,048
1901 historical 289 #11,944
1911 historical 353 #10,212
1997 modern 363 #11,849
1998 modern 392 #11,512
1999 modern 386 #11,740
2000 modern 375 #11,949
2001 modern 364 #12,033
2002 modern 368 #12,168
2003 modern 364 #12,068
2004 modern 357 #12,272
2005 modern 358 #12,176
2006 modern 361 #12,178
2007 modern 355 #12,458
2008 modern 357 #12,509
2009 modern 376 #12,290
2010 modern 369 #12,726
2011 modern 362 #12,773
2012 modern 353 #12,877
2013 modern 361 #12,861
2014 modern 363 #12,908
2015 modern 369 #12,627
2016 modern 365 #12,721

Geography

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Where Feethams are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Hilperton, Whaddon, Darlington, Gateshead, Stamford St George, Stamford St Michael and Sheffield. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Sheffield, Pembrokeshire, South Holland and East Cambridgeshire. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Hilperton, Whaddon Wiltshire
2 Darlington Durham
3 Gateshead Durham
4 Stamford St George, Stamford St Michael Lincolnshire
5 Sheffield Yorkshire, West Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Sheffield 039 Sheffield
2 Pembrokeshire 007 Pembrokeshire
3 South Holland 008 South Holland
4 East Cambridgeshire 006 East Cambridgeshire
5 Sheffield 032 Sheffield

Forenames

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First names often paired with Feetham

These lists show first names that appear often with the Feetham surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Feetham

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Feetham, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Baseline UK

Group

Challenged Communities

Nationally, the Feetham surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Challenged Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Feetham household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Residents of these neighbourhoods typically live in households with dependent children, and there are fewer-than-average residents of normal retirement age or over. Identification with ethnic minorities, particularly Black, or Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is common. The rate of Christian religious affiliation is low. Housing predominantly consists of semi-detached houses, along with a significant number of terraced properties and flats. Overcrowded social housing is common, and private renting occurs at average UK levels. Those in employment work mainly in caring leisure and other services; process, plant and machine operation; or elementary occupations. Unemployment is high, and few individuals have degree level qualifications. Many of these neighbourhoods occur in commuter towns or less accessible areas of larger towns and cities.

Wider pattern

This Supergroup exemplifies the broad base to the UK’s social structure, encompassing as it does the average or modal levels of many neighbourhood characteristics, including all housing tenures, a range of levels of educational attainment and religious affiliations, and a variety of pre-retirement age structures. Yet, in combination, these mixes are each distinctive of the parts of the UK. Overall, terraced houses and flats are the most prevalent, as is employment in intermediate or low-skilled occupations. However, this Supergroup is also characterised by above average levels of unemployment and lower levels of use of English as the main language. Many neighbourhoods occur in south London and the UK’s other major urban centres.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Feetham is most associated with areas classed as Inner London Working Professionals, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These primarily Inner London neighbourhoods are more densely populated than the Supergroup average. Residents have a younger over-all age profile than the Supergroup as a whole, and are less likely to be owner occupiers. Full time employment is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup and multiple car ownership is uncommon. Chinese and non-EU-born European migrants are less in evidence than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Feetham is most concentrated in decile 8 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

8
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Feetham falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Feetham is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 50-60 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

8
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Feetham, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Feetham

The surname Feetham originates from England and is believed to have emerged during the 12th century. It is a locational surname, derived from the place name Feetham, which is a hamlet near Stanhope in County Durham. The name is thought to be derived from the Old English words "fet" meaning "foot" and "ham" meaning "homestead" or "village," suggesting it may have referred to a settlement at the foot of a hill or mountain.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Feetham can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from the year 1195, where it appears as "Fetham." This suggests that the name was already established and in use by that time. The Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire from 1301 also mention individuals with the surname Feetham, indicating its continued presence in the region.

In the 16th century, the Feetham family is documented as residing in the village of Feetham, near Stanhope. Records from this period include mentions of individuals such as John Feetham, who was born in 1542, and his son, William Feetham, born in 1575. Both were landowners and farmers in the area.

During the 17th century, the Feetham surname began to spread beyond County Durham. In 1632, a certain Thomas Feetham was recorded as a merchant in the city of London. This suggests that some members of the family had moved to urban areas for trade and commerce.

Notable individuals with the surname Feetham include:

1. John Feetham (1768-1842), a renowned English engraver and printmaker known for his landscape and architectural works. 2. Richard Feetham (1786-1858), an English author and philosopher, best known for his work "Essentials of Logic" published in 1831. 3. William Feetham (1803-1879), a British architect who designed several churches and public buildings in Yorkshire and Lancashire during the Victorian era. 4. Elizabeth Feetham (1830-1905), an English philanthropist and social reformer, known for her work in establishing schools and charitable organizations in Manchester. 5. George Feetham (1867-1943), a British engineer and inventor who patented several innovations in the field of textile manufacturing machinery.

While the surname Feetham is not among the most common in England, it has a long and traceable history, with roots dating back to the medieval period. The name's association with a specific locality in County Durham and its presence in various historical records over the centuries provide insights into its origins and evolution.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Feetham families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Feetham surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Durham leads with 40 Feethams recorded in 1881 and an index of 8.11x.

County Total Index
Durham 40 8.11x
Yorkshire 39 2.37x
Norfolk 23 9.02x
Cambridgeshire 21 19.99x
Lincolnshire 11 4.15x
Surrey 11 1.36x
Pembrokeshire 8 15.18x
Monmouthshire 6 5.01x
Middlesex 4 0.24x
Derbyshire 2 0.77x
Essex 2 0.61x
Cheshire 1 0.27x
Leicestershire 1 0.54x
Wiltshire 1 0.68x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Attercliffe Cum Darnall in Yorkshire leads with 11 Feethams recorded in 1881 and an index of 71.85x.

Place Total Index
Attercliffe Cum Darnall 11 71.85x
Monkwearmouth Shore 11 114.23x
Oakington 11 3548.39x
Lutton 10 2272.73x
Outwell 9 1836.73x
Haughton Le Skerne 8 1951.22x
Pontfaen 8 26666.67x
Bishop Auckland 7 105.74x
Feltwell Feltwell Anchor 7 1521.74x
Battersea 6 9.83x
Darlington 6 31.50x
Holy Trinity 6 15.18x
Littleport 6 298.51x
Penrose 6 3529.41x
Lambeth 5 3.46x
Newington 5 110.62x
Holbeck 4 36.73x
Bishopwearmouth 3 7.09x
Leeds 3 3.23x
Northwold 3 441.18x
Shildon 3 75.76x
Wortley In Bramley 3 23.06x
Aysgarth 2 952.38x
Chelsea London 2 4.00x
Feltwell 2 408.16x
Mark Eaton 2 512.82x
Saffron Walden 2 57.80x
Sculcoates 2 7.68x
Sheffield 2 3.82x
Soham 2 88.50x
Welney 2 344.83x
Witton Le Wear 2 142.86x
Boltby 1 588.24x
Kensington London 1 1.08x
Leicester St Margaret 1 2.23x
Marlborough 1 400.00x
St George Hanover Square 1 3.42x
Stamford All Sts 1 67.57x
Stretton In Runcorn 1 434.78x
Whittlesey St Mary St 1 27.25x
Wood Ditton 1 113.64x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Feetham surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 12
Elizabeth 6
Susan 5
Jane 4
Ann 3
Hannah 3
Martha 3
Sarah 3
Charlotte 2
Elizth. 2
Ellen 2
Emily 2
Fanny 2
Harriett 2
Julia 2
Margaret 2
Rebecca 2
Spicer 2
Ada 1
Alice 1
Annie 1
Elisabeth 1
Elizah 1
Elzar 1
Ester 1
Ethel 1
Florence 1
Frances 1
Harriet 1
Isabella 1
Kate 1
Louisa 1
Louise 1
Lucy 1
May 1
Minnie 1
Nancy 1
Pleasance 1
Rachel 1
Rebeka 1
Rhoda 1
Rose 1
Susannah 1
Tama 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Feetham surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

FAQ

Feetham surname: questions and answers

How common was the Feetham surname in 1881?

In 1881, 170 people were recorded with the Feetham surname. That placed it at #14,265 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Feetham surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 365 in 2016. That gives Feetham a modern rank of #12,721.

What does the Feetham surname mean?

An Anglo-Saxon surname originating from a place name derived from Old English words referring to an area frequented by cattle.

What does the Feetham map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Feetham bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.