NameCensus.

UK surname

Feller

An occupational surname referring to a woodcutter or lumberjack, derived from the German word "Fäller."

In the 1881 census there were 22 people recorded with the Feller surname, ranking it #30,464 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 147, ranked #24,071, up from #30,464 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Putney, London parishes and Leiston with Sizewell. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Suffolk Coastal, Coldstream and Area and South Lakeland.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Feller is 147 in 2012. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 568.2%.

1881 census count

22

Ranked #30,464

Modern count

147

2016, ranked #24,071

Peak year

2012

147 bearers

Map years

5

1891 to 2016

Key insights

  • Feller had 22 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #30,464 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 147 in 2016, ranked #24,071.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 110 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Feller surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Feller surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Feller 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 30 #27,891
1861 historical 55 #27,007
1881 historical 22 #30,464
1891 historical 104 #23,388
1901 historical 67 #26,703
1911 historical 110 #21,519
1997 modern 111 #25,394
1998 modern 123 #24,449
1999 modern 124 #24,508
2000 modern 130 #23,785
2001 modern 128 #23,665
2002 modern 123 #24,735
2003 modern 128 #23,890
2004 modern 136 #23,207
2005 modern 123 #24,663
2006 modern 122 #25,010
2007 modern 135 #23,824
2008 modern 140 #23,511
2009 modern 132 #24,929
2010 modern 137 #24,907
2011 modern 145 #23,837
2012 modern 147 #23,567
2013 modern 145 #24,207
2014 modern 144 #24,504
2015 modern 141 #24,723
2016 modern 147 #24,071

Geography

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Where Fellers are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Putney, London parishes, Leiston with Sizewell and Kingston-on-Thames. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Suffolk Coastal, Coldstream and Area, South Lakeland, Enfield and Eden. 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 Putney London (South Districts)
2 London parishes London 1
3 Leiston with Sizewell Suffolk
4 Kingston-on-Thames Surrey
5 London parishes London 3

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Suffolk Coastal 003 Suffolk Coastal
2 Coldstream and Area Scottish Borders
3 South Lakeland 003 South Lakeland
4 Enfield 017 Enfield
5 Eden 007 Eden

Forenames

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First names often paired with Feller

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Feller

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Feller, 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

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Ageing Communities

Nationally, the Feller surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Ageing Communities, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Feller household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many residents are of normal retirement age or above and live in communal establishments, and there are few dependent children. The dominant property type is a mix of retirement flats and detached houses. Those in work are likely to be employed in managerial and professional occupations, and many residents are educated to degree level. Levels of owner occupation are high, but the private rental sector is also present. Rural locations predominate.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

Professional Periphery

Within London, Feller is most associated with areas classed as Professional Periphery, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. 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 neighbourhoods predominantly house residents aged 45+, with many aged 85+. Most employed residents work in senior roles, and relatively few work in unskilled jobs. Terraced housing is comparatively rare, but communal living is more common. More residents identify as of Indian ethnicity and more affiliate with non-Christian religions. Disability levels are below the Supergroup average.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Feller is most concentrated in decile 10 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.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Feller falls in decile 6 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

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

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Feller 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 Feller, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Feller

The surname Feller is of German origin, derived from the German word "Feller," meaning "a worker in animal skins or furs." The name likely emerged in the Middle Ages, when the trade of working with animal hides was prevalent in various parts of Germany.

The earliest known record of the surname Feller dates back to the 13th century, appearing in historical documents from the regions of Bavaria and Saxony. The name was also found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of medieval charters and documents from Saxony, from as early as 1275.

In the 14th century, the name Feller appeared in the Bürgerverzeichnis, or citizen registers, of several German cities, including Cologne, Nuremberg, and Frankfurt. This suggests that individuals with this surname were established citizens and tradesmen in these urban centers during that time.

One notable figure bearing the surname Feller was Johann Feller, a German theologian and author who lived from 1638 to 1691. His most famous work, "Monumenta Varia Inedita," was a collection of unpublished historical documents and manuscripts.

Another prominent individual with the surname Feller was Johann Gottlieb Feller, a Swiss writer and historian who lived from 1735 to 1801. He is best known for his work "Dictionnaire Historique," a biographical dictionary that covered notable figures from ancient times to the 18th century.

In the 19th century, the surname Feller was associated with several famous individuals, including Friedrich Ernst Feller, a German mathematician and statistician who lived from 1801 to 1869. He made significant contributions to the fields of probability theory and statistics.

Another notable figure was Wilhelm Feller, a Croatian-American mathematician who lived from 1906 to 1970. He was a pioneer in the field of probability theory and authored the influential textbook "An Introduction to Probability Theory and Its Applications."

The surname Feller has also been found in various place names throughout Germany, such as Fellerdorf, a village in Saxony-Anhalt, and Fellerbach, a small town in Bavaria. These place names likely originated from individuals bearing the Feller surname who settled in those areas.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Feller families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Feller 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. Surrey leads with 7 Fellers recorded in 1881 and an index of 6.70x.

County Total Index
Surrey 7 6.70x
Middlesex 5 2.33x
Suffolk 5 19.14x
Angus 2 10.07x
Glamorgan 1 2.68x
Kent 1 1.37x
Lanarkshire 1 1.44x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Leiston in Suffolk leads with 4 Fellers recorded in 1881 and an index of 2222.22x.

Place Total Index
Leiston 4 2222.22x
Stoke 4 816.33x
Merton 3 1666.67x
Arbroath 2 303.03x
Westminster St James 2 90.91x
Chislehurst 1 256.41x
Clerkenwell London 1 19.76x
Govan 1 5.83x
Hackney London 1 8.32x
St Pancras London 1 5.79x
Woodbridge 1 303.03x
Ystradyfodwg 1 30.49x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Anne 2
Catharine 1
Daisy 1
Emily 1
Lucy 1
Maria 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
George 3
William 3
Frank 2
Charles 1
Henry 1
James 1
Thms. 1

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Feller households.

FAQ

Feller surname: questions and answers

How common was the Feller surname in 1881?

In 1881, 22 people were recorded with the Feller surname. That placed it at #30,464 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Feller surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 147 in 2016. That gives Feller a modern rank of #24,071.

What does the Feller surname mean?

An occupational surname referring to a woodcutter or lumberjack, derived from the German word "Fäller."

What does the Feller map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Feller 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.