NameCensus.

UK surname

Fellowes

An English surname originally designating a member of a fraternity or guild.

In the 1881 census there were 494 people recorded with the Fellowes surname, ranking it #6,837 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,090, ranked #5,370, up from #6,837 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Sedgley, London parishes and Wallasey. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Neath Port Talbot, Salford and Suffolk Coastal.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Fellowes is 1,142 in 2000. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 120.6%.

1881 census count

494

Ranked #6,837

Modern count

1,090

2016, ranked #5,370

Peak year

2000

1,142 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Fellowes had 494 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #6,837 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,090 in 2016, ranked #5,370.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 729 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Fellowes surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Fellowes surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Fellowes 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 239 #9,092
1861 historical 271 #9,193
1881 historical 494 #6,837
1891 historical 723 #5,460
1901 historical 729 #6,071
1911 historical 719 #5,942
1997 modern 1,076 #5,176
1998 modern 1,103 #5,248
1999 modern 1,135 #5,162
2000 modern 1,142 #5,105
2001 modern 1,125 #5,072
2002 modern 1,132 #5,160
2003 modern 1,103 #5,171
2004 modern 1,090 #5,225
2005 modern 1,056 #5,306
2006 modern 1,058 #5,302
2007 modern 1,052 #5,383
2008 modern 1,052 #5,421
2009 modern 1,098 #5,326
2010 modern 1,088 #5,490
2011 modern 1,089 #5,425
2012 modern 1,107 #5,263
2013 modern 1,117 #5,306
2014 modern 1,103 #5,390
2015 modern 1,080 #5,433
2016 modern 1,090 #5,370

Geography

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Where Fellowes' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Sedgley, London parishes and Wallasey. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Neath Port Talbot, Salford, Suffolk Coastal, Kensington and Chelsea and Doncaster. 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 Sedgley Staffordshire
2 London parishes London 1
3 London parishes London 3
4 Wallasey Cheshire
5 London parishes London 2

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Neath Port Talbot 010 Neath Port Talbot
2 Salford 028 Salford
3 Suffolk Coastal 004 Suffolk Coastal
4 Kensington and Chelsea 008 Kensington and Chelsea
5 Doncaster 001 Doncaster

Forenames

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First names often paired with Fellowes

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Fellowes

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

Rural Amenity

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Fellowes is most associated with areas classed as Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. 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

Mainly concentrated in suburban areas, these terraced and semi-detached developments are less overcrowded than the Supergroup average, and resident households are more likely to own two or more cars. There are fewer residents aged 25-44, and a larger share of residents employed in administrative and secretarial occupations. Residents are more likely to have been born in the UK, less likely to have been born in the EU or Africa, and much less likely to self-identify as Bangladeshi.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Fellowes 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

Fellowes 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 Fellowes is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

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

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Fellowes

The surname FELLOWES is of English origin and derives from the medieval English word "felaw", meaning a partner, mate or companion. It was originally an occupational name for a member of a fraternity or religious order.

In the Middle Ages, surnames often emerged from nicknames referring to a person's occupation, status, appearance or location. FELLOWES likely referred to a person who belonged to a fellowship or fraternal organization.

The earliest known record of the FELLOWES surname dates back to the late 12th century in Norfolk, England. A Robert leFelauwe is mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of that county in 1195.

By the 13th century, variations like Felawe and Felaws appeared in tax rolls and parish records across southern and eastern England. The spelling eventually standardized to FELLOWES by the 15th century.

Notable early bearers of this surname include Thomas Felows, a landholder in Middlesex mentioned in the Feet of Fines for 1485. John Felows served as Sheriff of Somerset and Dorset in 1540.

Edward Fellowes (c.1570-1637) was an English translator and author who published works on theology and history. Born in Wiltshire, he studied at Oxford and later served as a minister.

William Fellowes (1769-1837) was a British naval officer and explorer who surveyed regions of Australia and New Zealand in the early 1800s. Several coastal features were named after him.

Newton Fellowes (1835-1897) was an English businessman and Liberal politician who served as Mayor of Norwich from 1885 to 1886.

The surname FELLOWES maintains connections to various locations in southern England like Norfolk, Essex and Dorset where early bearers resided. Several villages like Fellowes Manor in Norfolk incorporated the name.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Fellowes families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Fellowes 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. Middlesex leads with 70 Fellowes' recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.45x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 70 1.45x
Staffordshire 55 3.38x
Surrey 43 1.83x
Norfolk 36 4.86x
Kent 30 1.82x
Yorkshire 28 0.59x
Hampshire 27 2.73x
Warwickshire 27 2.22x
Lancashire 25 0.44x
Cheshire 20 1.88x
Worcestershire 18 2.86x
Devon 16 1.60x
Northamptonshire 16 3.53x
Sussex 16 1.97x
Essex 10 1.05x
Derbyshire 6 0.80x
Dorset 6 1.90x
Cambridgeshire 5 1.64x
Leicestershire 5 0.94x
Bedfordshire 4 1.60x
Berkshire 4 1.11x
Hertfordshire 4 1.20x
Northumberland 4 0.56x
Somerset 4 0.52x
Buckinghamshire 2 0.69x
Caernarfonshire 2 1.03x
Glamorgan 2 0.24x
Anglesey 1 1.17x
Gloucestershire 1 0.11x
Herefordshire 1 0.51x
Inverness-shire 1 0.69x
Midlothian 1 0.15x
Oxfordshire 1 0.34x
Shropshire 1 0.24x
Suffolk 1 0.17x
Wiltshire 1 0.23x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Liscard in Cheshire leads with 14 Fellowes' recorded in 1881 and an index of 73.03x.

Place Total Index
Liscard 14 73.03x
Cradley 13 228.47x
Aston 12 3.59x
Over Wallop 12 1333.33x
Handsworth 11 27.44x
Horsemonden 11 458.33x
Kingswinford 11 18.63x
Sedgley 11 18.21x
Birmingham 10 2.47x
Camberwell 10 3.25x
Paddington London 10 5.64x
Portsea 10 5.17x
Burwash 9 238.73x
Islington London 9 1.93x
Brightside Bierlow 8 8.54x
Croydon 8 6.14x
Shottesham St Mary 8 1538.46x
Yaxham 8 987.65x
Garvestone 7 1272.73x
Holy Trinity 7 6.09x
Holy Trinity Less London 7 573.77x
Pemberton 7 30.70x
South Milton 7 1206.90x
St Pancras London 7 1.80x
Harborne 6 11.51x
Kettering 6 32.73x
Nether Hallam 6 9.29x
Preston 6 3.92x
Rochester St Nicholas 6 117.19x
St Marylebone London 6 2.33x
Derby St Werburgh 5 11.48x
Newington 5 2.81x
Slipton 5 2941.18x
Toxteth Park 5 2.58x
Wandsworth 5 10.78x
West Ham 5 2.38x
Willenhall 5 16.41x
Willesden 5 11.01x
Wolverhampton 5 4.00x
Bedford St Paul 4 23.38x
Holywell 4 108.40x
Lee 4 16.76x
Poulton Cum Seacombe 4 32.71x
St George Hanover Square 4 4.71x
Stoke 4 98.52x
West Derby 4 2.39x
Wimpole 4 677.97x
Beighton 3 666.67x
Dovercourt 3 89.55x
Dudley 3 3.92x
Frant 3 52.08x
Great Yarmouth 3 4.89x
Hougham 3 30.67x
Lambeth 3 0.71x
Lambourn 3 83.80x
Southwark St Saviour 3 12.11x
Stinsford 3 535.71x
Stoke Damerel 3 4.27x
Weybridge 3 59.52x
Byfleet 2 95.69x
Cheshunt 2 17.23x
Darlaston 2 8.90x
East Tuddenham 2 266.67x
Enderby 2 72.20x
Fulham London 2 2.86x
Great Bowden 2 41.15x
Hackney London 2 0.74x
Hammersmith London 2 1.68x
Kinson 2 32.36x
Llanbeblig 2 10.12x
Mile End Old Town London 2 1.95x
North Meols 2 3.57x
Northwood 2 14.21x
Plumstead 2 3.65x
Rawmarsh 2 11.86x
Stevenage 2 38.84x
Sutton Coldfield 2 15.66x
Tottenham 2 2.61x
Tranmere 2 5.12x
Westminster St John 2 3.41x

Top female names

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

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 23
John 22
James 19
Thomas 18
George 15
Charles 11
Edward 10
Joseph 10
Alfred 7
Henry 7
Frederick 6
Harry 6
Arthur 4
Robert 4
Edgar 3
Richard 3
Samuel 3
Walter 3
Albert 2
Benjamin 2
David 2
Isaac 2
Jesse 2
Peregrine 2
Simeon 2
Wm. 2
Alexander 1
Edmond 1
Edwin 1
Ernest 1
Frank 1
Fred 1
Geo. 1
H.T.R. 1
Halford 1
Herbert 1
Horace 1
Hugh 1
Infant 1
Jas. 1
Jonah 1
Joshua 1
Josiah 1
Major 1
Michael 1
Moses 1
Naverine 1
Obed 1
Oliver 1
Pere 1

FAQ

Fellowes surname: questions and answers

How common was the Fellowes surname in 1881?

In 1881, 494 people were recorded with the Fellowes surname. That placed it at #6,837 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Fellowes surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,090 in 2016. That gives Fellowes a modern rank of #5,370.

What does the Fellowes surname mean?

An English surname originally designating a member of a fraternity or guild.

What does the Fellowes map show?

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