NameCensus.

UK surname

Fendley

An English habitational surname derived from a location bearing that name.

In the 1881 census there were 67 people recorded with the Fendley surname, ranking it #24,104 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 213, ranked #18,785, up from #24,104 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Carlisle St Cuthbert, Poole St James and King's Lynn St Margaret. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include King's Lynn and West Norfolk, Newark and Sherwood and South Holland.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Fendley is 241 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 217.9%.

1881 census count

67

Ranked #24,104

Modern count

213

2016, ranked #18,785

Peak year

2010

241 bearers

Map years

6

1891 to 2016

Key insights

  • Fendley had 67 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #24,104 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 213 in 2016, ranked #18,785.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 173 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Fendley surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Fendley surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Fendley 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 38 #26,502
1861 historical 65 #25,618
1881 historical 67 #24,104
1891 historical 127 #20,496
1901 historical 147 #18,270
1911 historical 173 #16,361
1997 modern 206 #17,315
1998 modern 211 #17,532
1999 modern 223 #17,025
2000 modern 223 #16,978
2001 modern 215 #17,159
2002 modern 229 #16,771
2003 modern 231 #16,504
2004 modern 222 #17,020
2005 modern 233 #16,434
2006 modern 223 #17,036
2007 modern 224 #17,193
2008 modern 232 #16,931
2009 modern 239 #16,951
2010 modern 241 #17,186
2011 modern 236 #17,279
2012 modern 233 #17,339
2013 modern 221 #18,252
2014 modern 212 #18,945
2015 modern 212 #18,842
2016 modern 213 #18,785

Geography

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Where Fendleys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Carlisle St Cuthbert, Poole St James, King's Lynn St Margaret, London parishes and Downham Market, Stow Bardolph, Wimbotsham. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to King's Lynn and West Norfolk, Newark and Sherwood, South Holland and Poole. 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 Carlisle St Cuthbert Cumberland
2 Poole St James Dorset
3 King's Lynn St Margaret Norfolk
4 London parishes London 3
5 Downham Market, Stow Bardolph, Wimbotsham Norfolk

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 King's Lynn and West Norfolk 008 King's Lynn and West Norfolk
2 Newark and Sherwood 003 Newark and Sherwood
3 South Holland 008 South Holland
4 Poole 007 Poole
5 Poole 014 Poole

Forenames

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First names often paired with Fendley

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Fendley

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Fendley, 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 Fendley surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Fendley 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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

Professional Periphery

Within London, Fendley 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

Fendley is most concentrated in decile 7 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

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

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Fendley falls in decile 5 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.

5
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Fendley is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

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

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Fendley

The surname Fendley is of English origin and dates back to the late medieval period. It is believed to have originated in the county of Derbyshire, where the name was first recorded. The name is thought to be a locational surname, derived from a place name, possibly from a township or hamlet that no longer exists or has changed its name over time.

One possible origin of the name Fendley is that it may be derived from the Old English words "fenn" meaning marsh or fen, and "ley" meaning a clearing or meadow. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near a marshy clearing. Another theory suggests that the name could be a variant spelling of the surname Findlay, which is derived from the Gaelic name "Fionnlagh," meaning "fair-haired warrior."

The earliest recorded instances of the name Fendley can be found in various historical documents from the 16th and 17th centuries. For example, in the parish records of Dronfield, Derbyshire, there is a mention of a John Fendley in 1566. Additionally, the Hearth Tax Returns of 1670 for Derbyshire list a William Fendley as a householder in the village of Staveley.

Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals bearing the surname Fendley. One such person was Thomas Fendley (1628-1693), an English Puritan clergyman and author who served as a minister in various parishes in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire. Another was John Fendley (1766-1824), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars and was present at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.

Other individuals of note include William Fendley (1804-1876), a British architect who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Church of St. Mary Magdalene in Paddington. There was also George Fendley (1849-1914), a British businessman and philanthropist who founded the Fendley Trust, a charitable organization that supported education and housing initiatives in his hometown of Birmingham.

Lastly, a more recent historical figure was Edna Fendley (1903-1962), an American author and journalist who wrote several books on gardening and horticulture, including "Southern Sideboards" and "Gardening in the South."

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Fendley families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Fendley 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. Norfolk leads with 43 Fendleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 42.79x.

County Total Index
Norfolk 43 42.79x
Cambridgeshire 8 19.33x
Lancashire 5 0.64x
Kent 3 1.35x
Dorset 2 4.66x
Essex 2 1.55x
Lincolnshire 2 1.91x
Durham 1 0.51x
Middlesex 1 0.15x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Watlington in Norfolk leads with 26 Fendleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 18571.43x.

Place Total Index
Watlington 26 18571.43x
Kings Lynn St Margaret 8 264.90x
Wisbech St Mary 8 1666.67x
Pendlebury 5 304.88x
Terrington St John 4 2666.67x
Folkestone 3 69.28x
Shouldham 3 2142.86x
South Weald 2 181.82x
Central Wingland 1 2000.00x
Darlington 1 13.32x
Fincham 1 555.56x
Kinson 1 119.05x
Osbournby 1 909.09x
South Lynn 1 88.50x
St George Hanover Square 1 8.69x
Weymouth 1 123.46x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 4
Elizabeth 3
Sarah 3
Annie 2
Emma 2
Jane 2
Susan 2
Allice 1
Ann 1
Blanche 1
Charles 1
Clara 1
Elen 1
Eliza 1
Eva 1
Gertrude 1
Harriett 1
Harry 1
Isabella 1
Jemima 1
Matilda 1
Maud 1
Nancy 1
Rachel 1
Ruth 1
Sharlot 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 11
George 3
Robert 3
Henry 2
John 2
Alfred 1
Carter 1
Fred 1
Frederick 1
Harry 1
Houseman 1
Ruben 1
Thomas 1
Walter 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 Fendley households.

FAQ

Fendley surname: questions and answers

How common was the Fendley surname in 1881?

In 1881, 67 people were recorded with the Fendley surname. That placed it at #24,104 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Fendley surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 213 in 2016. That gives Fendley a modern rank of #18,785.

What does the Fendley surname mean?

An English habitational surname derived from a location bearing that name.

What does the Fendley map show?

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