NameCensus.

UK surname

Fenlon

An anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Fionnalláin, meaning "descendant of Fionnallán".

In the 1881 census there were 115 people recorded with the Fenlon surname, ranking it #18,230 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 976, ranked #5,916, up from #18,230 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Manchester and Liverpool. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Knowsley, Halton and West Lancashire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Fenlon is 1,024 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 748.7%.

1881 census count

115

Ranked #18,230

Modern count

976

2016, ranked #5,916

Peak year

2010

1,024 bearers

Map years

7

1881 to 2016

Key insights

  • Fenlon had 115 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #18,230 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 976 in 2016, ranked #5,916.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 235 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Fenlon surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Fenlon surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Fenlon 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 45 #25,168
1861 historical 68 #25,196
1881 historical 115 #18,230
1891 historical 112 #22,291
1901 historical 155 #17,704
1911 historical 235 #13,484
1997 modern 887 #6,030
1998 modern 929 #6,010
1999 modern 927 #6,065
2000 modern 927 #6,045
2001 modern 932 #5,905
2002 modern 951 #5,924
2003 modern 912 #6,019
2004 modern 939 #5,897
2005 modern 930 #5,880
2006 modern 911 #5,977
2007 modern 924 #5,965
2008 modern 942 #5,920
2009 modern 989 #5,814
2010 modern 1,024 #5,767
2011 modern 999 #5,831
2012 modern 989 #5,791
2013 modern 1,014 #5,759
2014 modern 1,004 #5,840
2015 modern 992 #5,848
2016 modern 976 #5,916

Geography

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Where Fenlons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Manchester, Liverpool, Bradford and Walton-on-the-Hill. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Knowsley, Halton, West Lancashire and Bridgend. 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 London parishes London 3
2 Manchester Lancashire
3 Liverpool Lancashire
4 Bradford Yorkshire, West Riding
5 Walton-on-the-Hill Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Knowsley 006 Knowsley
2 Halton 004 Halton
3 West Lancashire 014 West Lancashire
4 Halton 002 Halton
5 Bridgend 002 Bridgend

Forenames

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First names often paired with Fenlon

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Fenlon

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

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Fenlon surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Fenlon household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins

Within London, Fenlon is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins, 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

Scattered across London’s Inner and Outer suburbs, residents of these neighbourhoods are typically housed in the social rented sector. Although terraced and semi-detached houses predominate, more residents live in flats than elsewhere in the Supergroup. Neighbourhoods are more ethnically diverse than the Supergroup average. Those identifying as of Bangladeshi, Pakistani and some Black ethnicities are more prevalent. Europeans born in a overseas non-EU countries make up more of the lower proportion of residents identifying as White. Few residents are very old (85+). Employment in distribution, hotels and restaurants is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

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

Fenlon 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

Fenlon 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 Fenlon 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 Fenlon, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Fenlon

The surname Fenlon has its origins in Ireland, with the earliest records dating back to the 17th century. It is believed to be an anglicized version of the Irish Gaelic name Ó Fionnáin, which means "descendant of Fionnán." The name Fionnán is derived from the Gaelic words "fionn," meaning fair or white, and the diminutive suffix "án."

The Fenlon name was primarily found in County Sligo and the surrounding areas of western Ireland. It is thought to have originated as a sept or branch of the larger Ó Conchobhair (O'Conor) family, which was one of the most powerful and influential clans in medieval Ireland.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Fenlon surname can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history written in the 17th century. In this text, a man named Fionnán Ó Conchobhair is mentioned as a notable figure in the year 1288.

During the Plantation of Ulster in the early 17th century, many Irish families, including the Fenlons, were dispossessed of their lands and forced to relocate. This led to the spread of the Fenlon name throughout Ireland and beyond.

One notable figure with the Fenlon surname was Sir John Fenlon (c. 1610-1678), an Irish lawyer and politician who served as Lord Chief Justice of Ireland from 1671 to 1678. He played a significant role in the legal and political affairs of Ireland during the tumultuous period of the English Civil War and the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland.

Another notable Fenlon was Michael Fenlon (1766-1847), an Irish Catholic priest and educator. He was the founder of the famous Fenlon's Seminary in Athy, County Kildare, which educated many prominent Irish figures in the early 19th century.

In the 19th century, the Fenlon surname can be found in various records and historical documents, such as the Griffith's Valuation of Ireland, a comprehensive survey of property ownership in Ireland conducted in the mid-19th century.

Other notable individuals with the Fenlon surname include:

1. John Fenlon (1825-1897), an Irish-American politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives.

2. Michael Fenlon (1861-1934), an Irish-American Catholic priest and educator who founded several schools and religious institutions in the United States.

3. Mary Fenlon (1884-1970), an Irish novelist and short story writer known for her works exploring the lives of ordinary Irish people.

4. John Fenlon (1918-2003), an Irish hurler who played for the Tipperary senior hurling team and won three All-Ireland medals.

5. Aidan Fenlon (born 1957), an Irish historian and academic specializing in the history of medieval and early modern Ireland.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Fenlon families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Fenlon 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. Lancashire leads with 70 Fenlons recorded in 1881 and an index of 5.26x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 70 5.26x
Yorkshire 12 1.08x
Middlesex 11 0.98x
Surrey 8 1.46x
Gloucestershire 6 2.73x
Warwickshire 4 1.41x
Hampshire 2 0.87x
Dorset 1 1.36x
Renfrewshire 1 1.15x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Widnes in Lancashire leads with 23 Fenlons recorded in 1881 and an index of 239.58x.

Place Total Index
Widnes 23 239.58x
Kirkdale 11 49.13x
Everton 9 21.21x
Liverpool 8 9.89x
Rotherhithe 7 50.51x
Salford 7 17.88x
Bristol St Mary Redcliff 6 300.00x
Hammersmith London 6 21.72x
Horton In Bradford 6 34.56x
Clerkenwell London 5 18.88x
Linthorpe 5 75.41x
Toxteth Park 5 11.09x
Birmingham 4 4.24x
Bootle Cum Linacre 4 37.84x
Farnborough 2 82.99x
Litherland 2 71.94x
Bermondsey 1 2.99x
Bradford 1 3.72x
Great Little Marsden 1 16.39x
Greenock Oldor West 1 416.67x
Wyke Regis 1 94.34x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 8
Ann 4
Bridget 4
Elizabeth 4
Catherine 3
Sarah 3
Annie 2
Ellen 2
Louisa 2
Margaret 2
Matilda 2
A. 1
Alice 1
Charlotte 1
Edith 1
Eliza 1
Magt. 1
Margrt. 1
Maria 1
Martha 1
Rosina 1
Selina 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 12
Patrick 8
William 6
Edward 4
Henry 3
James 3
Michael 3
George 2
Jeremiah 2
Joseph 2
Robert 2
Thomas 2
Wm. 2
A. 1
Albert 1
Alfred 1
Arthur 1
Frederic 1
G. 1
Herbert 1
Joshua 1
Laurence 1
M. 1
P. 1
Philip 1
S. 1
Sidney 1
Thimothy 1
Timothy 1

FAQ

Fenlon surname: questions and answers

How common was the Fenlon surname in 1881?

In 1881, 115 people were recorded with the Fenlon surname. That placed it at #18,230 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Fenlon surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 976 in 2016. That gives Fenlon a modern rank of #5,916.

What does the Fenlon surname mean?

An anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Fionnalláin, meaning "descendant of Fionnallán".

What does the Fenlon map show?

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