NameCensus.

UK surname

Fetherston

A locational surname referring to someone from a location with feathery or grassy land.

In the 1881 census there were 39 people recorded with the Fetherston surname, ranking it #28,137 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 141, ranked #24,753, up from #28,137 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to No data. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Manchester, Derby and Luton.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Fetherston is 152 in 2013. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 261.5%.

1881 census count

39

Ranked #28,137

Modern count

141

2016, ranked #24,753

Peak year

2013

152 bearers

Map years

3

1998 to 2016

Key insights

  • Fetherston had 39 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #28,137 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 141 in 2016, ranked #24,753.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 65 in 1851.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living.

Fetherston surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Fetherston surname density by area, 2016 modern.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Fetherston 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 65 #21,747
1861 historical 62 #26,041
1881 historical 39 #28,137
1891 historical 49 #30,349
1901 historical 46 #29,047
1911 historical 53 #27,508
1997 modern 148 #21,295
1998 modern 147 #21,935
1999 modern 149 #21,924
2000 modern 148 #21,971
2001 modern 144 #22,040
2002 modern 148 #22,087
2003 modern 142 #22,460
2004 modern 142 #22,573
2005 modern 138 #22,999
2006 modern 138 #23,156
2007 modern 139 #23,377
2008 modern 136 #24,004
2009 modern 140 #24,033
2010 modern 142 #24,352
2011 modern 148 #23,520
2012 modern 150 #23,264
2013 modern 152 #23,438
2014 modern 151 #23,745
2015 modern 149 #23,817
2016 modern 141 #24,753

Geography

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Where Fetherstons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around No data. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Manchester, Derby, Luton and Wigan. 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 No data No data

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Manchester 023 Manchester
2 Derby 006 Derby
3 Derby 030 Derby
4 Luton 019 Luton
5 Wigan 028 Wigan

Forenames

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First names often paired with Fetherston

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

Historical female names

No Forenames Found

Historical male names

No Forenames Found

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Fetherston

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

Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

Families with resident dependent children (but not students) are common. Established family groups and White ethnicity predominate, as do individuals born in the UK. They are more likely than the Supergroup average to have been resident in their terraced, semi-detached, or detached houses for more than one year. Levels of multiple car ownership are high. Properties are owned and typically have surplus living space. Associate professionals and administrative occupations are prevalent, and parents are likely to be in middle age or approaching retirement. Educational attainment is above the Supergroup average. Scattered developments and concentrations are found in many small towns.

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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Established Homeowners with Children

Within London, Fetherston is most associated with areas classed as Established Homeowners with Children, 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 predominantly British-born residents are typically married/in civil partnerships and own the properties in which they are raising their children. Parents are typically over 45, and many other residents are beyond normal retirement age. Detached and semi-detached houses predominate and multiple car ownership is common.

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

Fetherston is most concentrated in decile 9 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.

9
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Fetherston

The surname Fetherston is of English origin, deriving from a locational name for someone who hailed from any of the various places named Featherstone or Fetherton. The name is thought to have originated in the 11th or 12th century, with the earliest known recording being that of Walter de Fetherstane in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1194.

Fetherston is believed to be a toponymic surname, meaning it is derived from a place name. The name is composed of the Old English elements "fēder" meaning feather and "stān" meaning stone, likely referring to a stony area or settlement where feathers or feathered game were abundant. Several places are named Featherstone or Fetherton, including villages in West Yorkshire, Northumberland, and Staffordshire.

The surname is found in various early records, including the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire in 1279, which mention a John de Fetherstane. The Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire in 1327 also reference a William de Fethirstan. These early recordings of the name illustrate its evolution from the original Old English place name to the modern Fetherston spelling.

Notable historical figures with the surname Fetherston include Sir Thomas Fetherston (c. 1701-1768), an English officer and Member of Parliament for Portsmouth. Another prominent individual was Ralph Fetherston (c. 1588-1638), an English clergyman and theologian who served as a chaplain to King Charles I.

John Fetherston (c. 1590-1670) was an English lawyer and politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1621 and 1659. In the 17th century, Thomas Fetherston (c. 1615-1686) was an English landowner and Member of Parliament for Newcastle-under-Lyme.

During the English Civil War, Captain Richard Fetherston (c. 1610-1655) was a Royalist officer who fought for King Charles I and was killed in action at the Battle of Lyme Regis in 1655. These individuals, spanning several centuries, exemplify the historical presence and significance of the Fetherston surname in English history.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Fetherston families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Fetherston 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. Lanarkshire leads with 7 Fetherstons recorded in 1881 and an index of 5.55x.

County Total Index
Lanarkshire 7 5.55x
Yorkshire 6 1.55x
Hampshire 5 6.25x
Warwickshire 4 4.07x
Durham 3 2.59x
Wiltshire 3 8.70x
Buckinghamshire 2 8.48x
Essex 2 2.60x
Lancashire 2 0.43x
Derbyshire 1 1.64x
Kent 1 0.75x
Lincolnshire 1 1.60x
Royal Navy 1 21.51x
Surrey 1 0.53x
Worcestershire 1 1.96x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Aldershot in Hampshire leads with 4 Fetherstons recorded in 1881 and an index of 149.25x.

Place Total Index
Aldershot 4 149.25x
Glasgow 4 17.86x
Coundon 3 638.30x
Govan 3 9.62x
Westbury 3 370.37x
Aylesbury 2 192.31x
Birmingham 2 6.10x
Everton 2 13.56x
Southcoates 2 93.02x
Alverstoke 1 34.60x
Chilham 1 526.32x
Croydon 1 9.48x
Falsgrave 1 175.44x
Horton In Bradford 1 16.56x
Kettlethorpe 1 3333.33x
Kirk Ella 1 2000.00x
Little Warley 1 909.09x
Matlock 1 121.95x
Royal Navy 1 25.19x
Stoke Prior 1 322.58x
Warwick St Mary 1 117.65x
West Ella 1 5000.00x
Woodford 1 114.94x
Wootton Wawen 1 322.58x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Ann 3
Eliza 3
Elizabeth 2
Adeline 1
Annie 1
Caroline 1
Charlotte 1
Elizh. 1
Esther 1
Frances 1
Keziah 1
Rosmond 1
Sarah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 3
Henry 2
Joseph 2
Michael 2
Peter 2
George 1
James 1
Samuel 1
William 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 Fetherston households.

FAQ

Fetherston surname: questions and answers

How common was the Fetherston surname in 1881?

In 1881, 39 people were recorded with the Fetherston surname. That placed it at #28,137 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Fetherston surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 141 in 2016. That gives Fetherston a modern rank of #24,753.

What does the Fetherston surname mean?

A locational surname referring to someone from a location with feathery or grassy land.

What does the Fetherston map show?

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