NameCensus.

UK surname

Fidler

An occupational surname for a player of the fiddle or violin.

In the 1881 census there were 1,915 people recorded with the Fidler surname, ranking it #2,275 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 2,168, ranked #2,984, down from #2,275 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Stockport, London parishes and Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Rhondda Cynon Taf, West Berkshire and Copeland.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Fidler is 2,773 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 13.2%.

1881 census count

1,915

Ranked #2,275

Modern count

2,168

2016, ranked #2,984

Peak year

1911

2,773 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Fidler had 1,915 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #2,275 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 2,168 in 2016, ranked #2,984.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 2,773 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Fidler surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Fidler surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Fidler 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 1,510 #1,899
1861 historical 1,230 #2,321
1881 historical 1,915 #2,275
1891 historical 1,928 #2,390
1901 historical 2,319 #2,344
1911 historical 2,773 #1,874
1997 modern 2,268 #2,737
1998 modern 2,343 #2,760
1999 modern 2,393 #2,729
2000 modern 2,364 #2,746
2001 modern 2,300 #2,756
2002 modern 2,345 #2,768
2003 modern 2,286 #2,767
2004 modern 2,251 #2,804
2005 modern 2,232 #2,798
2006 modern 2,199 #2,842
2007 modern 2,183 #2,872
2008 modern 2,202 #2,879
2009 modern 2,258 #2,884
2010 modern 2,304 #2,891
2011 modern 2,263 #2,905
2012 modern 2,183 #2,933
2013 modern 2,238 #2,920
2014 modern 2,237 #2,936
2015 modern 2,191 #2,963
2016 modern 2,168 #2,984

Geography

Back to top

Where Fidlers are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Stockport, London parishes, Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard and Manchester. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Rhondda Cynon Taf, West Berkshire and Copeland. 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 Stockport Cheshire
2 London parishes London 1
3 Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard Nottinghamshire
4 London parishes London 3
5 Manchester Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Rhondda Cynon Taf 006 Rhondda Cynon Taf
2 West Berkshire 011 West Berkshire
3 Rhondda Cynon Taf 005 Rhondda Cynon Taf
4 West Berkshire 013 West Berkshire
5 Copeland 007 Copeland

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Fidler

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Fidler

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

Fidler is most concentrated in decile 8 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.

8
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Fidler falls in decile 10 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

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

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Fidler

The surname Fidler is of German origin, derived from the Middle High German word "videler," which means "fiddler" or "one who plays the fiddle." The name likely emerged in the Middle Ages, around the 12th or 13th century, as a descriptive occupational surname for a musician or entertainer who played the fiddle.

The earliest known record of the name Fidler can be found in the Bavarian town of Nürnberg in the late 13th century, where a certain Cunrat der Videler was mentioned in a document from 1290. This suggests that the name was already well-established in parts of southern Germany by that time.

In England, the name first appears in the early 14th century, with references to individuals such as John le Fydeler (1327) and William le Fydeler (1332) in the Subsidy Rolls of Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire. The spelling variations "Fydeler" and "Fytheler" were common in medieval English records.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Fidler in its modern spelling comes from the 16th century, with a mention of a Thomas Fidler in the register of the parish of St. Margaret's, Westminster, London, in 1558.

Over the centuries, several notable individuals have borne the Fidler surname, including:

1. Isaac Fidler (1688-1776), an English composer and organist who served as the organist of the Collegiate Church of St. Peter in Wolverhampton.

2. Johann Fidler (1765-1820), a German Romantic painter known for his landscape paintings and etchings.

3. Mary Ann Fidler (1804-1886), an English author and children's writer who published numerous books and stories in the 19th century.

4. John Fidler (1823-1900), an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Sussex County Cricket Club in the mid-19th century.

5. Ernst Fidler (1876-1948), an Austrian architect and urban planner who designed several notable buildings in Vienna, including the Ritz-Carlton Hotel.

While the name Fidler has its origins in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of Europe and beyond, with various branches of the family establishing themselves in different countries over the centuries.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Fidler families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Fidler 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 255 Fidlers recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.15x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 255 1.15x
Yorkshire 228 1.23x
Derbyshire 197 6.73x
Cheshire 191 4.63x
Berkshire 165 11.76x
Middlesex 160 0.86x
Surrey 89 0.98x
Cumberland 84 5.22x
Wiltshire 69 4.17x
Gloucestershire 59 1.61x
Oxfordshire 57 4.94x
Hampshire 46 1.20x
Nottinghamshire 45 1.79x
Durham 39 0.70x
Staffordshire 38 0.60x
Lincolnshire 25 0.84x
Westmorland 24 5.84x
Northumberland 19 0.68x
Kent 16 0.25x
Buckinghamshire 12 1.06x
Sussex 11 0.35x
Shropshire 9 0.56x
Aberdeenshire 8 0.46x
Flintshire 7 1.39x
Glamorgan 7 0.22x
Hertfordshire 7 0.54x
Leicestershire 7 0.34x
Essex 6 0.16x
Northamptonshire 6 0.34x
Warwickshire 6 0.13x
Cornwall 5 0.24x
Midlothian 5 0.20x
Devon 4 0.10x
Orkney 4 1.95x
Dumfriesshire 1 0.24x
Norfolk 1 0.03x
Roxburghshire 1 0.30x
Royal Navy 1 0.45x
Somerset 1 0.03x
Worcestershire 1 0.04x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Ecclesall Bierlow in Yorkshire leads with 41 Fidlers recorded in 1881 and an index of 10.88x.

Place Total Index
Ecclesall Bierlow 41 10.88x
Bramhall 37 216.50x
Stapleton 35 50.33x
Eckington 33 46.42x
Salford 31 4.75x
Stockport 31 14.60x
Basford 29 24.98x
Denton 27 54.93x
Speen 26 113.24x
Bosden 23 181.67x
Gorton 22 10.55x
Heeley 22 39.09x
St Pancras London 22 1.46x
Buxton 20 80.74x
Chorlton On Medlock 19 5.39x
Middlesbrough 19 7.88x
Shoreditch London 18 2.22x
Haughton 17 52.55x
Offerton 17 748.90x
Sheffield 17 2.88x
Manchester 16 1.60x
Reading St Giles 16 11.62x
Battersea 15 2.18x
Reading St Lawrence 15 49.98x
Stokesley 15 129.98x
Brightside Bierlow 14 3.85x
Croydon 14 2.77x
Islington London 14 0.77x
Penrith 14 23.55x
Reading St Mary 14 12.46x
Toxteth Park 14 1.86x
Caversham 13 56.30x
Hyde 13 10.68x
Arlecdon 12 28.04x
Attercliffe Cum Darnall 12 6.95x
Lambeth 12 0.74x
Marple 12 42.37x
Newton In Ashton Under 12 29.48x
Staveley 12 23.10x
Ashover 11 75.55x
Chesterfield 11 10.03x
Chiswick 11 10.77x
Everton 11 1.56x
Hailey 11 135.64x
Hampstead Norris 11 124.72x
Hulme 11 2.38x
Kingston On Thames 11 5.03x
Scarborough 11 6.54x
Walton Le Dale 11 18.46x
Wolverhampton 11 2.27x
Eccleston In Prescot 10 8.98x
Egglescliffe 10 238.66x
Enstone 10 141.64x
Kensington London 10 0.96x
Longnor 10 292.40x
Nether Hallam 10 3.99x
Newington 10 1.45x
Spalding 10 16.86x
Bethnal Green London 9 1.11x
Chapel En Le Frith 9 33.68x
Codnor Loscoe 9 38.84x
Haltwhistle 9 66.72x
Oxford St Thomas 9 16.71x
St Cuthbert W O 9 11.47x
Aberdeen St Nicholas 8 2.47x
Bredbury 8 33.50x
Bristol St George 8 4.72x
Bulford 8 361.99x
East West Hagbourn 8 169.13x
Ecclesfield 8 5.89x
Edmonton 8 5.31x
Gateshead 8 1.92x
Great Marlow 8 26.23x
Leyland 8 20.73x
Lockerley 8 208.88x
Madeley 8 13.51x
Maghull 8 86.96x
Ripley 8 22.12x
Rotherham 8 7.66x
Thatcham 8 37.00x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 131
Sarah 82
Elizabeth 63
Ann 51
Jane 43
Annie 34
Eliza 30
Hannah 28
Martha 27
Ellen 26
Emily 25
Emma 25
Alice 22
Margaret 18
Fanny 15
Catherine 14
Florence 14
Louisa 13
Lucy 13
Harriet 12
Maria 11
Charlotte 10
Edith 10
Ada 9
Amelia 9
Frances 9
Agnes 8
Ruth 8
Caroline 7
Kate 7
Rebecca 7
Selina 6
Anne 5
Clara 5
Harriett 5
Henrietta 5
Jessie 5
Sophia 5
Bertha 4
Grace 4
Isabella 4
Matilda 4
Minnie 4
Rose 4
Susan 4
Susannah 4
Elizth. 3
Julia 3
Lavinia 3
Rhoda 3

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 113
William 106
Thomas 70
James 60
George 58
Joseph 54
Henry 37
Charles 35
Samuel 30
Edward 25
Robert 20
Frederick 18
Albert 14
Arthur 13
Frank 13
Walter 13
Alfred 11
Isaac 10
Peter 10
Benjamin 8
Edwin 8
Harry 8
Christopher 7
Ernest 7
Fred 7
Wm. 7
David 6
Francis 6
Geo. 5
Jasper 5
Richard 5
Daniel 4
Herbert 4
Mathew 4
Tom 4
Chas. 3
Earnest 3
Hugh 3
Job 3
Philip 3
Reuben 3
Stephen 3
Thos. 3
Chas.T. 2
Edmund 2
Fredrick 2
Matthew 2
Saml. 2
Sidney 2
Sydney 2

FAQ

Fidler surname: questions and answers

How common was the Fidler surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,915 people were recorded with the Fidler surname. That placed it at #2,275 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Fidler surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 2,168 in 2016. That gives Fidler a modern rank of #2,984.

What does the Fidler surname mean?

An occupational surname for a player of the fiddle or violin.

What does the Fidler map show?

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