NameCensus.

UK surname

Firth

Habitational surname referring to someone who lived near a woodland, ford, or river crossing.

In the 1881 census there were 9,950 people recorded with the Firth surname, ranking it #429 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 10,098, ranked #635, down from #429 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Halifax, Birstall and Batley. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Bradford, Leeds and Sheffield.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Firth is 12,345 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has stayed broadly stable by 1.5%.

1881 census count

9,950

Ranked #429

Modern count

10,098

2016, ranked #635

Peak year

1911

12,345 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Firth had 9,950 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #429 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 10,098 in 2016, ranked #635.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 12,345 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living.

Firth surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Firth surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Firth 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 6,399 #430
1861 historical 6,353 #439
1881 historical 9,950 #429
1891 historical 10,269 #431
1901 historical 11,839 #441
1911 historical 12,345 #396
1997 modern 10,176 #604
1998 modern 10,337 #621
1999 modern 10,436 #621
2000 modern 10,345 #623
2001 modern 10,064 #629
2002 modern 10,252 #630
2003 modern 10,042 #630
2004 modern 10,041 #627
2005 modern 9,925 #625
2006 modern 9,881 #630
2007 modern 9,930 #632
2008 modern 9,979 #633
2009 modern 10,169 #639
2010 modern 10,305 #641
2011 modern 10,193 #639
2012 modern 10,053 #638
2013 modern 10,199 #635
2014 modern 10,252 #637
2015 modern 10,136 #635
2016 modern 10,098 #635

Geography

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Where Firths are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Halifax, Birstall, Batley, Wakefield and Bradford. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Bradford, Leeds, Sheffield and Kirklees. 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 Halifax Yorkshire, West Riding
2 Birstall Yorkshire, West Riding
3 Batley Yorkshire, West Riding
4 Wakefield Yorkshire, West Riding
5 Bradford Yorkshire, West Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Bradford 022 Bradford
2 Bradford 019 Bradford
3 Leeds 103 Leeds
4 Sheffield 001 Sheffield
5 Kirklees 057 Kirklees

Forenames

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First names often paired with Firth

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Firth

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Firth, 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 Firth surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Firth 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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Firth is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. 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 located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Firth 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

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

Meaning and origin of Firth

The surname Firth originates from the northern counties of England and is derived from the Old Norse word "fjörðr," meaning a small inlet or bay. It is believed to have been first used as a topographic name, referring to someone who lived near a small inlet or firth.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Firth can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Frith." This document, commissioned by William the Conqueror, recorded the names and landholdings of the English nobility and commoners at the time.

During the medieval period, the name was often spelled in various ways, such as Fryth, Frith, and Fyrth, reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and spelling. It was particularly prevalent in the northern counties of Yorkshire, Northumberland, and Durham, where many of the earliest recorded bearers of the name can be found.

In the 13th century, a notable figure named Roger de Firth was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire, indicating the presence of the name in the region. The Pipe Rolls were a series of financial records kept by the English Exchequer during the Middle Ages.

In the 16th century, the surname Firth was associated with several notable individuals. One of them was John Firth (1519-1565), an English Catholic priest and martyr who was executed for his faith during the Elizabethan period.

Another prominent bearer of the name was Thomas Firth (1567-1629), an English clergyman and scholar who served as the Regius Professor of Hebrew at the University of Cambridge.

In the 18th century, the name gained recognition through the achievements of Abraham Firth (1709-1785), a prominent English industrialist and inventor who pioneered the development of the crucible steel-making process.

The 19th century saw the rise of Mark Firth (1819-1880), a British businessman and politician who co-founded the steel manufacturing company known as Firth Brown & Co., which later became part of the larger Firth Vickers Group.

One of the most famous individuals with the surname Firth is the British actor Colin Firth, born in 1960. He is renowned for his roles in various films, including "Pride and Prejudice," "The King's Speech," and "Bridget Jones's Diary," for which he received numerous accolades and awards.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Firth families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Firth 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. Yorkshire leads with 7,827 Firths recorded in 1881 and an index of 8.14x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 7,827 8.14x
Lancashire 794 0.69x
Orkney 175 16.39x
Cheshire 163 0.76x
Middlesex 128 0.13x
Durham 119 0.41x
Lincolnshire 79 0.51x
Kent 77 0.23x
Surrey 73 0.15x
Derbyshire 68 0.45x
Norfolk 49 0.33x
Essex 34 0.18x
Northumberland 34 0.24x
Devon 26 0.13x
Lanarkshire 20 0.06x
Midlothian 20 0.15x
Hampshire 19 0.10x
Cumberland 18 0.22x
Gloucestershire 18 0.09x
Leicestershire 17 0.16x
Warwickshire 17 0.07x
Staffordshire 16 0.05x
Aberdeenshire 15 0.17x
Nottinghamshire 15 0.11x
Sussex 15 0.09x
Somerset 12 0.08x
Bedfordshire 10 0.20x
Cambridgeshire 10 0.16x
Worcestershire 9 0.07x
Carmarthenshire 7 0.17x
Renfrewshire 7 0.09x
Clackmannanshire 5 0.62x
Dorset 5 0.08x
Royal Navy 5 0.43x
Westmorland 5 0.23x
Buckinghamshire 4 0.07x
Perthshire 4 0.09x
Suffolk 4 0.03x
Northamptonshire 3 0.03x
Cardiganshire 2 0.08x
East Lothian 2 0.16x
Flintshire 2 0.08x
Glamorgan 2 0.01x
Rutland 2 0.28x
Shropshire 2 0.02x
Wiltshire 2 0.02x
Berkshire 1 0.01x
Denbighshire 1 0.03x
Hertfordshire 1 0.02x
Isle of Man 1 0.06x
Pembrokeshire 1 0.03x
Stirlingshire 1 0.03x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Leeds in Yorkshire leads with 329 Firths recorded in 1881 and an index of 6.06x.

Place Total Index
Leeds 329 6.06x
Dewsbury 289 29.31x
Horton In Bradford 287 19.12x
Bradford 285 12.25x
Halifax 217 15.37x
Manningham 213 17.98x
Huddersfield 194 13.85x
Gomersal 175 39.00x
Liversedge 163 38.09x
Batley 140 15.32x
Cleckheaton 134 37.84x
Heckmondwike 132 42.69x
North Bierley 131 25.24x
Bowling 126 13.23x
Northowram 123 18.25x
Ovenden 114 26.64x
Kippax 110 130.09x
Barnsley 108 10.89x
Skelmanthorpe 107 103.09x
Wortley In Bramley 107 14.05x
Rastrick 105 39.32x
Shipley 105 21.05x
Brightside Bierlow 92 4.88x
Hunslet 84 5.60x
Tong 84 45.23x
Oldham 81 2.18x
Wakefield 81 10.97x
Morley 79 15.80x
Lindley Cum Quarmby 78 32.16x
Stanley Cum Wrenthorpe 77 17.24x
Thornhill 75 26.73x
Idle 74 16.60x
Soothill 71 20.44x
Bradfield 66 17.81x
Marsden In Almondbury 66 75.45x
Wyke In Bradford 64 37.22x
Alverthorpe Cum Thornes 63 18.04x
Doncaster 61 8.68x
Pudsey 61 11.87x
Bingley 59 9.64x
Holbeck 58 9.11x
Warley 57 20.51x
Sheffield 56 1.83x
Dalton In Huddersfield 53 24.61x
Headingley Cum Burley 51 8.24x
Ossett Cum Gawthorpe 50 14.56x
Holy Trinity 49 2.12x
Clayton 48 20.40x
Elland Cum Greetland 48 11.08x
Firth Stenness 48 104.87x
Southowram 46 15.68x
Ecclesall Bierlow 45 2.30x
Castleford 43 12.28x
Mirfield 43 8.15x
Eccleshill 42 17.95x
Wombwell 42 14.98x
Spotland 41 3.20x
Skircoat 40 10.55x
Calverley Cum Farsley 39 14.29x
Hipperholme Cum 38 9.00x
Hulme 37 1.54x
Selby 37 18.41x
Sowerby In Halifax 37 11.77x
Great Little Preston 36 130.58x
Normanton 36 12.46x
Worsbrough 36 12.78x
Castleton 35 3.04x
Honley 35 20.80x
Glossop Dale 34 4.78x
Salford 34 1.00x
Ainsworth 33 74.04x
Golcar 33 12.98x
Hyde 33 5.22x
Emley 32 74.45x
Stromness 32 39.97x
Blatchinworth 31 11.83x
Todmorden Walsden 31 10.05x
Heaton Norris 30 4.58x
Saddleworth 30 4.05x
Chadderton 29 5.15x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 662
Sarah 482
Elizabeth 311
Hannah 214
Ann 203
Annie 176
Emma 169
Martha 168
Jane 163
Eliza 138
Alice 136
Emily 101
Ellen 98
Clara 90
Harriet 90
Ada 71
Maria 58
Margaret 57
Edith 51
Charlotte 45
Lucy 45
Florence 44
Agnes 37
Caroline 37
Fanny 37
Frances 36
Louisa 33
Ruth 31
Anne 30
Betty 28
Susannah 27
Isabella 25
Grace 23
Rachel 22
Kate 21
Amelia 20
Esther 20
Rebecca 20
Selina 20
Lilly 19
Lydia 19
Betsy 18
Nancy 17
Susan 17
Elizth. 16
Rose 16
Eleanor 15
Gertrude 15
Ethel 14
Matilda 13

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 552
William 399
Joseph 297
James 275
George 256
Thomas 217
Charles 147
Arthur 130
Henry 127
Samuel 92
Albert 90
Harry 89
Walter 87
Alfred 83
Fred 82
Edward 69
David 59
Tom 59
Herbert 55
Robert 50
Frank 48
Benjamin 46
Richard 42
Joe 41
Sam 38
Wm. 38
Ernest 37
Edwin 33
Isaac 33
Abraham 32
Frederick 30
Willie 30
Joshua 29
Nathan 22
Thos. 22
Ben 19
Francis 16
Geo. 15
Jno. 13
Mark 13
Daniel 12
Jonathan 12
Amos 11
Jonas 11
Peter 11
Reuben 11
Squire 11
Chas. 10
Eli 10
Allen 9

FAQ

Firth surname: questions and answers

How common was the Firth surname in 1881?

In 1881, 9,950 people were recorded with the Firth surname. That placed it at #429 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Firth surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 10,098 in 2016. That gives Firth a modern rank of #635.

What does the Firth surname mean?

Habitational surname referring to someone who lived near a woodland, ford, or river crossing.

What does the Firth map show?

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