NameCensus.

UK surname

Flinders

A topographic name referring to someone living near a flat, marshy area.

In the 1881 census there were 367 people recorded with the Flinders surname, ranking it #8,475 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 626, ranked #8,424, up from #8,475 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, Duffield and Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Rotherham, Erewash and Sedgemoor.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Flinders is 660 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 70.6%.

1881 census count

367

Ranked #8,475

Modern count

626

2016, ranked #8,424

Peak year

2010

660 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Flinders had 367 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #8,475 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 626 in 2016, ranked #8,424.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 486 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Flinders surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Flinders surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Flinders 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 251 #8,761
1861 historical 228 #10,703
1881 historical 367 #8,475
1891 historical 362 #9,569
1901 historical 455 #8,641
1911 historical 486 #8,008
1997 modern 601 #8,133
1998 modern 611 #8,288
1999 modern 624 #8,215
2000 modern 622 #8,216
2001 modern 607 #8,230
2002 modern 640 #8,050
2003 modern 617 #8,150
2004 modern 611 #8,234
2005 modern 597 #8,299
2006 modern 599 #8,292
2007 modern 623 #8,114
2008 modern 622 #8,188
2009 modern 655 #8,019
2010 modern 660 #8,142
2011 modern 641 #8,241
2012 modern 644 #8,130
2013 modern 642 #8,295
2014 modern 648 #8,274
2015 modern 640 #8,290
2016 modern 626 #8,424

Geography

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Where Flinders' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, Duffield, Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard, Nottingham St Mary and Eltisley. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Rotherham, Erewash, Sedgemoor and Bolsover. 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 Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff Gloucestershire
2 Duffield Derbyshire
3 Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard Nottinghamshire
4 Nottingham St Mary Nottinghamshire
5 Eltisley Cambridgeshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Rotherham 030 Rotherham
2 Erewash 007 Erewash
3 Sedgemoor 001 Sedgemoor
4 Bolsover 003 Bolsover
5 Rotherham 027 Rotherham

Forenames

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First names often paired with Flinders

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Flinders

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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Flinders 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

Flinders 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

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

Meaning and origin of Flinders

The surname Flinders is of English origin and is derived from the Old English word "flint," meaning a hard stone or rock. It is believed to have originated as a topographic surname, given to someone who lived near a prominent flint outcrop or rocky area.

The name can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of England, including Norfolk, Suffolk, and Cambridgeshire. Early recorded variations of the spelling include Flindres, Flyntres, and Flynders.

One of the earliest known references to the surname Flinders can be found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, which were records of landowners in England during that time. The name is also mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1327.

In the 16th century, the name appeared in parish records in Ipswich, Suffolk, where a John Flinders was recorded in 1563. Another early bearer of the name was Robert Flinders, who was born in Donington, Lincolnshire, in 1588.

The most famous person with the surname Flinders is undoubtedly Matthew Flinders, the English navigator and cartographer who was born in 1774 in Donington, Lincolnshire. He is renowned for being the first person to circumnavigate the continent of Australia and for giving it its present name.

Other notable individuals with the surname Flinders include Samuel Flinders (1753-1835), an English philanthropist and abolitionist, and Robert Flinders (1772-1852), an English artist and engraver.

In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Flinders was William Flinders, who was born in Virginia in 1620. Another early American bearer of the name was John Flinders, who settled in Maryland in 1677.

Throughout history, the Flinders surname has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Flinders Petrie in Cambridgeshire and Flinders Green in Suffolk.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Flinders families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Flinders 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. Nottinghamshire leads with 111 Flinders' recorded in 1881 and an index of 22.94x.

County Total Index
Nottinghamshire 111 22.94x
Derbyshire 61 10.85x
Cambridgeshire 41 18.03x
Yorkshire 34 0.96x
Surrey 22 1.26x
Huntingdonshire 19 26.66x
Middlesex 18 0.50x
Leicestershire 15 3.77x
Gloucestershire 11 1.56x
Bedfordshire 9 4.84x
Staffordshire 6 0.50x
Buckinghamshire 3 1.38x
Dorset 3 1.27x
Essex 3 0.42x
Glamorgan 3 0.48x
Lancashire 3 0.07x
Devon 2 0.27x
Lanarkshire 1 0.09x
Northamptonshire 1 0.30x
Northumberland 1 0.19x
Rutland 1 3.79x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Nottingham St Mary in Nottinghamshire leads with 42 Flinders' recorded in 1881 and an index of 33.56x.

Place Total Index
Nottingham St Mary 42 33.56x
Eltisley 26 4561.40x
Ilkeston 22 139.59x
Snenton 16 84.17x
Loughborough 15 83.06x
Woodborough 12 1100.92x
Islington London 11 3.16x
Duffield 10 225.73x
Dronfield 9 125.00x
Radford 9 36.62x
Croydon 8 8.24x
Belper 7 64.22x
Croxton 7 1944.44x
Ecclesall Bierlow 7 9.67x
Eynesbury 7 424.24x
Great Gransden 7 897.44x
Northill 7 402.30x
Screveton 7 3181.82x
Basford 6 26.91x
Battersea 6 4.54x
Bradfield 6 43.76x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 6 9.05x
Doncaster 6 23.09x
Lenton 6 52.63x
Newington 6 4.52x
Bristol St George 5 15.36x
Denaby 5 248.76x
Horninglow 5 87.57x
Pleasley 5 352.11x
St Pancras London 5 1.73x
Adwick On Dearne 4 1290.32x
Bassingbourn 4 119.76x
Sheffield 4 3.53x
Carlton 3 54.35x
Dorchester St Peter 3 175.44x
Keyworth 3 272.73x
Merthyr Tydfil 3 4.99x
Newark Upon Trent 3 17.25x
Nottingham St Nicholas 3 45.52x
St Andrewthe Less 3 11.55x
Wavendon 3 250.00x
Whittington 3 38.56x
Bridlington 2 24.57x
Camberwell 2 0.87x
Derby St Alkmund 2 11.88x
Exeter St Sidwell 2 11.69x
Salford 2 1.60x
Springfield 2 64.31x
St Neots 2 51.68x
Yelling 2 512.82x
Barony 1 0.34x
Blackburn 1 0.88x
Chigwell 1 14.95x
Clifton 1 55.87x
Derby St Peter 1 5.59x
Diddington 1 400.00x
Elswick 1 2.35x
Little Chester 1 140.85x
Northampton St Sepulchre 1 5.82x
Paddington London 1 0.76x
Sandy 1 30.49x
St Gilesin Fields London 1 32.89x
Standard Hill 1 86.96x
Tibshelf 1 36.23x
Tipton 1 2.70x
Uppingham 1 31.85x
Weston Colville 1 153.85x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 24
Elizabeth 15
Sarah 11
Ann 8
Eliza 7
Annie 6
Emma 6
Jane 6
Charlotte 5
Fanny 5
Ada 4
Gertrude 4
Alice 3
Clara 3
Ellen 3
Hannah 3
Maria 3
Agnes 2
Anne 2
Catherine 2
Cecilia 2
Emily 2
Florence 2
Frances 2
Francis 2
Hannh. 2
Kate 2
Louisa 2
Lucy 2
Sophia 2
Bertha 1
Bessie 1
Betsy 1
Catharine 1
E. 1
Edith 1
Eleanor 1
Eliz. 1
Elizth. 1
Emeline 1
Esther 1
Georgina 1
Harriet 1
Harriett 1
Helen 1
Henrietta 1
Isabella 1
Juliet 1
Kerzia 1
Susannah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 21
William 21
George 19
Samuel 17
Thomas 15
Charles 8
Joseph 7
Edward 6
Arthur 5
Harry 5
Herbert 4
James 4
Alfred 3
Fredk. 3
Wm. 3
Benjamin 2
Frank 2
Frederick 2
Matthew 2
Robert 2
Tom 2
Arther 1
Ben 1
Caroline 1
Ector 1
Edmund 1
Edwin 1
Enoch 1
Ernest 1
Francis 1
Fred 1
Geoe. 1
Granville 1
Hedding 1
Henry 1
Hugh 1
Isaac 1
Jarus 1
Jno. 1
Johnathan 1
Morgan 1
Richards 1
Sameul 1
Sidney 1
Sydney 1
T.A. 1
Terry 1
W.A. 1
Walter 1
Willm. 1

FAQ

Flinders surname: questions and answers

How common was the Flinders surname in 1881?

In 1881, 367 people were recorded with the Flinders surname. That placed it at #8,475 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Flinders surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 626 in 2016. That gives Flinders a modern rank of #8,424.

What does the Flinders surname mean?

A topographic name referring to someone living near a flat, marshy area.

What does the Flinders map show?

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