NameCensus.

UK surname

Foad

In the 1881 census there were 176 people recorded with the Foad surname, ranking it #13,930 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 373, ranked #12,515, up from #13,930 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Reculver, Herne (incl. Herne Bay Chapelry) and Seasalter. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Canterbury and Dover.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Foad is 400 in 2011. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 111.9%.

1881 census count

176

Ranked #13,930

Modern count

373

2016, ranked #12,515

Peak year

2011

400 bearers

Map years

8

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Foad had 176 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #13,930 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 373 in 2016, ranked #12,515.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 278 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Foad surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Foad surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Foad 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 98 #17,383
1861 historical 102 #20,797
1881 historical 176 #13,930
1891 historical 244 #12,983
1901 historical 246 #13,269
1911 historical 278 #12,038
1997 modern 379 #11,447
1998 modern 390 #11,563
1999 modern 391 #11,640
2000 modern 380 #11,837
2001 modern 372 #11,855
2002 modern 370 #12,121
2003 modern 363 #12,096
2004 modern 379 #11,740
2005 modern 352 #12,315
2006 modern 351 #12,420
2007 modern 354 #12,489
2008 modern 356 #12,534
2009 modern 372 #12,383
2010 modern 396 #12,089
2011 modern 400 #11,865
2012 modern 379 #12,192
2013 modern 384 #12,295
2014 modern 388 #12,280
2015 modern 386 #12,237
2016 modern 373 #12,515

Geography

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Where Foads are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Reculver, Herne (incl. Herne Bay Chapelry), Seasalter, Margate and St Mary Northgate, St John's Hospital. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Canterbury and Dover. 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 Reculver Kent
2 Herne (incl. Herne Bay Chapelry) Kent
3 Seasalter Kent
4 Margate Kent
5 St Mary Northgate, St John's Hospital Kent

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Canterbury 007 Canterbury
2 Canterbury 003 Canterbury
3 Canterbury 014 Canterbury
4 Canterbury 006 Canterbury
5 Dover 013 Dover

Forenames

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First names often paired with Foad

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Foad

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

Ageing Communities

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many residents are of normal retirement age or above and live in communal establishments, and there are few dependent children. The dominant property type is a mix of retirement flats and detached houses. Those in work are likely to be employed in managerial and professional occupations, and many residents are educated to degree level. Levels of owner occupation are high, but the private rental sector is also present. Rural locations predominate.

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, Foad 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

Foad is most concentrated in decile 4 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.

4
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Foad 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 Foad is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 25-30 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

5
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Foad, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

1881 census detail

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Foad families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Foad 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. Kent leads with 162 Foads recorded in 1881 and an index of 27.50x.

County Total Index
Kent 162 27.50x
Middlesex 6 0.35x
Norfolk 5 1.88x
Surrey 2 0.24x
Channel Islands 1 1.95x
Lancashire 1 0.05x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Whitstable in Kent leads with 42 Foads recorded in 1881 and an index of 1453.29x.

Place Total Index
Whitstable 42 1453.29x
St Lawrence 15 370.37x
Reculver 14 7777.78x
Chislet 10 1492.54x
Herne 9 344.83x
Ramsgate 9 93.56x
Minster In Thanet 7 569.11x
St Nicholas At Wade 7 2058.82x
Bekesbourne 6 3000.00x
Littlebourne 6 1333.33x
Monkton 6 2727.27x
Otford 6 731.71x
Folkestone 5 43.74x
Norwich St Stephen 5 204.92x
Seasalter 4 540.54x
Shoreditch London 4 5.34x
Stodmarsh 4 5000.00x
Swalecliffe 3 3750.00x
Acol 1 555.56x
Charlton 1 25.58x
Chelsea London 1 1.92x
Croydon 1 2.14x
Deal 1 19.92x
Dunkirk 1 227.27x
Faversham 1 17.79x
Lambeth 1 0.66x
Lewisham 1 3.18x
Margate St John Baptist 1 9.27x
Sarre 1 909.09x
St Peters 1 36.63x
St Sampson 1 43.29x
Tottenham 1 3.64x
Toxteth Park 1 1.44x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 11
Alice 5
Elizabeth 5
Emily 5
Ann 3
Emma 3
Sarah 3
Annie 2
Caroline 2
Edith 2
Eliza 2
Ellen 2
Harriet 2
Jane 2
Jessie 2
Kate 2
Lucy 2
Martha 2
Ada 1
Amy 1
Anne 1
Celia 1
Elizth. 1
Emilly 1
Emlance 1
Emmely 1
Esther 1
Ethel 1
Eva 1
Fanny 1
Frances 1
Gertrude 1
Hannah 1
Harriett 1
Harriot 1
Hilda 1
Jillia 1
Lizzie 1
Mabel 1
Margaret 1
Matilda 1
Mildred 1
Rosa 1
Rose 1
Rosina 1
Selina 1
Susannah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 14
William 13
Henry 9
James 7
Edward 6
Stephen 6
Alexander 3
Alfred 3
Frederick 3
George 3
Albert 2
Charles 2
David 2
Edwin 2
Robert 2
Thomas 2
Andrew 1
Arthur 1
Ernest 1
Fred 1
Fredrick 1
Harry 1
Josephas 1
Osburn 1
Richard 1
Thos.J. 1
Wallace 1
Walter 1

FAQ

Foad surname: questions and answers

How common was the Foad surname in 1881?

In 1881, 176 people were recorded with the Foad surname. That placed it at #13,930 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Foad surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 373 in 2016. That gives Foad a modern rank of #12,515.

What does the Foad map show?

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