NameCensus.

UK surname

Follen

A Scottish surname derived from a Gaelic term meaning "little wolf" or "little lad".

In the 1881 census there were 68 people recorded with the Follen surname, ranking it #23,950 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 151, ranked #23,615, up from #23,950 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Port Glasgow, London parishes and Govan Combination. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Fenland, King's Lynn and West Norfolk and Cornwall.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Follen is 154 in 2014. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 122.1%.

1881 census count

68

Ranked #23,950

Modern count

151

2016, ranked #23,615

Peak year

2014

154 bearers

Map years

4

1901 to 2016

Key insights

  • Follen had 68 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #23,950 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 151 in 2016, ranked #23,615.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 106 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Follen surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Follen surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Follen 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 42 #25,706
1861 historical 45 #28,296
1881 historical 68 #23,950
1891 historical 68 #28,300
1901 historical 106 #22,076
1911 historical 72 #25,642
1997 modern 129 #23,143
1998 modern 124 #24,316
1999 modern 123 #24,643
2000 modern 118 #25,197
2001 modern 119 #24,733
2002 modern 128 #24,150
2003 modern 120 #24,909
2004 modern 121 #24,939
2005 modern 120 #25,066
2006 modern 125 #24,611
2007 modern 129 #24,503
2008 modern 128 #24,901
2009 modern 134 #24,711
2010 modern 141 #24,460
2011 modern 139 #24,507
2012 modern 146 #23,681
2013 modern 148 #23,884
2014 modern 154 #23,439
2015 modern 152 #23,507
2016 modern 151 #23,615

Geography

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Where Follens are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Port Glasgow, London parishes, Govan Combination, Walpole St Peter and St Andrew and Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Fenland, King's Lynn and West Norfolk and Cornwall. 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 Port Glasgow Renfrew
2 London parishes London 3
3 Govan Combination Lanark
4 Walpole St Peter and St Andrew Cambridgeshire
5 Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry Forfar

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Fenland 003 Fenland
2 King's Lynn and West Norfolk 013 King's Lynn and West Norfolk
3 Fenland 002 Fenland
4 Cornwall 015 Cornwall
5 King's Lynn and West Norfolk 008 King's Lynn and West Norfolk

Forenames

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First names often paired with Follen

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Follen

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

Retired Professionals

Group

Spacious Rural Living

Nationally, the Follen surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Follen household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These predominantly ageing households typically have no resident dependent children. Most are owner-occupiers and live in detached houses in low density residential developments (although renting is more common than in the rest of the Supergroup). White ethnicity predominates. Residents are typically beyond retirement age but those still in work have managerial, professional or skilled trade occupations. White ethnicity and Christian religious affiliation predominate. Neighbourhoods are located throughout rural UK.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Follen is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Pockets, part of Social Rented Sector Families with Children. 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

Found in pockets across London, residents are less likely to live in private sector rentals and fewer adults are students. Fewer individuals work in transport and communications occupations relative to the Supergroup average. More individuals identify as Black and were born in Africa.

Wider London pattern

Residents of these neighbourhoods include sizable numbers identifying with ethnicities originating outside Europe, particularly in Africa or Bangladesh. The proportion of residents identifying as White, Indian or Pakistani is well below the London average. Neighbourhood age profiles are skewed towards younger adults, and above average numbers of families have children. Rates of use of English at home are below average. Marriage rates are low, and levels of separation or divorce are above average. Housing is predominantly in flats, and renting in the social rented sector the norm - few residents are owner occupiers. Housing is often overcrowded, and neighbourhoods are amongst the most densely populated in London. Disability rates are above average, although levels of unpaid care provision are about average. Employment is in caring, leisure, other service occupations, sales and customer service, or process, plant, and machine operation. Part time working and full-time student study are common. Levels of unemployment are slightly above average. Most residents have only Level 1 or 2 educational qualifications or have completed apprenticeships.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Follen 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

Follen falls in decile 4 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.

4
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Follen

The surname Follen originates from Germany, tracing its roots back to the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Old German word "fol," which means "full" or "complete." This suggests that the name may have initially been a descriptive nickname given to someone who was stout or well-built.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Follen surname can be found in the Codex Traditionum Lunaelacensium, a 12th-century cartulary from the Benedictine abbey of Lüneburg. It mentions a certain "Follenus de Braunschweig" (Follene of Brunswick) who was a landowner in the region.

The Follen name also appears in various other historical records from the 13th and 14th centuries, such as the Bremisches Urkundenbuch (Bremen Charters) and the Lübecker Ratslinien (Lübeck Council Rolls). These documents often mention individuals with variations of the spelling, such as Follen, Follin, or Föllen, indicating the name's widespread use in northern Germany during that time.

One notable figure bearing the Follen surname was Karl Follen (1795-1840), a German jurist, poet, and political activist. He was a prominent member of the Burschenschaften, a liberal student movement, and was forced to flee Germany due to his involvement in the uprising against the conservative government. He later immigrated to the United States and became a professor of German literature at Harvard University.

Another significant individual was August Follen (1794-1855), the younger brother of Karl Follen. He was also a writer and activist who participated in the Burschenschaften movement and had to leave Germany following the failed revolution of 1848. He eventually settled in Switzerland, where he worked as a teacher and writer.

In the 18th century, the Follen surname was associated with several notable clergymen and theologians, such as Christian Follen (1714-1790), a Lutheran pastor and author from Saxony, and Johann Follen (1720-1788), a German philosopher and theologian who served as a professor at the University of Göttingen.

The Follen name can also be connected to various place names in Germany, particularly in regions like Lower Saxony and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Examples include Follen, a village in the district of Lüchow-Dannenberg, and Follenrade, a former municipality that is now part of the town of Lübz.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Follen families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Follen 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 17 Follens recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.59x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 17 2.59x
Norfolk 11 10.79x
Angus 8 13.02x
Staffordshire 7 3.13x
Lancashire 6 0.76x
Lanarkshire 5 2.33x
Lincolnshire 4 3.77x
East Lothian 2 22.78x
Midlothian 2 2.25x
Warwickshire 2 1.20x
Middlesex 1 0.15x
Renfrewshire 1 1.95x
Surrey 1 0.31x
Sussex 1 0.89x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Emneth in Norfolk leads with 8 Follens recorded in 1881 and an index of 3478.26x.

Place Total Index
Emneth 8 3478.26x
Hemsworth 8 2105.26x
Dundee 7 30.51x
Walsall Borough 6 344.83x
Govan 5 9.43x
Linthorpe 5 127.55x
Fleet 4 1333.33x
Spotland 3 34.29x
Walpole St Andrew 3 1875.00x
Aberlady 2 869.57x
Birmingham 2 3.59x
Holy Trinity 2 12.65x
Batley 1 16.00x
Cadeby 1 1666.67x
Dalkeith 1 57.14x
Edinburgh Canongate 1 44.25x
Hove 1 20.37x
Inverkip 1 82.64x
Kensington London 1 2.71x
Lambeth 1 1.73x
Liff Benvie 1 10.72x
Liverpool 1 2.09x
Newton In Makerfield 1 41.49x
Oldham 1 3.94x
Walsall Foreign 1 8.65x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 5
Ann 3
Bridget 3
Alice 2
Anne 1
Catherine 1
Eliza 1
Hannah 1
Harriet 1
Jane 1
Margaret 1
Sarah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 8
William 4
Charles 2
George 2
Michael 2
Patrick 2
Brett 1
Edward 1
Harriet 1
Henry 1
Mathew 1
Samuel 1
Thomas 1
W. 1
Walter 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 Follen households.

FAQ

Follen surname: questions and answers

How common was the Follen surname in 1881?

In 1881, 68 people were recorded with the Follen surname. That placed it at #23,950 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Follen surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 151 in 2016. That gives Follen a modern rank of #23,615.

What does the Follen surname mean?

A Scottish surname derived from a Gaelic term meaning "little wolf" or "little lad".

What does the Follen map show?

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