NameCensus.

UK surname

Footer

A surname derived from the occupation of a footman or domestic servant.

In the 1881 census there were 129 people recorded with the Footer surname, ranking it #17,013 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 148, ranked #23,958, down from #17,013 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Ingham, St James and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include King's Lynn and West Norfolk, St Edmundsbury and Forest Heath.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Footer is 397 in 1891. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 14.7%.

1881 census count

129

Ranked #17,013

Modern count

148

2016, ranked #23,958

Peak year

1891

397 bearers

Map years

8

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Footer had 129 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #17,013 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 148 in 2016, ranked #23,958.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 397 in 1891.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Footer surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Footer surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Footer 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 62 #22,232
1861 historical 333 #7,646
1881 historical 129 #17,013
1891 historical 397 #8,927
1901 historical 178 #16,284
1911 historical 172 #16,408
1997 modern 161 #20,176
1998 modern 165 #20,423
1999 modern 170 #20,153
2000 modern 163 #20,657
2001 modern 158 #20,788
2002 modern 157 #21,261
2003 modern 156 #21,115
2004 modern 160 #20,926
2005 modern 164 #20,552
2006 modern 165 #20,634
2007 modern 164 #20,973
2008 modern 165 #21,056
2009 modern 162 #21,791
2010 modern 158 #22,692
2011 modern 156 #22,690
2012 modern 147 #23,567
2013 modern 155 #23,108
2014 modern 156 #23,231
2015 modern 152 #23,507
2016 modern 148 #23,958

Geography

Back to top

Where Footers are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Ingham, St James, London parishes, Blo-Norton and Wigan. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to King's Lynn and West Norfolk, St Edmundsbury, Forest Heath and East Cambridgeshire. 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 Ingham Suffolk
2 St James Suffolk
3 London parishes London 3
4 Blo-Norton Norfolk
5 Wigan Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 King's Lynn and West Norfolk 012 King's Lynn and West Norfolk
2 St Edmundsbury 003 St Edmundsbury
3 King's Lynn and West Norfolk 014 King's Lynn and West Norfolk
4 Forest Heath 001 Forest Heath
5 East Cambridgeshire 003 East Cambridgeshire

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Footer

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Footer

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Footer, 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 Footer surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Footer 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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Footer is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. 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

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Footer is most concentrated in decile 6 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.

6
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Footer

The surname FOOTER is of English origin, derived from the Old English word 'fot', meaning foot. The surname likely originated in the 12th or 13th century, referring to someone who lived at the foot of a hill or mountain.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1230, where a Richard le Fotere is mentioned. The 'le' prefix indicates the name was originally a descriptive nickname, later becoming a hereditary surname.

In the 13th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as Fottere, Foter, and Fotour, reflecting the phonetic spellings of the time. These variations were derived from the Old English word 'fot' combined with the occupational suffix '-er', denoting someone who worked with feet, perhaps a foot messenger or a maker of footwear.

The FOOTER surname is also linked to several place names in England, such as Footers in Somerset and Footers Hill in Gloucestershire. These locations may have been named after early bearers of the surname or vice versa, with the name originating from the place.

Notable historical figures with the FOOTER surname include:

1. John Footer (c. 1560-1630), an English clergyman and author from Oxfordshire. 2. William Footer (1674-1743), a prominent merchant and landowner from Yorkshire. 3. Elizabeth Footer (1730-1808), a philanthropist and founder of the Footer Orphanage in London. 4. Thomas Footer (1815-1892), a British explorer and naturalist who documented the flora and fauna of the Amazon rainforest. 5. Margaret Footer (1892-1978), a renowned English artist and member of the Royal Academy of Arts.

Throughout its history, the FOOTER surname has been associated with various occupations, from clergy and merchants to explorers and artists, reflecting the diverse backgrounds of its bearers.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Footer families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Footer 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. Suffolk leads with 55 Footers recorded in 1881 and an index of 35.89x.

County Total Index
Suffolk 55 35.89x
Norfolk 30 15.51x
Lancashire 9 0.60x
Middlesex 6 0.48x
Surrey 6 0.98x
Kent 5 1.16x
Sussex 5 2.36x
Yorkshire 5 0.40x
Staffordshire 3 0.71x
Hampshire 2 0.78x
Cambridgeshire 1 1.25x
Devon 1 0.38x
Hertfordshire 1 1.15x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Thelnetham in Suffolk leads with 22 Footers recorded in 1881 and an index of 12941.18x.

Place Total Index
Thelnetham 22 12941.18x
Bury St Edmunds St James 19 464.55x
Blo Norton 10 10000.00x
Toxteth Park 9 17.80x
East Harling 7 1521.74x
Ingham 6 5000.00x
Brighton 5 11.68x
Sprowston 5 588.24x
Dartford 3 68.34x
Dilham 3 1666.67x
Exning 3 389.61x
Manningham 3 19.53x
Norwich St Julian 3 370.37x
West Bromwich 3 12.34x
Ampton 2 5000.00x
Battersea 2 4.32x
Paddington London 2 4.32x
Portsea 2 3.96x
Shalford 2 294.12x
Bury St Edmunds St Mary 1 34.72x
Carlton In Selby 1 312.50x
Charlton Next Woolwich 1 22.32x
Ealing 1 8.90x
Fakenham 1 105.26x
Fornham St Martin 1 769.23x
Goole 1 47.85x
Ipswich St Mary Stoke 1 70.42x
Lidford 1 84.75x
Newington 1 2.15x
Norwich St Stephen 1 56.18x
St Andrewthe Less 1 10.99x
St George Hanover Square 1 4.51x
St George Martyr London 1 39.22x
Stoke 1 34.60x
Tonbridge 1 6.46x
Watford 1 14.88x
Westminster St James 1 7.73x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 9
Elizabeth 5
Charlotte 3
Ellen 3
Alice 2
Eliza 2
Jane 2
Laura 2
Louisa 2
Maria 2
Martha 2
Ruth 2
Sarah 2
Ann 1
Bertha 1
Caroline 1
Clara 1
Edith 1
Elizth. 1
Emma 1
Ethel 1
Eva 1
Florence 1
Frances 1
Georgeanna 1
Julia 1
Mabel 1
Matilda 1
Nellie 1
Priscilla 1
Rachel 1
Rebecca 1
Rose 1
Susan 1
Susannah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 9
Robert 6
Albert 5
Arthur 5
James 4
Walter 4
William 4
George 3
Harry 3
David 2
Frederick 2
Henry 2
Herbert 2
Stephen 2
Thomas 2
Barnard 1
Earnest 1
Edgar 1
Frank 1
Fredk. 1
Gad 1
Horace 1
Isaac 1
Malteyward 1
Martin 1
Morris 1
Robt. 1

FAQ

Footer surname: questions and answers

How common was the Footer surname in 1881?

In 1881, 129 people were recorded with the Footer surname. That placed it at #17,013 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Footer surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 148 in 2016. That gives Footer a modern rank of #23,958.

What does the Footer surname mean?

A surname derived from the occupation of a footman or domestic servant.

What does the Footer map show?

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