NameCensus.

UK surname

Foreman

An occupational surname denoting a person who supervises workers, particularly in construction or manufacturing.

In the 1881 census there were 3,919 people recorded with the Foreman surname, ranking it #1,160 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 5,696, ranked #1,177, down from #1,160 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, London parishes and Tynemouth (Chirton, Preston, Murton, Whitley, Monkseaton), Earsdon (Earsdon). In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include South Norfolk, Swale and Northumberland.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Foreman is 5,851 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 45.3%.

1881 census count

3,919

Ranked #1,160

Modern count

5,696

2016, ranked #1,177

Peak year

1999

5,851 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Foreman had 3,919 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,160 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 5,696 in 2016, ranked #1,177.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 5,466 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Foreman surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Foreman surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Foreman 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 2,579 #1,145
1861 historical 2,718 #1,081
1881 historical 3,919 #1,160
1891 historical 4,439 #1,064
1901 historical 5,156 #1,090
1911 historical 5,466 #954
1997 modern 5,647 #1,155
1998 modern 5,803 #1,167
1999 modern 5,851 #1,165
2000 modern 5,768 #1,172
2001 modern 5,669 #1,165
2002 modern 5,809 #1,166
2003 modern 5,665 #1,161
2004 modern 5,642 #1,163
2005 modern 5,472 #1,179
2006 modern 5,475 #1,186
2007 modern 5,549 #1,175
2008 modern 5,549 #1,183
2009 modern 5,663 #1,195
2010 modern 5,772 #1,194
2011 modern 5,695 #1,192
2012 modern 5,604 #1,187
2013 modern 5,729 #1,180
2014 modern 5,773 #1,179
2015 modern 5,733 #1,173
2016 modern 5,696 #1,177

Geography

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Where Foremans are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, London parishes, Tynemouth (Chirton, Preston, Murton, Whitley, Monkseaton), Earsdon (Earsdon) 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 South Norfolk, Swale, Northumberland and Canterbury. 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 Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside Durham
2 London parishes London 1
3 London parishes London 3
4 Tynemouth (Chirton, Preston, Murton, Whitley, Monkseaton), Earsdon (Earsdon) Northumberland
5 Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry Forfar

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 South Norfolk 015 South Norfolk
2 Swale 004 Swale
3 Northumberland 007 Northumberland
4 Canterbury 007 Canterbury
5 Canterbury 008 Canterbury

Forenames

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First names often paired with Foreman

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Foreman

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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Foreman 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

Foreman is most concentrated in decile 8 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.

8
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Foreman falls in decile 6 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.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Foreman

The surname Foreman is of English origin, derived from the occupational term "foreman," which referred to an overseer or supervisor of work, particularly in the agricultural or forestry sectors. The name can be traced back to the Middle English period, around the 13th to 15th centuries.

The name is thought to have originated in the central and southern regions of England, where agriculture and forestry were significant industries. Its earliest recorded instances can be found in various historical records, such as the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which lists individuals with the surname Foreman or variants like Forman.

One of the earliest known references to the name Foreman is in the Domesday Book of 1086, which mentions a landowner named Radulfus Foreman in Oxfordshire. This suggests that the surname was already in use before the Norman Conquest of 1066.

In the 14th century, the surname Foreman appeared in various spellings, such as Forman, Formane, and Foremon, reflecting the evolution of the English language and regional variations in pronunciation and spelling.

Notable individuals with the surname Foreman throughout history include:

1. Sir John Foreman (c. 1438-1518), a British merchant and diplomat who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1501. 2. Simon Foreman (1552-1611), an English astrologer and occultist who gained notoriety during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. 3. Richard Foreman (c. 1610-1678), an English philosopher and physician who wrote extensively on medical ethics and the history of medicine. 4. John Foreman (1817-1879), an Irish-born American architect and engineer best known for his work on the Brooklyn Bridge. 5. George Foreman (born 1949), a legendary American professional boxer and former two-time heavyweight champion, known for his resilience and his iconic grill product line.

The surname Foreman has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Foreman's Green in Sussex and Foreman's Farm in Hampshire, further reflecting its historical roots and geographical spread across the country.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Foreman families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Foreman 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 827 Foremans recorded in 1881 and an index of 6.35x.

County Total Index
Kent 827 6.35x
Middlesex 450 1.18x
Suffolk 354 7.61x
Surrey 279 1.50x
Northumberland 249 4.38x
Durham 192 1.69x
Norfolk 156 2.66x
Cambridgeshire 151 6.24x
Angus 119 3.36x
Wiltshire 111 3.29x
Yorkshire 101 0.27x
Lancashire 94 0.21x
Leicestershire 83 1.96x
Essex 73 0.97x
Lincolnshire 67 1.10x
Sussex 65 1.01x
Hampshire 54 0.69x
Northamptonshire 53 1.48x
Lanarkshire 39 0.32x
Midlothian 39 0.76x
Aberdeenshire 33 0.93x
Derbyshire 33 0.55x
Staffordshire 28 0.22x
Berwickshire 22 4.76x
Devon 21 0.26x
Warwickshire 21 0.22x
Berkshire 20 0.70x
Fife 19 0.84x
Huntingdonshire 18 2.37x
Hertfordshire 17 0.65x
Somerset 15 0.24x
East Lothian 14 2.77x
Buckinghamshire 12 0.52x
Cornwall 11 0.25x
Shropshire 10 0.30x
Gloucestershire 7 0.09x
Renfrewshire 7 0.24x
Banffshire 6 0.76x
Dunbartonshire 6 0.58x
Nottinghamshire 6 0.12x
Bedfordshire 4 0.20x
Kincardineshire 4 0.86x
Dorset 3 0.12x
Morayshire 3 0.51x
Perthshire 3 0.18x
Royal Navy 3 0.66x
Worcestershire 3 0.06x
Westmorland 2 0.24x
Argyllshire 1 0.09x
Cheshire 1 0.01x
Glamorgan 1 0.02x
Herefordshire 1 0.06x
Inverness-shire 1 0.09x
Kirkcudbrightshire 1 0.18x
Orkney 1 0.24x
Peeblesshire 1 0.56x

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 72 Foremans recorded in 1881 and an index of 112.66x.

Place Total Index
Whitstable 72 112.66x
Warminster 62 83.77x
Lambeth 58 1.74x
Camberwell 55 2.25x
Islington London 54 1.46x
Dundee 45 3.41x
Shoreditch London 43 2.60x
Kensington London 42 1.98x
Pakenham 42 334.93x
Bedlington 37 19.50x
Westoe 37 5.74x
St George Hanover Square 36 5.35x
Portsea 32 2.09x
Maidstone 31 7.99x
St Pancras London 31 1.01x
Battersea 30 2.13x
Rotherhithe 30 6.36x
Peterborough 28 10.77x
Bury St Edmunds St Mary 25 28.64x
Cranbrook 25 45.30x
Kirtling 25 232.99x
Montrose 25 11.66x
Hackney London 24 1.12x
Mile End Old Town London 24 2.95x
Plumstead 24 5.53x
West Malling 24 81.80x
Fulbourn 23 99.40x
Govan 23 0.75x
Wye 23 114.03x
Great Yarmouth 21 4.32x
Hernhill 21 213.63x
Kings Lynn St Margaret 21 11.91x
Otham 21 428.57x
Bethnal Green London 20 1.21x
Cheveley 20 242.13x
Croydon 20 1.94x
Greenwich 20 3.29x
Lowestoft 20 9.10x
Staplehurst 20 93.46x
Woolwich 20 4.15x
Boughton Under Blean 19 87.08x
Middlesbrough 19 3.86x
Chatham 18 5.02x
Chesterton 18 24.14x
Salisbury St Edmund 18 33.20x
St Lawrence 18 20.09x
St Vigeans 18 9.43x
Swanscombe 18 30.75x
Aberdeen St Nicholas 17 2.57x
Elswick 17 3.75x
Leicester St Margaret 17 1.65x
Scole Cum Frenze 17 199.06x
Bishopwearmouth 16 1.64x
Egerton 16 140.72x
Exning 16 68.14x
Lewisham 16 2.30x
Longbenton 16 6.65x
Newington 16 1.13x
North Leith 16 6.76x
Thorney 16 59.57x
Woodbridge 16 26.90x
Chelsfield 15 120.48x
Chillesford 15 490.20x
Iveston 15 28.66x
Ramsgate 15 7.05x
Ancroft 14 70.07x
Bury St Edmunds St James 14 11.27x
Framwellgate 14 20.80x
Gillingham 14 5.21x
Mildenhall 14 28.32x
Preston 14 1.15x
Tonbridge 14 2.98x
Bermondsey 13 1.14x
Bromley London 13 1.55x
Dover St Mary Virgin 13 10.31x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 13 3.83x
Spalding 13 10.73x
St Marylebone London 13 0.64x
Alfreton 12 6.61x
Worlingham 12 487.80x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 192
Elizabeth 139
Sarah 110
Jane 79
Ann 62
Ellen 61
Eliza 60
Emma 58
Alice 53
Annie 42
Emily 41
Charlotte 31
Kate 31
Louisa 31
Martha 31
Fanny 29
Florence 28
Margaret 28
Hannah 26
Maria 26
Ada 25
Caroline 21
Harriet 21
Harriett 20
Edith 19
Isabella 19
Rose 19
Agnes 18
Anne 17
Catherine 17
Frances 17
Matilda 17
Lucy 16
Esther 14
Susan 14
Clara 12
Ethel 11
Sophia 11
Rebecca 10
Eleanor 9
Julia 8
Maud 8
Susannah 8
Elizth. 7
Minnie 7
Amelia 5
Helen 5
Rachel 5
Ruth 5
Selina 5

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 212
John 181
George 153
James 118
Thomas 96
Henry 92
Charles 87
Robert 66
Edward 53
Alfred 51
Arthur 41
Walter 34
Frederick 33
Joseph 32
Richard 32
Albert 30
Samuel 27
Harry 22
Stephen 20
David 18
Ernest 15
Herbert 15
Frank 14
Francis 13
Benjamin 11
Wm. 11
Fredrick 9
Frederic 8
Jeremiah 8
Edwin 7
Fredk. 7
Daniel 6
Fred 6
Jesse 6
Lewis 5
Percy 5
Ebenezer 4
Edwd. 4
Elijah 4
Felix 4
Harold 4
J. 4
Mark 4
Owen 4
Richd. 4
Sydney 4
Anthony 3
Jas. 3
Peter 3
Sidney 3

FAQ

Foreman surname: questions and answers

How common was the Foreman surname in 1881?

In 1881, 3,919 people were recorded with the Foreman surname. That placed it at #1,160 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Foreman surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 5,696 in 2016. That gives Foreman a modern rank of #1,177.

What does the Foreman surname mean?

An occupational surname denoting a person who supervises workers, particularly in construction or manufacturing.

What does the Foreman map show?

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