NameCensus.

UK surname

Forsdike

In the 1881 census there were 171 people recorded with the Forsdike surname, ranking it #14,212 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 236, ranked #17,470, down from #14,212 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Leiston with Sizewell, London parishes and Falkenham. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Ipswich, Mid Suffolk and Suffolk Coastal.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Forsdike is 300 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 38.0%.

1881 census count

171

Ranked #14,212

Modern count

236

2016, ranked #17,470

Peak year

1911

300 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Forsdike had 171 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #14,212 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 236 in 2016, ranked #17,470.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 300 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Forsdike surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Forsdike surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Forsdike 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 146 #13,157
1861 historical 172 #13,619
1881 historical 171 #14,212
1891 historical 185 #15,803
1901 historical 237 #13,574
1911 historical 300 #11,441
1997 modern 264 #14,734
1998 modern 269 #14,941
1999 modern 278 #14,705
2000 modern 276 #14,724
2001 modern 266 #14,878
2002 modern 263 #15,277
2003 modern 262 #15,150
2004 modern 257 #15,419
2005 modern 251 #15,590
2006 modern 239 #16,224
2007 modern 239 #16,449
2008 modern 237 #16,688
2009 modern 229 #17,431
2010 modern 237 #17,368
2011 modern 236 #17,279
2012 modern 230 #17,479
2013 modern 238 #17,354
2014 modern 240 #17,387
2015 modern 239 #17,322
2016 modern 236 #17,470

Geography

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Where Forsdikes are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Leiston with Sizewell, London parishes, Falkenham, Otley and Sheffield. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Ipswich, Mid Suffolk and Suffolk Coastal. 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 Leiston with Sizewell Suffolk
2 London parishes London 3
3 Falkenham Suffolk
4 Otley Suffolk
5 Sheffield Yorkshire, West Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Ipswich 008 Ipswich
2 Ipswich 006 Ipswich
3 Mid Suffolk 007 Mid Suffolk
4 Suffolk Coastal 015 Suffolk Coastal
5 Mid Suffolk 005 Mid Suffolk

Forenames

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First names often paired with Forsdike

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Forsdike

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

Baseline UK

Group

Challenged Communities

Nationally, the Forsdike surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Challenged Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Forsdike household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

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Group profile

Residents of these neighbourhoods typically live in households with dependent children, and there are fewer-than-average residents of normal retirement age or over. Identification with ethnic minorities, particularly Black, or Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is common. The rate of Christian religious affiliation is low. Housing predominantly consists of semi-detached houses, along with a significant number of terraced properties and flats. Overcrowded social housing is common, and private renting occurs at average UK levels. Those in employment work mainly in caring leisure and other services; process, plant and machine operation; or elementary occupations. Unemployment is high, and few individuals have degree level qualifications. Many of these neighbourhoods occur in commuter towns or less accessible areas of larger towns and cities.

Wider pattern

This Supergroup exemplifies the broad base to the UK’s social structure, encompassing as it does the average or modal levels of many neighbourhood characteristics, including all housing tenures, a range of levels of educational attainment and religious affiliations, and a variety of pre-retirement age structures. Yet, in combination, these mixes are each distinctive of the parts of the UK. Overall, terraced houses and flats are the most prevalent, as is employment in intermediate or low-skilled occupations. However, this Supergroup is also characterised by above average levels of unemployment and lower levels of use of English as the main language. Many neighbourhoods occur in south London and the UK’s other major urban centres.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Skilled Trades and Construction Workers

Within London, Forsdike is most associated with areas classed as Skilled Trades and Construction 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

These scattered, peripheral and often low residential density neighbourhoods house more workers in skilled trades and construction. Few households rent social housing and there are few students. Multiple car ownership is higher than the Supergroup average, perhaps because of poorer public transport connectivity. Incidence of mixed or multiple ethnicity is below the Supergroup average, and the absence of individuals identifying as Pakistani or Other Asian groups is also less pronounced. Flatted accommodation is less dominant than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

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

Forsdike 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

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

1881 census detail

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Forsdike families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Forsdike 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 83 Forsdikes recorded in 1881 and an index of 40.86x.

County Total Index
Suffolk 83 40.86x
Middlesex 22 1.32x
Surrey 20 2.46x
Glamorgan 10 3.44x
Lancashire 8 0.40x
Cambridgeshire 6 5.68x
Yorkshire 6 0.36x
Durham 3 0.60x
Norfolk 3 1.17x
Somerset 3 1.12x
Essex 2 0.61x
Kent 2 0.35x
Staffordshire 2 0.36x
Carmarthenshire 1 1.42x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Otley in Suffolk leads with 19 Forsdikes recorded in 1881 and an index of 5277.78x.

Place Total Index
Otley 19 5277.78x
Lambeth 11 7.56x
Ipswich St Helen 10 414.94x
Cheetham 8 54.20x
Leiston 8 571.43x
Paddington London 8 13.05x
Witnesham 8 2758.62x
Clopton 7 3181.82x
Ipswich St Mathew 7 123.02x
Camberwell 6 5.63x
Cardiff St Mary 6 37.50x
Islington London 6 3.71x
Linton 6 600.00x
Sheffield 6 11.40x
Bethnal Green London 4 5.52x
Coddenham 4 851.06x
Ipswich St Margaret 4 58.06x
Swansea Town 4 16.80x
Woodbridge 4 153.85x
Bridgewater 3 41.15x
Broome 3 1034.48x
Stow Upland 3 447.76x
Sunderland 3 34.25x
Ipstones 2 246.91x
Newington 2 3.25x
Saffron Walden 2 57.47x
St George In East London 2 12.75x
Stradbroke 2 289.86x
Barham 1 370.37x
Fulham London 1 4.13x
Greenwich 1 3.77x
Halesworth 1 69.44x
Ipswich St Clement 1 19.38x
Ipswich St Mary At Tower 1 222.22x
Ipswich St Mary Stoke 1 52.91x
Lewisham 1 3.30x
Llanelly 1 6.32x
Mitcham 1 19.46x
Peasenhall 1 204.08x
St Martin In Fields 1 10.01x
Walton 1 136.99x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Elizabeth 7
Eliza 5
Emily 5
Emma 5
Mary 5
Ellen 4
Annie 3
Edith 3
Alice 2
Caroline 2
Florence 2
Harriett 2
Jessie 2
Louise 2
Maryann 2
Matilda 2
Rebecca 2
Amy 1
Ann 1
Anna 1
Blanch 1
Catherine 1
Charlotte 1
Clare 1
Eleanor 1
Emly 1
Ethel 1
Eva 1
Fanny 1
Grace 1
Hannah 1
Huber 1
Jane 1
Laura 1
Lillian 1
Lillie 1
Louisa 1
Lydia 1
Margaret 1
Maria 1
Maud 1
Muriel 1
Nellie 1
Patiene 1
Rosater 1
Rose 1
Sarah 1
Susannah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 9
James 7
Alfred 6
Frank 4
Henry 4
John 3
Samuel 3
Albert 2
Andrew 2
Arthur 2
Aurthur 2
Edward 2
Frederick 2
George 2
Percy 2
Robert 2
Sidney 2
Thomas 2
Walter 2
Willm. 2
Alfd.J. 1
Caleb 1
E.T. 1
Earnest 1
Edwin 1
Eliars 1
Francis 1
Geo. 1
Harry 1
Herbert 1
Isaac 1
Jeremiah 1
Joseph 1
Lee 1
Louis 1
Noah 1
Samel. 1
Samul 1
Stanley 1
Thos. 1
Thos.W. 1
Wm.H. 1

FAQ

Forsdike surname: questions and answers

How common was the Forsdike surname in 1881?

In 1881, 171 people were recorded with the Forsdike surname. That placed it at #14,212 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Forsdike surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 236 in 2016. That gives Forsdike a modern rank of #17,470.

What does the Forsdike map show?

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