NameCensus.

UK surname

Fortnam

In the 1881 census there were 142 people recorded with the Fortnam surname, ranking it #16,012 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 132, ranked #25,882, down from #16,012 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Wolverhampton, Radnage and Barford, Great. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include West Dorset, South Oxfordshire and Wyre Forest.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Fortnam is 173 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 7.0%.

1881 census count

142

Ranked #16,012

Modern count

132

2016, ranked #25,882

Peak year

1901

173 bearers

Map years

7

1881 to 2016

Key insights

  • Fortnam had 142 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #16,012 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 132 in 2016, ranked #25,882.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 173 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Fortnam surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Fortnam surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Fortnam 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 82 #19,317
1861 historical 73 #24,492
1881 historical 142 #16,012
1891 historical 135 #19,692
1901 historical 173 #16,579
1911 historical 142 #18,487
1997 modern 146 #21,494
1998 modern 151 #21,578
1999 modern 143 #22,521
2000 modern 147 #22,081
2001 modern 141 #22,344
2002 modern 142 #22,687
2003 modern 140 #22,634
2004 modern 138 #22,997
2005 modern 132 #23,623
2006 modern 130 #24,053
2007 modern 131 #24,282
2008 modern 133 #24,350
2009 modern 130 #25,176
2010 modern 133 #25,379
2011 modern 125 #26,220
2012 modern 125 #26,298
2013 modern 126 #26,585
2014 modern 125 #26,896
2015 modern 129 #26,226
2016 modern 132 #25,882

Geography

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Where Fortnams are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Wolverhampton, Radnage, Barford, Great, London parishes and Chinnor. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to West Dorset, South Oxfordshire, Wyre Forest, Solihull and Herefordshire. 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 Wolverhampton Staffordshire
2 Radnage Buckinghamshire
3 Barford, Great Oxfordshire
4 London parishes London 3
5 Chinnor Buckinghamshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 West Dorset 005 West Dorset
2 South Oxfordshire 005 South Oxfordshire
3 Wyre Forest 001 Wyre Forest
4 Solihull 009 Solihull
5 Herefordshire 018 Herefordshire, County of

Forenames

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First names often paired with Fortnam

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Fortnam

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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins

Within London, Fortnam is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins, 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

Scattered across London’s Inner and Outer suburbs, residents of these neighbourhoods are typically housed in the social rented sector. Although terraced and semi-detached houses predominate, more residents live in flats than elsewhere in the Supergroup. Neighbourhoods are more ethnically diverse than the Supergroup average. Those identifying as of Bangladeshi, Pakistani and some Black ethnicities are more prevalent. Europeans born in a overseas non-EU countries make up more of the lower proportion of residents identifying as White. Few residents are very old (85+). Employment in distribution, hotels and restaurants is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

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

Fortnam 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

Fortnam falls in decile 9 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

9
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

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Fortnam families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Fortnam 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. Worcestershire leads with 24 Fortnams recorded in 1881 and an index of 13.27x.

County Total Index
Worcestershire 24 13.27x
Warwickshire 23 6.58x
Oxfordshire 22 25.72x
Middlesex 21 1.52x
Yorkshire 15 1.09x
Kent 12 2.54x
Staffordshire 10 2.14x
Leicestershire 8 5.21x
Northamptonshire 3 2.30x
Surrey 2 0.30x
Hampshire 1 0.35x
Lincolnshire 1 0.45x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Feckenham in Worcestershire leads with 14 Fortnams recorded in 1881 and an index of 676.33x.

Place Total Index
Feckenham 14 676.33x
Chinnor 12 2033.90x
Leeds 11 14.19x
Chelsea London 10 23.96x
Dunchurch 10 2083.33x
Inkberrow 8 1095.89x
Tottenham 8 36.26x
Willenhall 8 91.32x
Wolston 8 7272.73x
Thringstone 7 1186.44x
Stokenchurch 6 779.22x
Chatham 4 30.77x
Farnborough 4 579.71x
Kings Sutton 3 517.24x
Wortley In Bramley 3 27.60x
Barford St Michael 2 1428.57x
Handsworth 2 17.36x
Lambeth 2 1.66x
Leamington Priors 2 23.28x
Redditch 2 54.50x
Alverstoke 1 9.73x
Ashford 1 91.74x
Aston 1 1.04x
Bilton 1 123.46x
Birmingham 1 0.86x
Bracebridge 1 99.01x
Clerkenwell London 1 3.06x
Deptford St Paul 1 2.74x
Erith 1 21.46x
Holy Trinity 1 3.03x
Horton Kirby 1 136.99x
Hugglescote 1 44.25x
Lower Heyford 1 400.00x
Oxford St Giles 1 24.51x
St Pancras London 1 0.90x
Swanscombe 1 47.17x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Sarah 6
Elizabeth 5
Ellen 5
Martha 5
Mary 5
Alice 3
Emily 3
Jane 3
Ann 2
Annie 2
Edith 2
Eliza 2
Frances 2
Gertrude 2
Kate 2
Adelaide 1
Agnes 1
Amy 1
Anne 1
Caroline 1
Catharine 1
Clara 1
Elizth.M. 1
Fanny 1
Florance 1
Flory 1
Isabella 1
Julia 1
Lizey 1
Margaret 1
Maria 1
Maud 1
Phillis 1
Prudence 1
Sophie 1
Susan 1
Susanah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 11
John 10
Charles 6
Frederick 6
Thomas 6
George 4
Henry 3
Walter 3
Alfred 2
Edward 2
Ernest 2
Harry 2
Joseph 2
Albert 1
Benjamin 1
Charls. 1
David 1
Edgar 1
Herbert 1
Horace 1
James 1
Oliver 1
Thommy 1
W. 1

FAQ

Fortnam surname: questions and answers

How common was the Fortnam surname in 1881?

In 1881, 142 people were recorded with the Fortnam surname. That placed it at #16,012 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Fortnam surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 132 in 2016. That gives Fortnam a modern rank of #25,882.

What does the Fortnam map show?

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