NameCensus.

UK surname

Fotheringham

An Anglo-Scottish surname derived from the lands of Fotheringhay in Northamptonshire, England.

In the 1881 census there were 1,256 people recorded with the Fotheringham surname, ranking it #3,237 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,999, ranked #3,228, up from #3,237 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Alloa, Govan Combination and Edinburgh. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Mearns North and Inverbervie, Montrose South and Mearns and Laurencekirk.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Fotheringham is 2,022 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 59.2%.

1881 census count

1,256

Ranked #3,237

Modern count

1,999

2016, ranked #3,228

Peak year

2010

2,022 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Fotheringham had 1,256 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #3,237 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,999 in 2016, ranked #3,228.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,536 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Fotheringham surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Fotheringham surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Fotheringham 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 865 #3,149
1861 historical 980 #2,837
1881 historical 1,256 #3,237
1891 historical 1,362 #3,189
1901 historical 1,536 #3,353
1911 historical 296 #11,569
1997 modern 1,883 #3,199
1998 modern 1,953 #3,213
1999 modern 1,947 #3,251
2000 modern 1,945 #3,233
2001 modern 1,926 #3,203
2002 modern 1,975 #3,204
2003 modern 1,930 #3,204
2004 modern 1,920 #3,214
2005 modern 1,905 #3,211
2006 modern 1,898 #3,238
2007 modern 1,913 #3,238
2008 modern 1,938 #3,220
2009 modern 1,993 #3,220
2010 modern 2,022 #3,247
2011 modern 2,007 #3,229
2012 modern 1,959 #3,238
2013 modern 1,974 #3,283
2014 modern 2,012 #3,247
2015 modern 1,992 #3,251
2016 modern 1,999 #3,228

Geography

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Where Fotheringhams are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Alloa, Govan Combination, Edinburgh, Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry and Newburgh. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Mearns North and Inverbervie, Montrose South, Mearns and Laurencekirk, Alyth and Kelty East. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Alloa Clackmannan
2 Govan Combination Lanark
3 Edinburgh Edinburgh
4 Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry Forfar
5 Newburgh Fife

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Mearns North and Inverbervie Aberdeenshire
2 Montrose South Angus
3 Mearns and Laurencekirk Aberdeenshire
4 Alyth Perth and Kinross
5 Kelty East Fife

Forenames

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First names often paired with Fotheringham

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Fotheringham

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

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Fotheringham surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Fotheringham household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Fotheringham 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

Fotheringham is most concentrated in decile 1 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy 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.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Fotheringham falls in decile 7 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.

7
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Fotheringham is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of Over 70 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

10
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Fotheringham, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Fotheringham

The surname Fotheringham has its origins in Scotland, dating back to the late 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Anglo-Saxon words "fother" meaning a cartload or a bundle of fodder, and "ingham" signifying a village or settlement. This suggests that the name may have originated from a place where hay or fodder was traded or stored.

One of the earliest known records of the name appears in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which lists William de Foderingeham from Kincardineshire, Scotland. The name is also mentioned in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in the late 13th and early 14th centuries, with various spellings such as Foderingheym and Fothringame.

The Fotheringham family held lands in Angus and Forfarshire, and the name is associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest recorded members of the family was Sir John de Fotheringham, who fought alongside Robert the Bruce during the Wars of Scottish Independence in the early 14th century.

Another significant figure was Thomas Fotheringham (1499-1537), a Scottish clergyman who served as the Bishop of Dunkeld and was involved in the political affairs of Scotland during the reigns of James V and Mary, Queen of Scots.

In the 17th century, Sir John Fotheringham (1609-1676) was a Scottish soldier who served in the Thirty Years' War and later became a Royalist commander during the English Civil War.

The Fotheringham name is also associated with the baronetcy of Fotheringham of Fowrie, which was created in 1619 for Thomas Fotheringham, the Lord Chief Justice of Scotland.

During the 18th century, James Fotheringham (1676-1766) was a notable Scottish mathematician and philosopher who made contributions to the field of calculus and was a close friend of Sir Isaac Newton.

While the surname Fotheringham is relatively uncommon, it has a rich history and has been borne by several notable figures throughout the centuries, particularly in Scotland and the surrounding regions.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Fotheringham families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Fotheringham 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. Lanarkshire leads with 223 Fotheringhams recorded in 1881 and an index of 5.61x.

County Total Index
Lanarkshire 223 5.61x
Fife 207 28.47x
Stirlingshire 124 27.37x
Midlothian 116 7.05x
Angus 109 9.58x
Perthshire 82 14.88x
Clackmannanshire 40 39.44x
Middlesex 32 0.26x
Kincardineshire 30 20.06x
Renfrewshire 28 2.94x
Lancashire 27 0.19x
Ayrshire 26 2.83x
Orkney 24 17.76x
Lincolnshire 23 1.17x
Kinross-shire 18 57.97x
Northumberland 16 0.88x
Yorkshire 16 0.13x
Surrey 15 0.25x
Durham 14 0.38x
Inverness-shire 13 3.54x
Morayshire 12 6.29x
Aberdeenshire 11 0.97x
Dunbartonshire 11 3.33x
Dumfriesshire 7 2.58x
Hertfordshire 6 0.71x
Nottinghamshire 6 0.36x
Argyllshire 5 1.46x
Caithness 5 2.97x
Kent 3 0.07x
Buteshire 2 2.69x
Essex 2 0.08x
Herefordshire 2 0.40x
Royal Navy 2 1.37x
Kirkcudbrightshire 1 0.56x
Sussex 1 0.05x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Dunfermline in Fife leads with 66 Fotheringhams recorded in 1881 and an index of 59.04x.

Place Total Index
Dunfermline 66 59.04x
Govan 57 5.80x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 55 8.31x
Newburgh 55 595.24x
Barony 52 5.17x
Dundee 41 9.65x
Glasgow 41 5.81x
Denny 39 161.89x
Alloa 30 60.99x
Falkirk 23 21.69x
Old Monkland 23 14.59x
Benholm 21 327.10x
Kilbirnie 19 86.09x
Stirling 19 33.27x
Larbert 18 66.47x
Beath 17 74.01x
Kirriemuir 16 57.00x
Newton 16 14.25x
Tulliallan 16 171.31x
Cambusnethan 15 17.00x
North Leith 15 19.70x
Auchtermuchty 14 143.30x
Stronsay Eday 14 158.37x
Inverness 13 14.09x
South Leith 13 7.02x
Logie 12 60.67x
St Ninians 12 26.73x
Cadder 11 37.49x
Fossoway 11 206.38x
Barry 10 73.26x
Crieff 10 48.78x
Newington 10 2.20x
Bethnal Green London 9 1.69x
Clackmannan 9 46.95x
Erskine 9 130.06x
Knaith Lea Gate Burton 9 576.92x
Monifieth 9 22.39x
Slamannan 9 36.29x
Abdie 8 193.24x
Carnock 8 179.78x
Forres 8 39.88x
Perth East Church 8 15.39x
Rutherglen 8 13.73x
St Pancras London 8 0.81x
St Vigeans 8 13.03x
West Greenock 8 4.68x
Aberdeen Old Machar 7 2.95x
Cleish 7 334.93x
Corstorphine 7 77.09x
Edinburgh Tolbooth 7 73.07x
Forfar 7 11.36x
Kinnoull 7 48.31x
Leslie 7 38.02x
Little Dunkeld 7 74.87x
North Shields 7 19.19x
Torryburn 7 222.93x
Upton 7 700.00x
Burntisland 6 29.51x
Dumbarton 6 13.06x
Edinburgh St Georges 6 17.57x
Kirkwall St Ola 6 29.64x
Liverpool 6 0.68x
Saline 6 149.25x
Bothwell 5 4.64x
Cheshunt 5 16.90x
Hamilton 5 4.51x
Kincardine 5 88.03x
Montrose 5 7.25x
Neilston 5 10.46x
Penicuik 5 22.36x
Rawdon 5 34.89x
Tottenham 5 2.56x
West Herrington 5 39.06x
Wick 5 9.20x
Inchinnan 4 186.05x
Kilmore Kilbride 4 18.43x
Moffat 4 32.31x
Rafford 4 89.69x
Thorpe Salvin 4 263.16x
Wakefield 4 4.28x

Top female names

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

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 14
William 12
James 10
Alexander 9
David 7
Thomas 5
Charles 4
Joseph 4
George 3
Robert 3
Ernest 2
Reuben 2
Samuel 2
Albert 1
Alexr. 1
Edward 1
Harold 1
Jas. 1
Peter 1
Philip 1
Richard 1
Robt. 1
Ronald 1
Sam 1
Sidney 1
Tom 1
Willie 1
Wynne 1

FAQ

Fotheringham surname: questions and answers

How common was the Fotheringham surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,256 people were recorded with the Fotheringham surname. That placed it at #3,237 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Fotheringham surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,999 in 2016. That gives Fotheringham a modern rank of #3,228.

What does the Fotheringham surname mean?

An Anglo-Scottish surname derived from the lands of Fotheringhay in Northamptonshire, England.

What does the Fotheringham map show?

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