NameCensus.

UK surname

Fountain

An occupational surname for someone who lived near or worked with a fountain or natural spring.

In the 1881 census there were 2,054 people recorded with the Fountain surname, ranking it #2,147 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 3,181, ranked #2,137, up from #2,147 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Lambeth and Lakenham , Eaton St Andrew, Town Close, St Stephen, St Peter Mancroft, St Giles, St Andrew, St John. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Boston, Fenland and East Riding of Yorkshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Fountain is 3,346 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 54.9%.

1881 census count

2,054

Ranked #2,147

Modern count

3,181

2016, ranked #2,137

Peak year

1999

3,346 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Fountain had 2,054 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #2,147 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 3,181 in 2016, ranked #2,137.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 2,933 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Fountain surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Fountain surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Fountain 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 1,364 #2,108
1861 historical 1,397 #2,051
1881 historical 2,054 #2,147
1891 historical 2,254 #2,072
1901 historical 2,573 #2,137
1911 historical 2,933 #1,775
1997 modern 3,237 #1,988
1998 modern 3,322 #2,013
1999 modern 3,346 #2,025
2000 modern 3,314 #2,031
2001 modern 3,239 #2,033
2002 modern 3,309 #2,038
2003 modern 3,207 #2,049
2004 modern 3,223 #2,043
2005 modern 3,142 #2,063
2006 modern 3,136 #2,071
2007 modern 3,145 #2,082
2008 modern 3,152 #2,091
2009 modern 3,200 #2,112
2010 modern 3,246 #2,126
2011 modern 3,184 #2,140
2012 modern 3,124 #2,146
2013 modern 3,195 #2,142
2014 modern 3,203 #2,150
2015 modern 3,186 #2,144
2016 modern 3,181 #2,137

Geography

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Where Fountains are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Lambeth, Lakenham , Eaton St Andrew, Town Close, St Stephen, St Peter Mancroft, St Giles, St Andrew, St John and Hellesdon, St Mary in the Marsh, St Clement, St Martin at Oak, St Mary at Coslany, St Michael at Cos. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Boston, Fenland, East Riding of Yorkshire, South Kesteven and Peterborough. 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 London parishes London 1
2 London parishes London 3
3 Lambeth London (South Districts)
4 Lakenham , Eaton St Andrew, Town Close, St Stephen, St Peter Mancroft, St Giles, St Andrew, St John Norfolk
5 Hellesdon, St Mary in the Marsh, St Clement, St Martin at Oak, St Mary at Coslany, St Michael at Cos Norfolk

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Boston 006 Boston
2 Fenland 006 Fenland
3 East Riding of Yorkshire 009 East Riding of Yorkshire
4 South Kesteven 016 South Kesteven
5 Peterborough 005 Peterborough

Forenames

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First names often paired with Fountain

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Fountain

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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Fountain 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

Fountain 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

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

Meaning and origin of Fountain

The surname Fountain is of English origin, derived from the Old French word "fontaine," meaning a spring or fountain of water. This name likely originated as a topographic surname, given to someone who lived near a natural spring or fountain.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Fountain date back to the 13th century in various parts of England, particularly in counties like Yorkshire, Gloucestershire, and Oxfordshire. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was William de la Funteine, who was mentioned in the Feet of Fines records for Yorkshire in 1219.

The surname Fountain has also been recorded with various spelling variations throughout history, including Funteine, Funtayne, Fountayne, and Fowntayne. These variations often reflected regional dialects or the preferences of individual scribes who recorded names in official documents.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, there are several entries that may be related to the name Fountain, such as the place name "Fontanelle" in Wiltshire, which could have given rise to the surname over time.

One notable historical figure with the surname Fountain was Sir John Fountain (c. 1545-1608), an English soldier and Member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Another was Sir Erasmus Fountain (c. 1625-1701), an English politician and landowner who served as Sheriff of Buckinghamshire in 1677.

In the 16th century, the surname Fountain was also associated with the village of Fountain's Earth in North Yorkshire, suggesting a possible connection between the name and a specific geographic location.

Other notable individuals with the surname Fountain include:

1. John Fountain (1767-1836), an English clergyman and writer who served as Chaplain to the Prince of Wales. 2. Reverend Robert Fountain (1670-1737), an English Puritan minister and author known for his work "The Life and Ministry of the Rev. John Erskine." 3. Elijah Fountain (1775-1853), an American Baptist minister and abolitionist who founded the First African Baptist Church in Portland, Maine. 4. Lucy Fountain (1838-1921), an American educator and activist who established one of the first schools for African American children in Philadelphia. 5. John Fountain (born 1957), an American journalist and author who won the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary in 2008.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Fountain families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Fountain 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. Yorkshire leads with 311 Fountains recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.56x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 311 1.56x
Middlesex 309 1.54x
Surrey 179 1.83x
Bedfordshire 174 16.75x
Buckinghamshire 160 13.19x
Lincolnshire 147 4.58x
Lancashire 97 0.41x
Norfolk 97 3.14x
Hertfordshire 75 5.42x
Cambridgeshire 63 4.96x
Huntingdonshire 50 12.55x
Kent 44 0.64x
Essex 41 1.04x
Warwickshire 39 0.77x
Suffolk 38 1.55x
Nottinghamshire 32 1.18x
Durham 24 0.40x
Northamptonshire 21 1.11x
Hampshire 20 0.49x
Leicestershire 18 0.81x
Derbyshire 16 0.51x
Cheshire 13 0.29x
Somerset 13 0.40x
Midlothian 12 0.45x
Rutland 10 6.79x
Dorset 9 0.68x
Oxfordshire 7 0.56x
Staffordshire 7 0.10x
Flintshire 6 1.11x
Sussex 6 0.18x
Devon 5 0.12x
Lanarkshire 5 0.08x
Gloucestershire 3 0.08x
Berkshire 1 0.07x
Carmarthenshire 1 0.12x
Cornwall 1 0.04x
Cumberland 1 0.06x
Glamorgan 1 0.03x
Royal Navy 1 0.42x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Eaton Bray in Bedfordshire leads with 62 Fountains recorded in 1881 and an index of 591.04x.

Place Total Index
Eaton Bray 62 591.04x
Leeds 61 5.43x
Bermondsey 42 7.03x
Lambeth 39 2.23x
Cranfield 33 330.33x
Aston 30 2.15x
Greenwich 27 8.45x
Whittlesey St Mary St 24 54.07x
St Marylebone London 22 2.05x
Bethnal Green London 21 2.41x
Hemel Hempstead 21 33.70x
Nottingham St Mary 21 3.00x
St Pancras London 20 1.24x
Hackney London 19 1.69x
Heigham 19 11.47x
Sharnbrook 19 330.43x
Buckland 18 303.54x
Kensington London 18 1.61x
Battersea 17 2.30x
Fulham London 17 5.84x
Totternhoe 17 349.79x
Hilgay 16 137.93x
March 16 37.59x
St George Hanover Square 16 4.53x
Upwood 16 686.70x
Paddington London 15 2.03x
West Ham 15 1.72x
Boston 14 14.38x
Camberwell 14 1.09x
Great Grimsby 13 6.38x
Holy Trinity 13 2.72x
Huddersfield 13 4.49x
Ivinghoe 13 137.13x
Kexborough 13 304.45x
Wycombe 13 14.38x
Ealing 12 6.69x
Macclesfield 12 6.10x
St Luke London 12 3.73x
West Barkwith 12 1463.41x
Aston Clinton 11 107.00x
Eton 11 40.00x
Great Yarmouth 11 4.30x
Houghton Regis 11 66.39x
Manchester 11 1.03x
Walton On Thames 11 24.50x
Wisbech St Peter 11 17.26x
Broxbourne 10 36.48x
Castleton 10 4.21x
Isleworth 10 11.21x
Shoreditch London 10 1.15x
Tyldesley Cum Shakerley 10 14.59x
Aldershot 9 6.53x
Ashton Under Lyne 9 1.73x
Bishopwearmouth 9 1.76x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 9 0.83x
Edlesborough 9 81.45x
Farnham 9 11.84x
Harrow On The Hill 9 22.45x
Helpringham 9 139.32x
Islington London 9 0.46x
Leyton 9 13.19x
Little Gaddesden 9 351.56x
Newington 9 1.21x
Barking 8 6.90x
Benwick 8 142.86x
Bishopthorpe 8 208.88x
Bradford 8 1.66x
Cheddington 8 156.56x
Great Missenden 8 53.51x
Headingley Cum Burley 8 6.25x
Norwich St James 8 33.06x
Ramsey 8 25.08x
Sculcoates 8 2.54x
St Mary Le Strand London 8 109.29x
Stranton 8 3.98x
Studham 8 140.11x
Sunk Island 8 277.78x
Tottington Lower End 8 7.07x
Wendover 8 61.16x
Wrangle 8 100.00x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 107
Sarah 73
Elizabeth 70
Ann 49
Emma 38
Jane 34
Alice 31
Annie 31
Emily 29
Eliza 28
Charlotte 21
Ellen 21
Louisa 20
Martha 20
Hannah 19
Maria 18
Florence 15
Harriet 14
Fanny 12
Kate 12
Susannah 12
Caroline 11
Margaret 11
Rose 11
Susan 10
Edith 9
Isabella 8
Rebecca 8
Catherine 7
Frances 7
Ruth 7
Ada 6
Amelia 6
Elizth. 6
Laura 6
Lizzie 6
Amy 5
Clara 5
Harriett 5
Lucy 5
Matilda 5
Minnie 5
Selina 5
Agnes 4
Anne 4
Eleanor 4
Esther 4
Susanah 4
Bertha 3
Rosa 3

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 112
John 110
George 81
Thomas 53
Charles 51
Henry 49
Joseph 45
James 39
Arthur 33
Edward 28
Alfred 26
Robert 23
Frederick 21
Walter 18
Richard 17
Albert 14
Frank 14
Harry 14
Herbert 12
Wm. 11
Ernest 10
Fred 10
Samuel 10
Daniel 8
Francis 7
Isaac 7
Jacob 7
David 6
Thos. 6
Benjamin 5
Edwin 5
Fredrick 5
Geo. 5
Joshua 5
Sidney 5
Amos 4
Chas. 4
Fredk. 4
Jesse 4
Matthew 4
Richd. 4
Sydney 4
Ezra 3
Martin 3
Percy 3
Stephen 3
Tom 3
Ben 2
Douglas 2
Peter 2

FAQ

Fountain surname: questions and answers

How common was the Fountain surname in 1881?

In 1881, 2,054 people were recorded with the Fountain surname. That placed it at #2,147 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Fountain surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 3,181 in 2016. That gives Fountain a modern rank of #2,137.

What does the Fountain surname mean?

An occupational surname for someone who lived near or worked with a fountain or natural spring.

What does the Fountain map show?

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