NameCensus.

UK surname

Fowlis

In the 1881 census there were 148 people recorded with the Fowlis surname, ranking it #15,611 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 93, ranked #31,945, down from #15,611 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Kinross, Auchtermuchty and Fossoway and Tulliebole. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Helensburgh Centre, Liverpool and Kirklees.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Fowlis is 153 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 37.2%.

1881 census count

148

Ranked #15,611

Modern count

93

2016, ranked #31,945

Peak year

1901

153 bearers

Map years

5

1881 to 2006

Key insights

  • Fowlis had 148 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #15,611 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 93 in 2016, ranked #31,945.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 153 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Fowlis surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Fowlis surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Fowlis 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 63 #22,069
1861 historical 63 #25,901
1881 historical 148 #15,611
1891 historical 145 #18,752
1901 historical 153 #17,844
1911 historical 13 #32,172
1997 modern 126 #23,461
1998 modern 127 #23,940
1999 modern 124 #24,508
2000 modern 113 #25,843
2001 modern 113 #25,489
2002 modern 110 #26,412
2003 modern 111 #26,091
2004 modern 110 #26,451
2005 modern 110 #26,430
2006 modern 115 #25,969
2007 modern 117 #26,066
2008 modern 115 #26,635
2009 modern 110 #27,991
2010 modern 110 #28,666
2011 modern 108 #28,811
2012 modern 99 #30,442
2013 modern 95 #31,523
2014 modern 92 #32,132
2015 modern 90 #32,245
2016 modern 93 #31,945

Geography

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Where Fowlis' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Kinross, Auchtermuchty, Fossoway and Tulliebole, Edinburgh 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 Helensburgh Centre, Liverpool, Kirklees and Thornton and Kinglassie. 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 Kinross Kinross
2 Auchtermuchty Fife
3 Fossoway and Tulliebole Kinross
4 Edinburgh Edinburgh
5 Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry Forfar

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Helensburgh Centre Argyll and Bute
2 Liverpool 048 Liverpool
3 Kirklees 025 Kirklees
4 Thornton and Kinglassie Fife
5 Liverpool 039 Liverpool

Forenames

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First names often paired with Fowlis

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Fowlis

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Fowlis, 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 Fowlis surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Fowlis 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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Skilled Trades and Construction Workers

Within London, Fowlis 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

Fowlis 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

Fowlis falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

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

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Fowlis is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 25-30 mbit/s.

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

5
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

1881 census detail

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Fowlis families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Fowlis 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. Fife leads with 53 Fowlis' recorded in 1881 and an index of 62.44x.

County Total Index
Fife 53 62.44x
Angus 27 20.33x
Perthshire 14 21.76x
Durham 7 1.64x
Kinross-shire 7 193.37x
Lanarkshire 6 1.29x
Middlesex 6 0.42x
Stirlingshire 6 11.35x
Buteshire 5 57.54x
Midlothian 5 2.60x
Yorkshire 5 0.35x
Lancashire 4 0.24x
East Lothian 1 5.27x
Northumberland 1 0.47x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Dundee in Angus leads with 12 Fowlis' recorded in 1881 and an index of 24.20x.

Place Total Index
Dundee 12 24.20x
Balmerino 11 3333.33x
Auchtermuchty 8 701.75x
Ferry Port On Craig 8 571.43x
Monifieth 7 149.25x
Muckhart 7 2333.33x
Dunnichen 6 857.14x
Falkirk 6 48.47x
Brightside Bierlow 5 17.94x
Cupar 5 135.50x
Glasgow 5 6.07x
Kilbride 5 467.29x
Kinross 5 403.23x
Stockton On Tees 5 24.32x
Ceres 4 392.16x
Newburgh 4 370.37x
St Pancras London 4 3.47x
Strathmiglo 4 396.04x
Wrightington 4 540.54x
Auchterarder 3 166.67x
Forteviot 3 967.74x
Leuchars 3 280.37x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 2 2.59x
Edinburgh Tron Church 2 222.22x
Gateshead 2 6.26x
Kilmany 2 645.16x
St George Hanover Square 2 7.92x
Arngask 1 370.37x
Auchterderran 1 46.95x
Cockpen 1 44.64x
Forfar 1 13.91x
Forgan 1 61.35x
Fossoway 1 161.29x
Garvald 1 270.27x
Govan 1 0.87x
Inverarity 1 232.56x
Orwell 1 100.00x
Perth East Church 1 16.47x
Prudhoe 1 67.57x
St Andrews 1 25.91x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Annie 1
Christina 1
Emily 1
Georgiana 1
Hannah 1
Harriett 1
Helen 1
Mary 1
Sarah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 4
Andrew 2
James 2
Frederick 1
Harry 1
Richard 1
Robert 1
Thomas 1
Tonney 1

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Fowlis households.

FAQ

Fowlis surname: questions and answers

How common was the Fowlis surname in 1881?

In 1881, 148 people were recorded with the Fowlis surname. That placed it at #15,611 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Fowlis surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 93 in 2016. That gives Fowlis a modern rank of #31,945.

What does the Fowlis map show?

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