NameCensus.

UK surname

Fox

An English surname referring to a cunning or clever person, or someone with red hair or a fox-like appearance.

In the 1881 census there were 26,486 people recorded with the Fox surname, ranking it #122 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 41,469, ranked #116, up from #122 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Manchester and Lambeth. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Huntingdonshire, Ashfield and Copeland.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Fox is 42,211 in 2014. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 56.6%.

1881 census count

26,486

Ranked #122

Modern count

41,469

2016, ranked #116

Peak year

2014

42,211 bearers

Map years

7

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Fox had 26,486 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #122 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 41,469 in 2016, ranked #116.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 34,220 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Fox surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Fox surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Fox 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 18,168 #119
1861 historical 1 #34,435
1881 historical 26,486 #122
1891 historical 1,400 #3,110
1901 historical 34,220 #120
1997 modern 40,057 #113
1998 modern 41,740 #113
1999 modern 41,944 #115
2000 modern 41,557 #116
2001 modern 40,542 #116
2002 modern 41,529 #117
2003 modern 40,422 #118
2004 modern 40,327 #119
2005 modern 39,791 #119
2006 modern 39,654 #120
2007 modern 39,860 #120
2008 modern 40,069 #120
2009 modern 41,120 #120
2010 modern 42,023 #118
2011 modern 41,452 #116
2012 modern 40,999 #116
2013 modern 41,969 #116
2014 modern 42,211 #116
2015 modern 41,647 #116
2016 modern 41,469 #116

Geography

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Where Fox' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Manchester, Lambeth and Liverpool. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Huntingdonshire, Ashfield, Copeland and Norwich. 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 Manchester Lancashire
4 Lambeth London (South Districts)
5 Liverpool Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Huntingdonshire 003 Huntingdonshire
2 Ashfield 004 Ashfield
3 Copeland 005 Copeland
4 Copeland 008 Copeland
5 Norwich 006 Norwich

Forenames

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First names often paired with Fox

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Fox

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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Fox is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support 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

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

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

Fox 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

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

Meaning and origin of Fox

The surname Fox is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "fox" which referred to the animal. It likely originated as a nickname for someone who was considered cunning or crafty, or perhaps someone who was known for hunting foxes.

The name can be traced back to the 11th century and is found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of land and property ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname is William le Fox, mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Northamptonshire in 1195.

The surname Fox may also have been derived from place names such as Foxhall, Foxcote, or Foxley, which were often descriptive of areas where foxes were found or hunted. These place names can be found in various counties across England, including Norfolk, Suffolk, and Wiltshire.

In the 13th century, the surname Fox appeared in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which were records of land ownership and taxation in England. One notable entry was that of Richard le Fox from Oxfordshire.

Throughout history, there have been several prominent individuals with the surname Fox. One of the earliest was John Fox, an English Protestant martyrologist who lived from 1516 to 1587. He is best known for his work "Acts and Monuments," popularly known as the "Book of Martyrs," which documented the persecution of Protestants during the reign of Queen Mary I.

Another famous bearer of the name was George Fox (1624-1691), the founder of the Religious Society of Friends, also known as the Quakers. He was a prominent figure in the religious and social movements of the 17th century and played a significant role in advocating for religious tolerance and non-violence.

In the realm of literature, Charles James Fox (1749-1806) was a prominent British statesman and orator who served as the Leader of the House of Commons and Foreign Secretary. He was a vocal supporter of the American Revolution and a champion of parliamentary reform.

Moving to the 19th century, John Foxe (1816-1892) was an English industrialist and inventor who developed the first commercially successful compound textile weaving machine, known as the Foxe's Circular Loom.

In the field of science, Sir William Fox Talbot (1800-1877) was an English photographer and pioneer in the development of photographic processes, including the calotype process, which laid the groundwork for modern photography.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Fox families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Fox 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 4,751 Fox' recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.77x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 4,751 1.77x
Lancashire 2,797 0.87x
Middlesex 2,639 0.97x
Norfolk 1,242 2.98x
Surrey 1,135 0.86x
Staffordshire 1,089 1.19x
Kent 1,069 1.16x
Derbyshire 950 2.24x
Nottinghamshire 779 2.13x
Lincolnshire 750 1.73x
Durham 619 0.77x
Cheshire 594 0.99x
Warwickshire 564 0.82x
Gloucestershire 546 1.03x
Leicestershire 538 1.79x
Devon 479 0.85x
Somerset 422 0.97x
Essex 419 0.78x
Lanarkshire 401 0.46x
Shropshire 401 1.71x
Northamptonshire 387 1.52x
Hampshire 368 0.66x
Worcestershire 365 1.03x
Oxfordshire 332 1.98x
Sussex 323 0.71x
Suffolk 292 0.88x
Dorset 282 1.58x
Angus 247 0.98x
Hertfordshire 235 1.26x
Wiltshire 231 0.96x
Cumberland 198 0.85x
Cambridgeshire 171 1.00x
Northumberland 169 0.42x
Glamorgan 156 0.33x
Berkshire 143 0.70x
Bedfordshire 137 0.98x
Midlothian 132 0.36x
Buckinghamshire 130 0.79x
Renfrewshire 126 0.60x
Monmouthshire 125 0.64x
Cornwall 124 0.40x
Herefordshire 114 1.03x
Roxburghshire 104 2.12x
Flintshire 92 1.26x
Huntingdonshire 77 1.43x
Westmorland 67 1.12x
Selkirkshire 54 2.20x
Channel Islands 40 0.50x
Denbighshire 33 0.32x
Stirlingshire 32 0.32x
Rutland 31 1.56x
Montgomeryshire 30 0.48x
Dunbartonshire 26 0.36x
Fife 24 0.15x
Ayrshire 23 0.11x
Brecknockshire 23 0.42x
Royal Navy 22 0.68x
Berwickshire 20 0.61x
West Lothian 16 0.39x
Dumfriesshire 12 0.20x
Caernarfonshire 11 0.10x
East Lothian 10 0.28x
Clackmannanshire 9 0.40x
Peeblesshire 8 0.63x
Argyllshire 7 0.09x
Kincardineshire 7 0.21x
Perthshire 7 0.06x
Aberdeenshire 6 0.02x
Wigtownshire 6 0.17x
Cardiganshire 5 0.08x
Carmarthenshire 5 0.04x
Inverness-shire 5 0.06x
Merionethshire 4 0.08x
Orkney 4 0.13x
Pembrokeshire 4 0.05x
Kirkcudbrightshire 3 0.08x
Banffshire 2 0.04x
Morayshire 2 0.05x
Buteshire 1 0.06x
Isle of Man 1 0.02x
Shetland 1 0.04x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Lambeth in Surrey leads with 298 Fox' recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.26x.

Place Total Index
Lambeth 298 1.26x
Liverpool 256 1.31x
Sheffield 254 2.97x
Batley 227 8.89x
Islington London 218 0.83x
Manchester 200 1.38x
Birmingham 198 0.87x
Nottingham St Mary 191 2.02x
St Pancras London 183 0.84x
Camberwell 173 1.00x
Kensington London 169 1.12x
Leeds 167 1.10x
Ecclesall Bierlow 160 2.93x
Hackney London 156 1.03x
Chelsea London 154 1.88x
Aston 149 0.79x
Brightside Bierlow 146 2.77x
Horton In Bradford 136 3.24x
St Marylebone London 136 0.94x
West Ham 131 1.11x
Leicester St Margaret 125 1.70x
Mile End Old Town London 125 2.17x
Shoreditch London 121 1.03x
Dundee 118 1.26x
West Derby 108 1.15x
Battersea 106 1.06x
Newington 99 0.99x
Wolverhampton 98 1.39x
Salford 97 1.02x
Barony 96 0.43x
Brighton 96 1.04x
Hulme 92 1.37x
Bishopwearmouth 91 1.31x
Bradford 89 1.37x
Dewsbury 88 3.19x
Everton 88 0.86x
Great Yarmouth 86 2.49x
Bethnal Green London 85 0.72x
Heigham 84 3.75x
Holy Trinity 84 1.30x
Sculcoates 83 1.95x
Margate St John Baptist 82 4.84x
Barnsley 81 2.92x
Clerkenwell London 81 1.27x
Portsea 81 0.74x
Stoke Upon Trent 81 0.83x
Aston Cote 79 119.66x
Govan 79 0.36x
Nether Hallam 79 2.17x
St George Hanover Square 79 1.65x
Swindon 79 4.25x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 77 1.54x
Glasgow 77 0.49x
Stockton On Tees 77 1.98x
Morley 75 5.37x
Paddington London 74 0.74x
Huddersfield 73 1.86x
Eckington 71 6.88x
Fulham London 71 1.80x
St George In East London 71 2.78x
Doncaster 68 3.46x
Plymouth St Andrew 68 1.56x
West Bromwich 68 1.30x
Basford 67 3.98x
Southwark St George Martyr 66 1.21x
Oldham 64 0.62x
Chorlton On Medlock 63 1.23x
Kirkby In Ashfield 63 16.11x
Poplar London 63 1.23x
Hunslet 62 1.48x
Blackburn 61 0.71x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 61 0.42x
Bedminster 60 1.46x
Preston 60 0.70x
Kirkdale 58 1.07x
Elland Cum Greetland 57 4.71x
Hammersmith London 57 0.85x
Toxteth Park 56 0.51x
Kearsley 55 8.12x
Stranton 54 1.99x
Walsall Foreign 54 1.14x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 1,803
Elizabeth 984
Sarah 981
Ann 529
Jane 455
Eliza 418
Annie 405
Ellen 391
Emma 390
Alice 351
Hannah 312
Emily 307
Martha 270
Margaret 246
Harriet 210
Charlotte 191
Maria 186
Catherine 173
Louisa 171
Edith 155
Caroline 151
Ada 150
Fanny 148
Florence 136
Frances 124
Clara 118
Kate 108
Agnes 105
Lucy 98
Susan 87
Amelia 80
Harriett 78
Sophia 74
Rose 73
Anne 72
Esther 69
Rebecca 68
Susannah 65
Gertrude 63
Julia 53
Isabella 51
Ruth 51
Amy 48
Bridget 48
Eleanor 47
Elizth. 47
Ethel 47
Minnie 46
Matilda 44
Anna 43

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 1,581
John 1,579
George 965
Thomas 859
James 773
Charles 721
Henry 501
Joseph 469
Robert 335
Edward 269
Arthur 259
Alfred 235
Frederick 229
Richard 223
Samuel 208
Albert 178
Walter 178
Harry 135
Francis 128
Herbert 126
Frank 106
Edwin 88
Ernest 87
David 84
Wm. 74
Benjamin 69
Fred 63
Patrick 63
Thos. 61
Michael 56
Peter 55
Isaac 54
Tom 54
Daniel 39
Stephen 38
Abraham 37
Geo. 35
Fredrick 34
Edmund 33
Chas. 32
Matthew 29
Andrew 27
Mark 26
Fredk. 25
Joshua 25
Sidney 24
Adam 23
Jno. 23
Owen 23
Percy 23

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 Fox households.

FAQ

Fox surname: questions and answers

How common was the Fox surname in 1881?

In 1881, 26,486 people were recorded with the Fox surname. That placed it at #122 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Fox surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 41,469 in 2016. That gives Fox a modern rank of #116.

What does the Fox surname mean?

An English surname referring to a cunning or clever person, or someone with red hair or a fox-like appearance.

What does the Fox map show?

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