NameCensus.

UK surname

Foyster

In the 1881 census there were 220 people recorded with the Foyster surname, ranking it #12,087 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 268, ranked #16,003, down from #12,087 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to St George Tombland, St Peter Mountergate, St John Timberhill, All Saints, St Michael at Thorn, St Ju, London parishes and Hastings All Saints. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Havering, Waveney and Norwich.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Foyster is 308 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 21.8%.

1881 census count

220

Ranked #12,087

Modern count

268

2016, ranked #16,003

Peak year

1911

308 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Foyster had 220 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #12,087 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 268 in 2016, ranked #16,003.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 308 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Foyster surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Foyster surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Foyster 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 149 #12,967
1861 historical 127 #17,469
1881 historical 220 #12,087
1891 historical 234 #13,352
1901 historical 271 #12,462
1911 historical 308 #11,230
1997 modern 275 #14,335
1998 modern 284 #14,402
1999 modern 291 #14,234
2000 modern 283 #14,488
2001 modern 273 #14,614
2002 modern 276 #14,794
2003 modern 272 #14,746
2004 modern 265 #15,110
2005 modern 251 #15,590
2006 modern 264 #15,170
2007 modern 263 #15,366
2008 modern 261 #15,597
2009 modern 275 #15,349
2010 modern 289 #15,127
2011 modern 275 #15,517
2012 modern 252 #16,424
2013 modern 267 #16,053
2014 modern 275 #15,831
2015 modern 270 #15,911
2016 modern 268 #16,003

Geography

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Where Foysters are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around St George Tombland, St Peter Mountergate, St John Timberhill, All Saints, St Michael at Thorn, St Ju, London parishes, Hastings All Saints and Beccles. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Havering, Waveney, Norwich and South Kesteven. 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 St George Tombland, St Peter Mountergate, St John Timberhill, All Saints, St Michael at Thorn, St Ju Norfolk
2 London parishes London 1
3 Hastings All Saints Sussex
4 London parishes London 3
5 Beccles Suffolk

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Havering 004 Havering
2 Waveney 010 Waveney
3 Norwich 002 Norwich
4 Waveney 013 Waveney
5 South Kesteven 007 South Kesteven

Forenames

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First names often paired with Foyster

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Foyster

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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Foyster is most associated with areas classed as Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs, 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

Mainly concentrated in suburban areas, these terraced and semi-detached developments are less overcrowded than the Supergroup average, and resident households are more likely to own two or more cars. There are fewer residents aged 25-44, and a larger share of residents employed in administrative and secretarial occupations. Residents are more likely to have been born in the UK, less likely to have been born in the EU or Africa, and much less likely to self-identify as Bangladeshi.

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

Foyster is most concentrated in decile 6 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.

6
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Foyster falls in decile 4 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.

4
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

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Foyster families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Foyster 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. Suffolk leads with 53 Foysters recorded in 1881 and an index of 20.28x.

County Total Index
Suffolk 53 20.28x
Norfolk 32 9.70x
Lincolnshire 30 8.74x
Middlesex 27 1.26x
Sussex 22 6.08x
Lancashire 13 0.51x
Leicestershire 11 4.62x
Surrey 9 0.86x
Derbyshire 7 2.08x
Essex 7 1.65x
Shropshire 4 2.16x
Kent 2 0.27x
Cheshire 1 0.21x
Nottinghamshire 1 0.35x
Wiltshire 1 0.53x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Beccles in Suffolk leads with 15 Foysters recorded in 1881 and an index of 356.29x.

Place Total Index
Beccles 15 356.29x
Benacre 12 8000.00x
Brighton 9 12.33x
Camberwell 9 6.57x
Gedney Hill 8 3333.33x
Braintree 7 184.21x
Covehithe 7 5384.62x
Everton 7 8.62x
Hastings All Sts 7 205.28x
Bentingby 6 15000.00x
Hampstead London 6 17.95x
Hastings St Clement 6 176.47x
Honington 6 4615.38x
Ilketshall St Margaret 6 2857.14x
Norwich St John Sepulchre 6 280.37x
Whittington 6 129.03x
Chorlton On Medlock 5 12.36x
Frostenden 5 1785.71x
Hammersmith London 5 9.46x
Leicester St Margaret 5 8.62x
Lowestoft 5 40.49x
Norwich St Edmund 5 943.40x
Norwich St George Colegate 5 416.67x
St Marylebone London 5 4.36x
Thetford St Peter 5 574.71x
Barnham Broom 4 1212.12x
Baston 4 701.75x
Chetwynd 4 666.67x
Threckingham 4 3636.36x
Islington London 3 1.44x
Norwich St Helen 3 731.71x
Paddington London 3 3.80x
St Pancras London 3 1.74x
St Peterat Gowts Lincoln 3 62.11x
East Harling 2 256.41x
Lee 2 18.81x
Manthorpe Cum Little 2 76.34x
Osgodby 2 6666.67x
Bourn 1 36.10x
Brampton 1 454.55x
Brimington 1 39.22x
Chediston 1 370.37x
Cotham 1 1000.00x
Higher Bebington 1 33.00x
Liverpool 1 0.65x
Marlborough 1 312.50x
Norwich St Margaret 1 196.08x
Norwich St Stephen 1 33.00x
Shipmeadow 1 625.00x
St George Hanover Square 1 2.64x
Teddington London 1 20.58x

Top female names

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

Name Count
William 14
John 13
George 7
Henry 6
Joseph 6
Charles 5
Frederick 5
Harry 5
David 4
James 3
Thomas 3
Walter 3
Albert 2
Alfred 2
Edwin 2
Ernest 2
Abraham 1
Ancell 1
Arthur 1
Basil 1
Chas. 1
Edgar 1
Fred 1
Gerald 1
Henery 1
Herbert 1
Hugh 1
Kenneth 1
Lionel 1
Mattew 1
Percy 1
Richard 1
Samuel 1

FAQ

Foyster surname: questions and answers

How common was the Foyster surname in 1881?

In 1881, 220 people were recorded with the Foyster surname. That placed it at #12,087 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Foyster surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 268 in 2016. That gives Foyster a modern rank of #16,003.

What does the Foyster map show?

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