NameCensus.

UK surname

Freak

In the 1881 census there were 178 people recorded with the Freak surname, ranking it #13,840 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 120, ranked #27,563, down from #13,840 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Southampton St Mary and Blandford Town, Pimperne. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include North Dorset, Newark and Sherwood and West Dorset.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Freak is 280 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 32.6%.

1881 census count

178

Ranked #13,840

Modern count

120

2016, ranked #27,563

Peak year

1911

280 bearers

Map years

7

1881 to 2016

Key insights

  • Freak had 178 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #13,840 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 120 in 2016, ranked #27,563.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 280 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established Mature Families.

Freak surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Freak surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Freak 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 91 #18,187
1861 historical 78 #23,836
1881 historical 178 #13,840
1891 historical 190 #15,486
1901 historical 272 #12,440
1911 historical 280 #11,982
1997 modern 150 #21,119
1998 modern 156 #21,144
1999 modern 156 #21,290
2000 modern 140 #22,752
2001 modern 137 #22,740
2002 modern 141 #22,794
2003 modern 129 #23,783
2004 modern 124 #24,559
2005 modern 120 #25,066
2006 modern 117 #25,695
2007 modern 113 #26,641
2008 modern 113 #26,920
2009 modern 121 #26,373
2010 modern 125 #26,448
2011 modern 118 #27,192
2012 modern 123 #26,561
2013 modern 125 #26,695
2014 modern 123 #27,206
2015 modern 122 #27,245
2016 modern 120 #27,563

Geography

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Where Freaks are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Southampton St Mary, Blandford Town, Pimperne, St Paul Deptford, St Nicholas Deptford and Brancepeth. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to North Dorset, Newark and Sherwood, West Dorset and County Durham. 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 3
2 Southampton St Mary Hampshire
3 Blandford Town, Pimperne Dorset
4 St Paul Deptford, St Nicholas Deptford London (South Districts)
5 Brancepeth Durham

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 North Dorset 007 North Dorset
2 Newark and Sherwood 001 Newark and Sherwood
3 North Dorset 008 North Dorset
4 West Dorset 004 West Dorset
5 County Durham 042 County Durham

Forenames

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First names often paired with Freak

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Freak

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

Retired Professionals

Group

Established Mature Families

Nationally, the Freak surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established Mature Families, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Freak household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Married couples predominate, many with older dependent children. Detached housing is common. Homeownership rates are the highest within this Supergroup. The presence of some students suggests that households are towards the end of a child rearing phase. Many residents have degree level qualifications, and the occupational profile is heavily skewed towards managerial and professional occupations. Residential developments commonly occur on the periphery of major urban cities or conurbations.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Freak 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

Freak is most concentrated in decile 4 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.

4
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

1881 census detail

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Freak families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Freak 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. Dorset leads with 39 Freaks recorded in 1881 and an index of 34.23x.

County Total Index
Dorset 39 34.23x
Gloucestershire 31 9.10x
Hampshire 27 7.59x
Durham 22 4.26x
Middlesex 20 1.15x
Kent 15 2.53x
Berkshire 11 8.44x
Surrey 5 0.59x
Glamorgan 3 0.99x
Essex 1 0.29x
Lanarkshire 1 0.18x
Northumberland 1 0.39x
Somerset 1 0.36x
Wiltshire 1 0.65x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Bitton in Gloucestershire leads with 16 Freaks recorded in 1881 and an index of 540.54x.

Place Total Index
Bitton 16 540.54x
Bristol St George 10 63.49x
Deptford St Paul 10 21.89x
Durweston 9 4090.91x
Bethnal Green London 7 9.28x
Boldre 7 551.18x
Pimperne 7 2800.00x
Southampton St Mary 7 31.28x
St Pancras London 7 5.01x
Newbottle 6 212.77x
Stanhope 6 112.57x
Auckland St Helen 5 925.93x
Bishopwearmouth 5 11.28x
Blandford St Mary 5 2272.73x
Reading St Giles 5 39.09x
Reading St Mary 5 47.89x
Shilling Okeford 5 1470.59x
Stourpaine 5 1515.15x
Winterborne Stickland 5 1724.14x
Bitton Oldland 4 114.94x
Camberwell 4 3.61x
Holdenhurst 4 42.87x
Corfe Mullen 3 731.71x
Deptford St Nicholas 3 63.83x
Hornsey 3 13.66x
Merthyr Tydfil 3 10.32x
South Stoneham 3 38.86x
Christchurch 2 25.91x
Portsea 2 2.87x
Southampton All Sts 2 32.73x
Allendale 1 41.67x
Barford St Martin 1 357.14x
Blantyre 1 17.09x
Clifton 1 5.81x
Folkestone 1 8.70x
Godalming 1 18.76x
Grays Thurrock 1 31.35x
Hammersmith London 1 2.34x
Islington London 1 0.59x
Lyminge 1 196.08x
Walcot 1 6.72x
Waltham St Lawrence 1 196.08x
Westminster St Margaret 1 11.95x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Elizabeth 11
Mary 7
Ellen 5
Sarah 5
Ann 4
Eliza 4
Annie 3
Emily 3
Frances 3
Hannah 3
Harriet 3
Julia 3
Lucy 3
Alice 2
Caroline 2
Charlotte 2
Edith 2
Harriett 2
Louisa 2
Susan 2
Anne 1
Annimaria 1
Beatrice 1
Blanche 1
Carlione 1
Elizth. 1
Fanny 1
Florence 1
Flossy 1
Georgiana 1
Jane 1
Johanna 1
Kate 1
Margaret 1
Martha 1
Matilda 1
Mildred 1
Minnie 1
Nelly 1
Rachel 1
Rebecca 1
Rosa 1
Rosina 1
Susannah 1
Thamar 1

Top male names

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

FAQ

Freak surname: questions and answers

How common was the Freak surname in 1881?

In 1881, 178 people were recorded with the Freak surname. That placed it at #13,840 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Freak surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 120 in 2016. That gives Freak a modern rank of #27,563.

What does the Freak map show?

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