NameCensus.

UK surname

Fretter

An English surname derived from the Old English word "fretan" meaning to devour or consume.

In the 1881 census there were 129 people recorded with the Fretter surname, ranking it #17,013 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 184, ranked #20,731, down from #17,013 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Rugby, Broughton Astley, Croft and Nuneaton. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Copeland, Daventry and Middlesbrough.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Fretter is 207 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 42.6%.

1881 census count

129

Ranked #17,013

Modern count

184

2016, ranked #20,731

Peak year

1998

207 bearers

Map years

8

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Fretter had 129 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #17,013 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 184 in 2016, ranked #20,731.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 184 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Fretter surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Fretter surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Fretter 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 89 #18,446
1861 historical 105 #20,298
1881 historical 129 #17,013
1891 historical 141 #19,108
1901 historical 167 #16,943
1911 historical 184 #15,742
1997 modern 201 #17,564
1998 modern 207 #17,749
1999 modern 203 #18,081
2000 modern 197 #18,384
2001 modern 200 #17,948
2002 modern 203 #18,115
2003 modern 189 #18,738
2004 modern 196 #18,438
2005 modern 194 #18,512
2006 modern 192 #18,753
2007 modern 192 #18,975
2008 modern 198 #18,753
2009 modern 206 #18,657
2010 modern 203 #19,264
2011 modern 202 #19,154
2012 modern 193 #19,665
2013 modern 191 #20,124
2014 modern 193 #20,159
2015 modern 188 #20,417
2016 modern 184 #20,731

Geography

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Where Fretters are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Rugby, Broughton Astley, Croft, Nuneaton, Naseby and Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Copeland, Daventry, Middlesbrough, Harborough and Oadby and Wigston. 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 Rugby Warwickshire
2 Broughton Astley, Croft Leicestershire
3 Nuneaton Warwickshire
4 Naseby Northamptonshire
5 Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars Leicestershire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Copeland 008 Copeland
2 Daventry 003 Daventry
3 Middlesbrough 018 Middlesbrough
4 Harborough 004 Harborough
5 Oadby and Wigston 005 Oadby and Wigston

Forenames

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First names often paired with Fretter

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Fretter

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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

European Enclaves

Within London, Fretter is most associated with areas classed as European Enclaves, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. 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

Many residents of these accessible neighbourhoods have wide-ranging non-UK European origins. Typically residing in privately rented flats, many residents live alone and are beyond normal retirement age. There are more students than elsewhere in the Supergroup, some of which live in communal establishments. Household residents are often drawn from different ethnic groups.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Fretter 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

Fretter falls in decile 3 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.

3
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Fretter is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

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

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Fretter

The surname Fretter is of German origin, with roots dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Middle High German word "vretern," which means "to gnaw or nibble." This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with an occupation or personal characteristic related to eating habits.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Fretter can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, Germany. In this text, a person named Conradus Fretter is mentioned in a charter dated 1290.

The name Fretter also appears in various town and village records throughout Germany during the 14th and 15th centuries. For example, a Johannes Fretter is documented in the town of Erfurt in 1372, while a Henricus Fretter is recorded in the village of Oberkirchen in 1418.

Notable individuals with the surname Fretter throughout history include:

1. Christoph Fretter (1638-1718), a German composer and organist who served as the Kapellmeister at the court of Gotha. 2. Johann Friedrich Fretter (1670-1737), a German engraver and cartographer known for his intricate maps of various German cities. 3. Heinrich Fretter (1819-1888), a German architect who designed several prominent buildings in Dresden, including the Semperoper opera house. 4. Wilhelm Fretter (1862-1935), a German entomologist and naturalist who made significant contributions to the study of insect morphology and behavior. 5. Erich Fretter (1905-1995), a German sculptor and artist known for his abstract and figurative works in various media, including bronze, stone, and wood.

The name Fretter has also been associated with certain place names, particularly in Germany. For instance, the village of Fretter in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate likely derived its name from the surname or vice versa.

While the surname Fretter is not as commonly found today as some other German surnames, it has a rich history that spans several centuries and includes notable figures in various fields, from music and cartography to architecture and entomology.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Fretter families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Fretter 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. Leicestershire leads with 32 Fretters recorded in 1881 and an index of 22.94x.

County Total Index
Leicestershire 32 22.94x
Northamptonshire 29 24.50x
Warwickshire 24 7.56x
Middlesex 14 1.11x
Kent 9 2.10x
Yorkshire 8 0.64x
Nottinghamshire 5 2.95x
Oxfordshire 4 5.15x
Cheshire 3 1.08x
Sussex 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. Crick in Northamptonshire leads with 23 Fretters recorded in 1881 and an index of 5750.00x.

Place Total Index
Crick 23 5750.00x
Broughton Astley 12 4000.00x
Nuneaton 9 244.57x
Aylestone 8 727.27x
Hillmorton 8 1403.51x
Kimberworth 8 115.61x
Plumstead 8 55.91x
Willoughby Waterless 8 5714.29x
Mile End Old Town London 7 26.14x
Rugby 7 163.17x
Basford 5 63.94x
Newton Purcell 4 10000.00x
Wellingborough 4 67.23x
Hammersmith London 3 9.68x
Leicester St Mary 3 26.62x
Monks Coppenhall 3 28.63x
Naseby 2 769.23x
Whitechapel London 2 16.13x
Brighton 1 2.34x
Leicester St Margaret 1 2.94x
St Martin In Fields 1 13.28x
Thanington Wilton In 1 500.00x
Westminster St James 1 7.73x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Thomas 11
William 8
George 6
John 6
James 5
Henry 4
Samuel 4
Arthur 3
Charles 3
Walter 3
Joseph 2
Geo. 1
Jabez 1
Jonas 1
Leonard 1
Phineas 1
Thos. 1
Tom 1
Wills 1
Wm 1

FAQ

Fretter surname: questions and answers

How common was the Fretter surname in 1881?

In 1881, 129 people were recorded with the Fretter surname. That placed it at #17,013 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Fretter surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 184 in 2016. That gives Fretter a modern rank of #20,731.

What does the Fretter surname mean?

An English surname derived from the Old English word "fretan" meaning to devour or consume.

What does the Fretter map show?

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