Featherson last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Featherson is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Featherson.

Meaning of Featherson

A surname likely derived from a nickname associated with feathers or featherwork.

Featherson, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Featherson surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Featherson in America

Featherson is the 61436th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Featherson surname appeared 327 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Featherson.

We can also compare 2010 data for Featherson to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 61436 65492 -6.39%
Count 327 283 14.43%
Proportion per 100k 0.11 0.10 9.52%

The history of the last name Featherson

The surname FEATHERSON is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period, derived from the old English words "feather" and "son," suggesting it was initially a descriptive name given to individuals whose occupation or trade involved working with feathers.

The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 13th century, with mentions found in various parish records and tax rolls from counties such as Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. One notable example is the entry of a Richard Featherson in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1272.

As the name spread across England, it underwent various spelling variations, including Fetherson, Featherston, and Fetherston. These variations often reflected regional dialects and the preferences of scribes responsible for recording the name.

In the 14th century, the name appears in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. This entry suggests that the name had already become established within English society by the late 11th century.

One of the earliest recorded individuals bearing the name was Sir John Featherson (1325-1398), a knight from Nottinghamshire who fought in the Hundred Years' War. Another notable figure was Elizabeth Featherson (1550-1622), a prominent landowner and philanthropist from Derbyshire.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the FEATHERSON name continued to spread across England, with several individuals gaining prominence in various fields. Thomas Featherson (1580-1642) was a respected scholar and theologian who served as the rector of St. Mary's Church in Cambridge. Meanwhile, Samuel Featherson (1615-1682) was a successful merchant and ship owner based in Bristol, known for his voyages to the West Indies and the Americas.

As the British Empire expanded, the FEATHERSON name was carried to various colonies and settlements around the world. One such individual was William Featherson (1725-1798), a British soldier who served in the American Revolutionary War and later settled in Upper Canada (modern-day Ontario).

Throughout its history, the FEATHERSON surname has been associated with various occupations and professions, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and accomplishments of those who have borne this name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Featherson

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Featherson.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Featherson was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 23.85% 78
Non-Hispanic Black Only 71.25% 233
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 1.53% 5
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 2.45% 8
Hispanic Origin (S)% (S)

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Featherson has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 23.85% 28.62% -18.18%
Black 71.25% 68.90% 3.35%
Asian and Pacific Islander 1.53% (S)% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)% (S)%
Two or More Races 2.45% (S)% (S)%
Hispanic (S)% (S)% (S)%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Featherson was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Featherson, please contact us.

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"Featherson last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on November 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/featherson-surname-popularity/.

"Featherson last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/featherson-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 November, 2024

Featherson last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/featherson-surname-popularity/.

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