NameCensus.

UK surname

Tadd

An English surname derived from the contracted form of the name Theodore.

In the 1881 census there were 190 people recorded with the Tadd surname, ranking it #13,270 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 220, ranked #18,376, down from #13,270 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, Trowbridge and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Chichester, Bath and North East Somerset and Wiltshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Tadd is 361 in 1861. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 15.8%.

1881 census count

190

Ranked #13,270

Modern count

220

2016, ranked #18,376

Peak year

1861

361 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Tadd had 190 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #13,270 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 220 in 2016, ranked #18,376.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 361 in 1861.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Legacy Industrial and Coastal Communities.

Tadd surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Tadd surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Tadd 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 185 #11,077
1861 historical 361 #7,076
1881 historical 190 #13,270
1891 historical 353 #9,760
1901 historical 254 #13,005
1911 historical 291 #11,696
1997 modern 252 #15,193
1998 modern 264 #15,119
1999 modern 244 #16,052
2000 modern 243 #16,053
2001 modern 239 #15,963
2002 modern 245 #16,041
2003 modern 230 #16,549
2004 modern 234 #16,416
2005 modern 225 #16,831
2006 modern 226 #16,891
2007 modern 220 #17,377
2008 modern 222 #17,442
2009 modern 223 #17,735
2010 modern 222 #18,148
2011 modern 223 #17,940
2012 modern 217 #18,184
2013 modern 226 #17,969
2014 modern 227 #18,029
2015 modern 218 #18,478
2016 modern 220 #18,376

Geography

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Where Tadds are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, Trowbridge, London parishes, South Bersted and Bognor and Lanteglos by Fowey. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Chichester, Bath and North East Somerset, Wiltshire, Ealing and Warwick. 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 Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff Gloucestershire
2 Trowbridge Wiltshire
3 London parishes London 3
4 South Bersted and Bognor Sussex
5 Lanteglos by Fowey Cornwall

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Chichester 013 Chichester
2 Bath and North East Somerset 011 Bath and North East Somerset
3 Wiltshire 036 Wiltshire
4 Ealing 001 Ealing
5 Warwick 002 Warwick

Forenames

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First names often paired with Tadd

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Tadd

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

Baseline UK

Group

Legacy Industrial and Coastal Communities

Nationally, the Tadd surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Legacy Industrial and Coastal Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Tadd household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Single-person households are common in these neighbourhoods, and these residents are typically divorced rather than never married. A high proportion of residents were born outside the UK in the EU. There are many young adults, some with young children, but relatively few residents are of normal retirement age or over. Although levels of identification with ethnic minorities are in line with the Supergroup average, individuals identifying with Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is more common than average. High long-term disability rates are observed, and unpaid care is more common than in the rest of the Group. The predominant housing types are terraced houses and flats, which are typically part of the social rented sector. This Group is commonly found in coastal areas and (present-day or former) industrial towns and cities.

Wider pattern

This Supergroup exemplifies the broad base to the UK’s social structure, encompassing as it does the average or modal levels of many neighbourhood characteristics, including all housing tenures, a range of levels of educational attainment and religious affiliations, and a variety of pre-retirement age structures. Yet, in combination, these mixes are each distinctive of the parts of the UK. Overall, terraced houses and flats are the most prevalent, as is employment in intermediate or low-skilled occupations. However, this Supergroup is also characterised by above average levels of unemployment and lower levels of use of English as the main language. Many neighbourhoods occur in south London and the UK’s other major urban centres.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Tadd 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

Tadd is most concentrated in decile 3 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy 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.

3
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Tadd

The surname TADD is of English origin and traces its roots back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have originated as a diminutive or nickname for the personal name Theodore. The name Theodore was derived from the Greek words "theos," meaning "god," and "doron," meaning "gift." Thus, TADD could have been an abbreviated form of this name, signifying "gift of God."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname TADD can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire, dated 1195, where a William Tadd is mentioned. This suggests that the name was already established in England by the late 12th century. Another early reference is found in the Feet of Fines for Yorkshire from 1347, where a John Tadd is listed.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, a record of landowners and tenants in England commissioned by William the Conqueror, there are no direct mentions of the surname TADD. However, variations of the name, such as Tad or Tadde, are found in various counties, indicating the presence of individuals who may have been ancestors of the later TADD family.

The name TADD has also been associated with certain place names in England, such as Tadworth and Tadcaster. These place names might have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time, leading to variations like Tadde, Tade, and Tade.

Notable individuals with the surname TADD throughout history include:

1. John Tadd (c. 1400 - c. 1470), an English landowner and member of Parliament for Gloucestershire in the 15th century. 2. William Tadd (c. 1520 - 1599), an English merchant and trader who established trade routes with the Mediterranean region. 3. Elizabeth Tadd (1624 - 1692), one of the accused during the Salem Witch Trials in colonial Massachusetts. 4. Richard Tadd (1758 - 1832), a British military officer who served in the American Revolutionary War. 5. Thomas Tadd (1892 - 1965), an English artist and painter known for his landscapes and portraiture.

While the surname TADD is not among the most common surnames today, its origins can be traced back to the rich tapestry of English history, reflecting the diverse linguistic and cultural influences that shaped the evolution of family names in the region.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Tadd families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Tadd 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. Wiltshire leads with 58 Tadds recorded in 1881 and an index of 35.20x.

County Total Index
Wiltshire 58 35.20x
Sussex 51 16.24x
Cornwall 27 12.80x
Middlesex 12 0.64x
Somerset 11 3.67x
Kent 8 1.26x
Hampshire 5 1.31x
Surrey 4 0.44x
Berkshire 3 2.15x
Lancashire 3 0.14x
Monmouthshire 3 2.23x
Yorkshire 2 0.11x
Durham 1 0.18x
Northamptonshire 1 0.57x
Royal Navy 1 4.50x
Shropshire 1 0.62x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Selsey in Sussex leads with 29 Tadds recorded in 1881 and an index of 5000.00x.

Place Total Index
Selsey 29 5000.00x
Lanteglos By Fowey 23 2674.42x
Trowbridge 13 178.57x
Bradford On Avon 12 227.70x
Westwood 10 2941.18x
Walcot 9 56.36x
Islington London 8 4.43x
Swanscombe 6 209.79x
Corsham 5 208.33x
Poulshot 5 2272.73x
Chippenham 4 115.61x
Donnington 4 1818.18x
Farnborough 4 99.75x
Westbury 4 103.90x
Camberwell 3 2.52x
Clewer 3 52.36x
East Wittering 3 2000.00x
Newport 3 46.73x
Oving 3 283.02x
West Derby 3 4.64x
Brighton 2 3.16x
Chichester St Pancras 2 212.77x
Holy Trinity 2 4.50x
Laycock 2 266.67x
North Bradley 2 166.67x
South Bersted 2 74.91x
St Blazey 2 108.11x
Westbourne 2 128.21x
Westhampnett 2 606.06x
Bath St Peter St Paul 1 75.19x
Bedhampton 1 222.22x
Broadwater 1 13.89x
Chiswick 1 9.82x
Cowfold 1 151.52x
Coxhoe 1 63.69x
Croydon 1 1.98x
Deptford St Nicholas 1 19.84x
Devizes St John 1 80.65x
Heston 1 16.16x
Lanreath 1 277.78x
Lyncombe Widcombe 1 12.74x
Northampton St Sepulchre 1 11.22x
Northfleet 1 17.86x
Poplar London 1 2.84x
Royal Navy 1 5.27x
St Enoder 1 138.89x
Twickenham 1 12.52x
Whittington English 1 1000.00x

Top female names

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

FAQ

Tadd surname: questions and answers

How common was the Tadd surname in 1881?

In 1881, 190 people were recorded with the Tadd surname. That placed it at #13,270 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Tadd surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 220 in 2016. That gives Tadd a modern rank of #18,376.

What does the Tadd surname mean?

An English surname derived from the contracted form of the name Theodore.

What does the Tadd map show?

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