NameCensus.

UK surname

Tallett

A variant spelling of the English surname meaning "industrious or diligent" from the Middle English "talente".

In the 1881 census there were 109 people recorded with the Tallett surname, ranking it #18,793 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 371, ranked #12,561, up from #18,793 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Warwick St Nicholas, Newnham and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include East Staffordshire, Wakefield and Worcester.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Tallett is 409 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 240.4%.

1881 census count

109

Ranked #18,793

Modern count

371

2016, ranked #12,561

Peak year

1998

409 bearers

Map years

7

1881 to 2016

Key insights

  • Tallett had 109 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #18,793 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 371 in 2016, ranked #12,561.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 280 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Tallett surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Tallett surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Tallett 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 78 #19,840
1861 historical 67 #25,342
1881 historical 109 #18,793
1891 historical 161 #17,473
1901 historical 239 #13,489
1911 historical 280 #11,982
1997 modern 381 #11,393
1998 modern 409 #11,172
1999 modern 409 #11,264
2000 modern 409 #11,221
2001 modern 399 #11,252
2002 modern 397 #11,497
2003 modern 394 #11,384
2004 modern 398 #11,321
2005 modern 371 #11,842
2006 modern 372 #11,878
2007 modern 366 #12,176
2008 modern 361 #12,407
2009 modern 370 #12,416
2010 modern 370 #12,701
2011 modern 361 #12,800
2012 modern 363 #12,592
2013 modern 370 #12,626
2014 modern 377 #12,535
2015 modern 371 #12,567
2016 modern 371 #12,561

Geography

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Where Talletts are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Warwick St Nicholas, Newnham, London parishes, Battersea and Northampton St Giles, Northampton St Sepulchre, Northampton Priory. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to East Staffordshire, Wakefield, Worcester and Harborough. 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 Warwick St Nicholas Warwickshire
2 Newnham Northamptonshire
3 London parishes London 3
4 Battersea London (South Districts)
5 Northampton St Giles, Northampton St Sepulchre, Northampton Priory Northamptonshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 East Staffordshire 014 East Staffordshire
2 Wakefield 020 Wakefield
3 Worcester 014 Worcester
4 Harborough 005 Harborough
5 Harborough 008 Harborough

Forenames

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First names often paired with Tallett

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Tallett

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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Tallett 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

Tallett 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

Tallett falls in decile 8 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

8
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Tallett

The surname Tallett originated in England, with records dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from a place name, possibly an old Anglo-Saxon or Norman French word meaning "high ground" or "hill." Some of the earliest known spellings include Tailliet, Tayliet, and Tayllet.

One of the earliest documented instances of the name Tallett can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Huntingdonshire from 1273, which mentions a John Tayllet. The Testa de Nevill, a record of landowners in England from 1086 to 1272, also includes references to individuals with the surname Tallett or similar spellings.

In the 16th century, there are records of a William Tallett who was born in Somerset, England, around 1520. He was a prominent landowner and served as a member of the local gentry. Another notable figure was John Tallett, a merchant who lived in Exeter, Devon, in the late 16th century and was involved in the city's thriving wool trade.

During the 17th century, the Tallett surname appeared in various parish records across England, particularly in counties such as Somerset, Devon, and Wiltshire. One notable individual from this period was Robert Tallett, born in 1632 in Dorset, who served as a captain in the English Civil War under Oliver Cromwell.

In the 18th century, the Tallett family had spread to other parts of England, including London. Thomas Tallett, born in 1718 in Somerset, was a successful merchant and philanthropist who contributed to the construction of several churches and schools in the city of Bath.

In the 19th century, the name Tallett continued to appear across England, with individuals such as William Tallett (1798-1871), a prominent architect from Bristol, and James Tallett (1838-1912), a renowned painter and art teacher from London.

While the Tallett surname has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world through emigration, particularly to countries like the United States, Canada, and Australia.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Tallett families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Tallett 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. Warwickshire leads with 28 Talletts recorded in 1881 and an index of 10.44x.

County Total Index
Warwickshire 28 10.44x
Middlesex 13 1.22x
Oxfordshire 11 16.76x
Surrey 8 1.54x
Sussex 7 3.91x
Yorkshire 7 0.66x
Kent 6 1.65x
Northamptonshire 6 6.00x
Staffordshire 5 1.39x
Cambridgeshire 4 5.94x
Gloucestershire 4 1.92x
Essex 3 1.43x
Hertfordshire 3 4.09x
Berkshire 1 1.25x
Hampshire 1 0.46x
Lancashire 1 0.08x
Somerset 1 0.58x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Battersea in Surrey leads with 8 Talletts recorded in 1881 and an index of 20.45x.

Place Total Index
Battersea 8 20.45x
Grandborough 7 4375.00x
Hanwell 7 7777.78x
Shoreditch London 7 15.19x
Newnham 6 4000.00x
Ore 6 451.13x
Stretton On Dunsmore 6 2400.00x
Aston 5 6.77x
Bethnal Green London 5 10.83x
Birmingham 5 5.60x
Deptford St Nicholas 5 173.61x
Kingswinford 5 38.37x
Chipping Campden 4 588.24x
East Rounton 4 6666.67x
Grantchester 4 952.38x
Oxford St Giles 4 127.80x
Leamington 3 168.54x
St Albans 3 200.00x
Swillington 3 1000.00x
West Ham 3 6.48x
Warwick St Nicholas 2 101.52x
Bedminster 1 6.22x
Gravesend 1 32.57x
Holdenhurst 1 17.48x
Hove 1 12.72x
Hulme 1 3.80x
Old Windsor 1 108.70x
Tottenham 1 5.91x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 7
Martha 6
Elizabeth 3
Emma 3
Catherine 2
Charlotte 2
Elisabeth 2
Jane 2
Maud 2
Ada 1
Alice 1
Allice 1
Amy 1
Ann 1
Beatrice 1
Caroline 1
Clara 1
Edith 1
Eliza 1
Ellen 1
Esther 1
Eveline 1
Fanney 1
Fanny 1
Hannah 1
Janet 1
Katherine 1
Louisa 1
Lucy 1
Maria 1
Marion 1
Prudence 1
Rhoda 1
Rose 1
Sarah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 8
James 7
George 6
John 4
Albert 3
Henry 3
Alfred 2
Edward 2
Joseph 2
Richard 2
Thomas 2
Amelia 1
Andrew 1
Arthur 1
Benjamin 1
Ernist 1
Frank 1
Frederick 1
Jesse 1
Oliver 1
Ralph 1
Samuel 1
Urban 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Tallett surname: questions and answers

How common was the Tallett surname in 1881?

In 1881, 109 people were recorded with the Tallett surname. That placed it at #18,793 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Tallett surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 371 in 2016. That gives Tallett a modern rank of #12,561.

What does the Tallett surname mean?

A variant spelling of the English surname meaning "industrious or diligent" from the Middle English "talente".

What does the Tallett map show?

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