NameCensus.

UK surname

Tandy

Derived from a place name meaning "farm by the oak trees" in Old English.

In the 1881 census there were 1,421 people recorded with the Tandy surname, ranking it #2,922 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 2,058, ranked #3,141, down from #2,922 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Churcham, Sandhurst, St Mary-de-Lode, St Catherine Longford, Barnwood, Wootton Ville, North Hamlet,, London parishes and Cheltenham. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Malvern Hills, Gloucester and Ceredigion.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Tandy is 2,244 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 44.8%.

1881 census count

1,421

Ranked #2,922

Modern count

2,058

2016, ranked #3,141

Peak year

1998

2,244 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Tandy had 1,421 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #2,922 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 2,058 in 2016, ranked #3,141.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,717 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Tandy surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Tandy surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Tandy 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 792 #3,369
1861 historical 653 #4,109
1881 historical 1,421 #2,922
1891 historical 1,343 #3,243
1901 historical 1,643 #3,138
1911 historical 1,717 #2,854
1997 modern 2,164 #2,862
1998 modern 2,244 #2,870
1999 modern 2,233 #2,902
2000 modern 2,195 #2,930
2001 modern 2,136 #2,941
2002 modern 2,200 #2,920
2003 modern 2,118 #2,960
2004 modern 2,105 #2,972
2005 modern 2,084 #2,960
2006 modern 2,048 #3,021
2007 modern 2,052 #3,049
2008 modern 2,067 #3,053
2009 modern 2,108 #3,064
2010 modern 2,172 #3,058
2011 modern 2,179 #3,000
2012 modern 2,093 #3,057
2013 modern 2,111 #3,090
2014 modern 2,106 #3,123
2015 modern 2,077 #3,132
2016 modern 2,058 #3,141

Geography

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Where Tandys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Churcham, Sandhurst, St Mary-de-Lode, St Catherine Longford, Barnwood, Wootton Ville, North Hamlet,, London parishes, Cheltenham and Birmingham Town: Birmingham. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Malvern Hills, Gloucester, Ceredigion and Oldham. 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 Churcham, Sandhurst, St Mary-de-Lode, St Catherine Longford, Barnwood, Wootton Ville, North Hamlet, Gloucestershire
2 London parishes London 3
3 Cheltenham Gloucestershire
4 London parishes London 2
5 Birmingham Town: Birmingham Warwickshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Malvern Hills 007 Malvern Hills
2 Malvern Hills 006 Malvern Hills
3 Gloucester 002 Gloucester
4 Ceredigion 005 Ceredigion
5 Oldham 012 Oldham

Forenames

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First names often paired with Tandy

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Tandy

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

Challenged Communities

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

Residents of these neighbourhoods typically live in households with dependent children, and there are fewer-than-average residents of normal retirement age or over. Identification with ethnic minorities, particularly Black, or Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is common. The rate of Christian religious affiliation is low. Housing predominantly consists of semi-detached houses, along with a significant number of terraced properties and flats. Overcrowded social housing is common, and private renting occurs at average UK levels. Those in employment work mainly in caring leisure and other services; process, plant and machine operation; or elementary occupations. Unemployment is high, and few individuals have degree level qualifications. Many of these neighbourhoods occur in commuter towns or less accessible areas of larger 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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Skilled Trades and Construction Workers

Within London, Tandy is most associated with areas classed as Skilled Trades and Construction Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. 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

These scattered, peripheral and often low residential density neighbourhoods house more workers in skilled trades and construction. Few households rent social housing and there are few students. Multiple car ownership is higher than the Supergroup average, perhaps because of poorer public transport connectivity. Incidence of mixed or multiple ethnicity is below the Supergroup average, and the absence of individuals identifying as Pakistani or Other Asian groups is also less pronounced. Flatted accommodation is less dominant than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Tandy is most concentrated in decile 7 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.

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Tandy falls in decile 5 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.

5
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Tandy

The surname Tandy is believed to have originated in England, specifically in the counties of Yorkshire and Derbyshire, during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "tæn", meaning a twig or a thin branch, and the suffix "-y", indicating a place name.

The earliest recorded mention of the name Tandy can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Tændi" and "Tændie". This suggests that the name may have initially referred to a person living near a place overgrown with twigs or small branches.

In the 13th century, the name is documented as "Tandi" and "Tandy" in various legal records and charters from Yorkshire and Derbyshire. Some notable early bearers of the surname include John Tandy, a landowner in Derbyshire mentioned in the Feet of Fines records of 1324, and Robert Tandy, a merchant from York who is recorded in the city's guild rolls in 1412.

The surname Tandy has also been associated with certain place names, such as Tandy Green in Derbyshire and Tandy Hills in West Yorkshire. These locations may have been named after early settlers bearing the Tandy name.

One of the most famous individuals with the surname Tandy was Sir Edmund Tandy (1564-1644), an English lawyer and politician who served as Chief Baron of the Exchequer under King Charles I. Another notable figure was Jeremiah Tandy (1773-1858), an Irish revolutionary and co-founder of the Society of United Irishmen, who played a significant role in the Irish Rebellion of 1798.

Other notable bearers of the Tandy name include Richard Tandy (1737-1808), an English industrialist and entrepreneur who founded the Tandy Corporation, now known as RadioShack; Beaumont Tandy (1917-1990), an English actor and playwright; and Jessica Tandy (1909-1994), an acclaimed American actress who won an Academy Award for her role in the film "Driving Miss Daisy".

While the Tandy surname has spread to various parts of the world due to migration and historical events, its origins can be traced back to the medieval English counties of Yorkshire and Derbyshire, where it likely derived from a description of a person's proximity to a place abundant with twigs or small branches.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Tandy families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Tandy 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 267 Tandys recorded in 1881 and an index of 7.63x.

County Total Index
Warwickshire 267 7.63x
Worcestershire 261 14.40x
Gloucestershire 249 9.15x
Staffordshire 110 2.35x
Middlesex 96 0.69x
Surrey 56 0.83x
Lancashire 55 0.33x
Yorkshire 52 0.38x
Kent 46 0.97x
Northamptonshire 33 2.53x
Cheshire 17 0.55x
Herefordshire 16 2.81x
Leicestershire 14 0.91x
Oxfordshire 12 1.40x
Buckinghamshire 11 1.31x
Hampshire 11 0.39x
Lincolnshire 11 0.50x
Nottinghamshire 11 0.59x
Somerset 11 0.49x
Cumberland 10 0.84x
Pembrokeshire 10 2.27x
Hertfordshire 9 0.94x
Derbyshire 7 0.32x
Devon 7 0.24x
Kirkcudbrightshire 6 2.99x
Northumberland 6 0.29x
Suffolk 6 0.35x
Sussex 6 0.26x
Shropshire 5 0.42x
Essex 4 0.15x
Monmouthshire 4 0.40x
Brecknockshire 2 0.72x
Berkshire 1 0.10x
Wiltshire 1 0.08x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Birmingham in Warwickshire leads with 77 Tandys recorded in 1881 and an index of 6.60x.

Place Total Index
Birmingham 77 6.60x
Aston 56 5.81x
Cheltenham 45 21.42x
Ecclesall Bierlow 29 10.36x
Leamington Priors 24 27.86x
Lambeth 23 1.90x
Hawkesbury 21 226.54x
Kidderminster Borough 21 19.79x
Belbroughton 18 191.49x
Kingswinford 18 10.58x
Deal 17 42.08x
Harborne 17 11.32x
Upper Penn 17 144.80x
Alderton 16 796.02x
Guiting Power 14 474.58x
Kenilworth 14 70.96x
Battersea 13 2.55x
Gloucester St Mary Lode 13 203.76x
Mile End Old Town 13 5.93x
Wolverhampton 13 3.61x
Inkberrow 12 163.71x
Oldham 12 2.26x
Burford 11 147.85x
Gloucester Barton St Mary 11 22.08x
Holdfast Queenshill 11 1264.37x
Newport Pagnell 11 62.68x
Northfield 11 31.99x
Rowley Regis 11 8.42x
Toddington 11 1089.11x
Widnes 11 9.26x
Great Malvern 10 26.44x
Pembroke St Mary 10 17.60x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 9 3.51x
Broadway 9 115.38x
Dymock 9 138.67x
New Sleaford 9 63.29x
Radford Semele 9 339.62x
Spitalfields London 9 8.62x
Upton On Severn 9 75.82x
Walsall Foreign 9 3.72x
Lyncombe Widcombe 8 13.68x
North Piddle 8 1095.89x
Oldbury On Hill 8 434.78x
Rickmansworth 8 30.37x
West Bromwich 8 2.98x
West Derby 8 1.66x
Wormington 8 1777.78x
Wotton Under Edge 8 49.84x
Dallington 7 91.26x
Hackney London 7 0.90x
Harrow On The Hill 7 25.24x
Holy Trinity 7 2.12x
Iron Acton 7 127.27x
Kensington London 7 0.91x
Newington 7 1.37x
Northampton Priory St 7 8.94x
Powick 7 55.78x
Sutton Coldfield 7 19.02x
Tibberton 7 424.24x
Tipton 7 4.88x
Tottenham 7 3.17x
Wotton St Mary 7 49.58x
Camberwell 6 0.68x
Chatham 6 4.61x
Clent 6 126.05x
Daventry 6 32.49x
Earls Croome 6 594.06x
Evesham St Lawrence 6 62.31x
Gloucester St Nicholas 6 47.58x
Kempley 6 447.76x
Kings Norton 6 3.69x
Leicester St Margaret 6 1.60x
Moreton Valence 6 372.67x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 6 4.86x
Northampton All Sts 6 13.54x
Norton By Kempsey 6 151.52x
Sheffield 6 1.37x
St Luke London 6 2.69x
Sutton 6 10.86x
Warwick St Mary 6 19.74x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 94
Sarah 51
Elizabeth 46
Eliza 35
Emma 30
Annie 27
Jane 23
Alice 22
Ann 22
Ellen 21
Emily 17
Maria 17
Fanny 16
Ada 14
Harriet 13
Florence 12
Lucy 12
Clara 10
Edith 10
Hannah 10
Louisa 9
Martha 9
Rose 9
Anne 8
Catherine 8
Kate 7
Amy 6
Caroline 6
Jessie 6
Gertrude 5
Agnes 4
Amelia 4
Beatrice 4
Charlotte 4
Dinah 4
Frances 4
Jemima 4
Mabel 4
Margaret 4
Maryann 4
Selina 4
Sophia 4
Elizth. 3
Esther 3
Lizzie 3
Matilda 3
Flora 2
Julia 2
Laura 2
Margt.M.J. 2

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 88
George 73
John 71
Charles 48
Thomas 47
James 33
Henry 31
Albert 22
Alfred 22
Edward 21
Joseph 19
Harry 15
Arthur 12
Samuel 12
Walter 11
Frederick 8
Richard 8
Robert 7
Daniel 6
David 6
Francis 6
Frank 5
Philip 5
Herbert 4
Tom 4
Benjamin 3
Edwin 3
Fredrick 3
Isaac 3
Lewis 3
Nimrod 3
Thos. 3
Edmund 2
Fredk. 2
Jesse 2
Leonard 2
Noah 2
Robt. 2
Willie 2
C. 1
Chas. 1
Chas.Edmund 1
Elias 1
Emmanuel 1
Enock 1
Ernest 1
Ferederick 1
Florence 1
Hubert 1
Worthy 1

FAQ

Tandy surname: questions and answers

How common was the Tandy surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,421 people were recorded with the Tandy surname. That placed it at #2,922 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Tandy surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 2,058 in 2016. That gives Tandy a modern rank of #3,141.

What does the Tandy surname mean?

Derived from a place name meaning "farm by the oak trees" in Old English.

What does the Tandy map show?

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