NameCensus.

UK surname

Tanfield

In the 1881 census there were 199 people recorded with the Tanfield surname, ranking it #12,880 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 177, ranked #21,230, down from #12,880 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, St Marylebone and Thirsk. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Hambleton, East Riding of Yorkshire and Malvern Hills.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Tanfield is 245 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 11.1%.

1881 census count

199

Ranked #12,880

Modern count

177

2016, ranked #21,230

Peak year

1901

245 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Tanfield had 199 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #12,880 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 177 in 2016, ranked #21,230.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 245 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Tanfield surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Tanfield surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Tanfield 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 124 #14,792
1861 historical 165 #14,112
1881 historical 199 #12,880
1891 historical 225 #13,714
1901 historical 245 #13,298
1911 historical 240 #13,281
1997 modern 193 #18,035
1998 modern 200 #18,114
1999 modern 204 #18,021
2000 modern 198 #18,330
2001 modern 195 #18,215
2002 modern 208 #17,848
2003 modern 190 #18,683
2004 modern 190 #18,792
2005 modern 183 #19,194
2006 modern 181 #19,466
2007 modern 178 #19,887
2008 modern 182 #19,800
2009 modern 185 #20,010
2010 modern 190 #20,087
2011 modern 186 #20,217
2012 modern 177 #20,836
2013 modern 185 #20,575
2014 modern 184 #20,809
2015 modern 183 #20,786
2016 modern 177 #21,230

Geography

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Where Tanfields are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, St Marylebone, Thirsk and Sheffield. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Hambleton, East Riding of Yorkshire, Malvern Hills, Derbyshire Dales and Hammersmith and Fulham. 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 London parishes London 1
2 London parishes London 3
3 St Marylebone London (North Districts)
4 Thirsk Yorkshire, North Riding
5 Sheffield Yorkshire, West Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Hambleton 001 Hambleton
2 East Riding of Yorkshire 028 East Riding of Yorkshire
3 Malvern Hills 002 Malvern Hills
4 Derbyshire Dales 001 Derbyshire Dales
5 Hammersmith and Fulham 020 Hammersmith and Fulham

Forenames

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First names often paired with Tanfield

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Tanfield

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

Ageing Communities

Nationally, the Tanfield surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Ageing Communities, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Tanfield household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many residents are of normal retirement age or above and live in communal establishments, and there are few dependent children. The dominant property type is a mix of retirement flats and detached houses. Those in work are likely to be employed in managerial and professional occupations, and many residents are educated to degree level. Levels of owner occupation are high, but the private rental sector is also present. Rural locations predominate.

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

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Tanfield is most associated with areas classed as Inner London Working Professionals, 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

These primarily Inner London neighbourhoods are more densely populated than the Supergroup average. Residents have a younger over-all age profile than the Supergroup as a whole, and are less likely to be owner occupiers. Full time employment is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup and multiple car ownership is uncommon. Chinese and non-EU-born European migrants are less in evidence than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

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

Tanfield 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

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

1881 census detail

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Tanfield families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Tanfield 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. Yorkshire leads with 124 Tanfields recorded in 1881 and an index of 6.45x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 124 6.45x
Surrey 20 2.11x
Durham 16 2.77x
Middlesex 15 0.77x
Northamptonshire 8 4.38x
Essex 5 1.31x
Worcestershire 5 1.97x
Derbyshire 3 0.99x
Lancashire 3 0.13x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Sheffield in Yorkshire leads with 14 Tanfields recorded in 1881 and an index of 22.86x.

Place Total Index
Sheffield 14 22.86x
Beverley St Martin 11 342.68x
Darlington 8 35.89x
Great Ayton 8 677.97x
Newton In Guisbrough 8 10000.00x
Thornaby 8 111.27x
Bingley 7 57.14x
Camberwell 7 5.65x
Kettering 7 94.85x
Lambeth 7 4.14x
Middlesbrough 7 27.94x
Chelsea London 6 10.26x
Gateshead 6 13.88x
Stokesley 6 500.00x
Barugh 5 308.64x
Dudley 5 16.23x
Nether Hallam 5 19.22x
Newington 5 6.97x
Cherry Burton 4 1333.33x
Mirfield 4 37.88x
Ruswarp 4 186.92x
West Ham 4 4.73x
Aysgarth 3 1200.00x
Bradwell 3 441.18x
Danby Commondale 3 1428.57x
Ecclesall Bierlow 3 7.67x
Halifax 3 10.62x
Laytham 3 6000.00x
Manchester 3 2.90x
St Marylebone London 3 2.89x
York St Lawrence 3 149.25x
Aughton 2 2222.22x
Bilton Cum Harrogate 2 30.40x
Sowerby In Thirsk 2 172.41x
Westminster St John 2 8.46x
Willesden 2 10.93x
Bainbridge 1 222.22x
Durham St Nicholas 1 70.42x
Fetcham 1 312.50x
Finedon 1 62.50x
High Low Catton 1 434.78x
Hutton Rudby 1 175.44x
Kensington London 1 0.93x
Maltby In Middlesbrough 1 1250.00x
Methley 1 36.90x
Norton In Malton 1 42.92x
Sculcoates 1 3.28x
Springfield 1 59.52x
St George Hanover 1 3.95x
Stockton On Tees 1 3.59x
Thirsk 1 45.05x
York St Saviour 1 54.35x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 17
Elizabeth 11
Sarah 7
Edith 4
Harriet 4
Annie 3
Ellen 3
Jane 3
Margaret 3
Ann 2
Anne 2
Charlotte 2
Clara 2
Emily 2
Emma 2
Frances 2
Hannah 2
Matilda 2
Ada 1
Alice 1
Amy 1
Augusta 1
Bertha 1
Betsy 1
Elizth. 1
Esther 1
Florence 1
Gertrude 1
Hepzebah 1
Isabella 1
Julia 1
Lethe 1
Lilly 1
Lucy 1
Luisa 1
Mabel 1
Maria 1
Maud 1
Rita 1
Tamar. 1
Violeta 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 16
John 11
Thomas 10
George 9
Charles 5
Henry 5
Robert 5
Albert 3
Arthur 3
Doylah 3
James 3
Richard 3
Francis 2
Harry 2
Samuel 2
Thos. 2
Wilson 2
Daylah 1
Frank 1
Frederick 1
Geo.Roger 1
Herbert 1
Jno.Wm. 1
Joseph 1
Leonard 1
Peter 1
Ralph 1
Septimus 1
Stephen 1
Sydney 1
Walson 1
Wm. 1
Wm.Hy. 1

FAQ

Tanfield surname: questions and answers

How common was the Tanfield surname in 1881?

In 1881, 199 people were recorded with the Tanfield surname. That placed it at #12,880 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Tanfield surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 177 in 2016. That gives Tanfield a modern rank of #21,230.

What does the Tanfield map show?

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