NameCensus.

UK surname

Tantum

A Latin word meaning "only" or "so much".

In the 1881 census there were 34 people recorded with the Tantum surname, ranking it #28,837 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 106, ranked #29,927, down from #28,837 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to No data. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Rhondda Cynon Taf, Nottingham and Bridgend.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Tantum is 108 in 2014. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 211.8%.

1881 census count

34

Ranked #28,837

Modern count

106

2016, ranked #29,927

Peak year

2014

108 bearers

Map years

1

2016 to 2016

Key insights

  • Tantum had 34 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #28,837 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 106 in 2016, ranked #29,927.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 68 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Tantum surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Tantum surname density by area, 2016 modern.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Tantum 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 29 #28,082
1861 historical 15 #31,942
1881 historical 34 #28,837
1891 historical 39 #31,257
1901 historical 66 #26,794
1911 historical 68 #26,050
1997 modern 83 #29,216
1998 modern 82 #29,754
1999 modern 89 #29,168
2000 modern 89 #29,173
2001 modern 86 #29,281
2002 modern 96 #28,534
2003 modern 92 #28,974
2004 modern 92 #29,197
2005 modern 94 #28,973
2006 modern 85 #30,556
2007 modern 91 #30,061
2008 modern 85 #31,247
2009 modern 94 #30,538
2010 modern 98 #30,540
2011 modern 101 #29,938
2012 modern 96 #30,949
2013 modern 103 #30,235
2014 modern 108 #29,658
2015 modern 107 #29,708
2016 modern 106 #29,927

Geography

Back to top

Where Tantums are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around No data. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Rhondda Cynon Taf, Nottingham, Bridgend, Hinckley and Bosworth and Rushcliffe. 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 No data No data

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Rhondda Cynon Taf 028 Rhondda Cynon Taf
2 Nottingham 006 Nottingham
3 Bridgend 010 Bridgend
4 Hinckley and Bosworth 007 Hinckley and Bosworth
5 Rushcliffe 007 Rushcliffe

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Tantum

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Tantum

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Tantum, 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 Tantum surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Challenged Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Tantum 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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Established Homeowners with Children

Within London, Tantum is most associated with areas classed as Established Homeowners with Children, 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 predominantly British-born residents are typically married/in civil partnerships and own the properties in which they are raising their children. Parents are typically over 45, and many other residents are beyond normal retirement age. Detached and semi-detached houses predominate and multiple car ownership is common.

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

Tantum 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

Tantum falls in decile 10 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.

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Tantum is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 50-60 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

8
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Tantum, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Tantum

The surname Tantum originated in Italy during the medieval period. It is believed to derive from the Latin phrase "tantum valet," meaning "it is worth so much." This phrase was often used in reference to monetary transactions or property valuations, suggesting that the name may have originated among bankers, merchants, or landowners.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Tantum surname can be found in the Codice Diplomatico della Lombardia, a collection of medieval documents from the region of Lombardy, Italy. In this collection, there is a record from the year 1256 mentioning a "Guglielmo Tantum" from the city of Milan.

During the Renaissance, the Tantum family became prominent in the city of Florence. In the 15th century, a member of the family, Lorenzo Tantum (1425-1498), was a renowned scholar and philosopher who studied under the tutelage of the humanist Marsilio Ficino.

Another notable figure with the Tantum surname was Girolamo Tantum (1560-1628), a Catholic priest and theologian from Naples. He was renowned for his extensive writings on theological and philosophical topics, including a treatise on the nature of the human soul.

In the 17th century, the Tantum name appears in records from the Republic of Venice, where a merchant named Marco Tantum (1620-1689) was involved in trade with the Ottoman Empire and the Levant.

During the 18th century, the Tantum family had a presence in the Papal States, with a member named Giuseppe Tantum (1742-1812) serving as a magistrate in the city of Rome.

Another noteworthy individual with the Tantum surname was Maria Tantum (1805-1879), an Italian writer and poet who was active in the literary circles of Naples during the Romantic era.

While the Tantum name has its roots in Italy, over the centuries, it has spread to other parts of the world through migration and intermarriage. However, the historical records and documents mentioned above provide insights into the name's origins and its presence throughout various regions of Italy during the medieval, Renaissance, and early modern periods.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Tantum families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Tantum 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. Nottinghamshire leads with 20 Tantums recorded in 1881 and an index of 44.75x.

County Total Index
Nottinghamshire 20 44.75x
Derbyshire 8 15.41x
Yorkshire 5 1.52x
Middlesex 1 0.30x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Nottingham St Mary in Nottinghamshire leads with 13 Tantums recorded in 1881 and an index of 112.46x.

Place Total Index
Nottingham St Mary 13 112.46x
Derby St Werburgh 8 266.67x
Snenton 4 227.27x
Arnold 3 461.54x
Brightside Bierlow 3 46.58x
Nether Hallam 2 44.94x
Finchley 1 78.74x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Charlotte 2
Ada 1
Ann 1
Annie 1
Eliza 1
Elizabeth 1
Ida 1
Lucy 1
Margaret 1
Martha 1
Matilda 1
Myra 1
Rose 1
Sarah 1
Susannah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 4
Arthur 2
George 2
Jesse 2
Albert 1
Charles 1
Edwin 1
Henry 1
Israel 1
John 1
Joseph 1
Walter 1

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Tantum households.

FAQ

Tantum surname: questions and answers

How common was the Tantum surname in 1881?

In 1881, 34 people were recorded with the Tantum surname. That placed it at #28,837 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Tantum surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 106 in 2016. That gives Tantum a modern rank of #29,927.

What does the Tantum surname mean?

A Latin word meaning "only" or "so much".

What does the Tantum map show?

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