NameCensus.

UK surname

Tape

A topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a boundary marker or landmark.

In the 1881 census there were 121 people recorded with the Tape surname, ranking it #17,671 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 216, ranked #18,613, down from #17,671 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Kilkhampton, Burton-on-Trent and Stratton. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Cornwall, Torridge and Exeter.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Tape is 228 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 78.5%.

1881 census count

121

Ranked #17,671

Modern count

216

2016, ranked #18,613

Peak year

2010

228 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Tape had 121 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #17,671 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 216 in 2016, ranked #18,613.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 177 in 1861.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Tape surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Tape surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Tape 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 110 #16,093
1861 historical 177 #13,265
1881 historical 121 #17,671
1891 historical 164 #17,205
1901 historical 164 #17,144
1911 historical 162 #17,003
1997 modern 197 #17,792
1998 modern 218 #17,159
1999 modern 218 #17,258
2000 modern 217 #17,296
2001 modern 216 #17,103
2002 modern 223 #17,099
2003 modern 215 #17,286
2004 modern 202 #18,110
2005 modern 192 #18,640
2006 modern 198 #18,425
2007 modern 203 #18,303
2008 modern 207 #18,243
2009 modern 219 #17,960
2010 modern 228 #17,844
2011 modern 218 #18,206
2012 modern 220 #18,034
2013 modern 213 #18,743
2014 modern 218 #18,583
2015 modern 217 #18,542
2016 modern 216 #18,613

Geography

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Where Tapes are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Kilkhampton, Burton-on-Trent, Stratton, Moorwinstow and London parishes. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Cornwall, Torridge, Exeter and Camden. 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 Kilkhampton Cornwall
2 Burton-on-Trent Staffordshire
3 Stratton Cornwall
4 Moorwinstow Cornwall
5 London parishes London 2

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Cornwall 002 Cornwall
2 Cornwall 001 Cornwall
3 Torridge 005 Torridge
4 Exeter 013 Exeter
5 Camden 027 Camden

Forenames

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First names often paired with Tape

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Tape

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

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Tape is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Pockets, part of Social Rented Sector Families with Children. 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

Found in pockets across London, residents are less likely to live in private sector rentals and fewer adults are students. Fewer individuals work in transport and communications occupations relative to the Supergroup average. More individuals identify as Black and were born in Africa.

Wider London pattern

Residents of these neighbourhoods include sizable numbers identifying with ethnicities originating outside Europe, particularly in Africa or Bangladesh. The proportion of residents identifying as White, Indian or Pakistani is well below the London average. Neighbourhood age profiles are skewed towards younger adults, and above average numbers of families have children. Rates of use of English at home are below average. Marriage rates are low, and levels of separation or divorce are above average. Housing is predominantly in flats, and renting in the social rented sector the norm - few residents are owner occupiers. Housing is often overcrowded, and neighbourhoods are amongst the most densely populated in London. Disability rates are above average, although levels of unpaid care provision are about average. Employment is in caring, leisure, other service occupations, sales and customer service, or process, plant, and machine operation. Part time working and full-time student study are common. Levels of unemployment are slightly above average. Most residents have only Level 1 or 2 educational qualifications or have completed apprenticeships.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Tape is most concentrated in decile 8 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier 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.

8
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Tape falls in decile 4 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.

4
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Tape

The surname TAPE has its origins in England, emerging sometime around the 12th century. It is believed to be a locational name derived from the Old English word "tap" or "taep," which referred to a boundary or landmark. This suggests that the name may have originated from a place where an ancestor lived near a distinctive boundary or landmark.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1170, where it appears as "de Tapp." This early spelling variation highlights the locational nature of the name, with the prefix "de" indicating "from" or "of" a particular place.

In the 13th century, the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire from 1279 include the name "Atte Tappe," further reinforcing the connection to a specific location. The use of the preposition "atte" (meaning "at the") suggests that the name referred to someone residing near a boundary marker or landmark.

The Domesday Book, the remarkable survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the surname TAPE. However, it does mention several place names that may have contributed to the development of the surname, such as Taplow in Buckinghamshire and Tapeley in Devon.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname TAPE was John Tape, who was mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Warwickshire in 1327. Another notable bearer of the name was Richard Tape, a landowner in Somerset, who was recorded in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1524.

In the 16th century, the name appears in various spellings, including Tapp, Tapper, and Tapps. Thomas Tapp, born in 1548 in Gloucestershire, was a notable figure during this time. He was a merchant and served as the High Sheriff of Gloucestershire in 1592.

Moving into the 17th century, the name TAPE continued to be found across various regions of England. One prominent individual was John Tape, a wealthy landowner from Somerset, who was born in 1612 and died in 1685.

As the centuries progressed, the surname TAPE spread beyond its English roots, with bearers of the name found in other parts of the British Isles and eventually in various parts of the world through migration and exploration.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Tape families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Tape 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. Cornwall leads with 50 Tapes recorded in 1881 and an index of 37.12x.

County Total Index
Cornwall 50 37.12x
Devon 19 7.67x
Middlesex 18 1.51x
Essex 8 3.41x
Staffordshire 7 1.74x
Glamorgan 6 2.90x
Somerset 6 3.13x
Lancashire 5 0.35x
Gloucestershire 1 0.43x
Royal Navy 1 7.05x
Surrey 1 0.17x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Morwenstow in Cornwall leads with 38 Tapes recorded in 1881 and an index of 11515.15x.

Place Total Index
Morwenstow 38 11515.15x
West Ham 8 15.43x
Buckfastleigh 7 614.04x
Burton Extra 7 304.35x
Hornsey 6 39.87x
Limehouse London 5 38.28x
Penarth 5 247.52x
St Gennys 5 2500.00x
Taunton St Mary 5 142.05x
Holsworthy 4 571.43x
Kilkhampton 4 1000.00x
Mile End Old Town 3 15.97x
Bradworthy 2 555.56x
East Stonehouse 2 40.98x
Haughton 2 97.09x
St Pancras London 2 2.09x
Bethnal Green London 1 1.93x
Bideford 1 37.74x
Cardiff St John 1 14.77x
Great Bolton 1 5.35x
Islington London 1 0.87x
Painswick 1 60.61x
Royal Navy 1 8.25x
Southwark St George Martyr 1 4.18x
St Issey 1 357.14x
St Kew 1 222.22x
Stratton 1 136.99x
Sutcombe 1 588.24x
Tonge With Haulgh 1 36.36x
Totnes 1 68.97x
Welcombe 1 1111.11x
West Derby 1 2.42x
Weston Super Mare 1 20.66x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 11
Elizabeth 5
Ann 4
Sarah 4
Amelia 3
Grace 3
Louisa 3
Amy 2
Annie 2
Eliza 2
Emily 2
Jane 2
Lucy 2
Margaret 2
Ada 1
Anna 1
Bessie 1
Betsy 1
Caroline 1
Catherine 1
Emiley 1
Emma 1
Florence 1
Gertrude 1
Jessie 1
Martha 1
Minnie 1
Rossia 1
Selina 1
Sophia 1
Triff 1
Typhena 1
Typhosa 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 12
William 8
George 7
James 4
Thomas 4
Frederick 3
Daniel 2
Edward 2
Alfred 1
Archibert 1
Claude 1
Edwd. 1
Edwin 1
Francis 1
Harry 1
Henry 1
Herbert 1
Joseph 1
Moses 1
Samuel 1
Thos. 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Tape surname: questions and answers

How common was the Tape surname in 1881?

In 1881, 121 people were recorded with the Tape surname. That placed it at #17,671 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Tape surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 216 in 2016. That gives Tape a modern rank of #18,613.

What does the Tape surname mean?

A topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a boundary marker or landmark.

What does the Tape map show?

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