NameCensus.

UK surname

Tapping

In the 1881 census there were 407 people recorded with the Tapping surname, ranking it #7,868 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 585, ranked #8,879, down from #7,868 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Stoke Mandeville, Great and Little Hampden, Hartwell, Stone, Great and Little Kimble and Amersham. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Sunderland, Merton and Aylesbury Vale.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Tapping is 667 in 2000. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 43.7%.

1881 census count

407

Ranked #7,868

Modern count

585

2016, ranked #8,879

Peak year

2000

667 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Tapping had 407 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #7,868 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 585 in 2016, ranked #8,879.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 616 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established Multi-Ethnic Communities.

Tapping surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Tapping surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Tapping 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 267 #8,342
1861 historical 363 #7,045
1881 historical 407 #7,868
1891 historical 505 #7,367
1901 historical 521 #7,811
1911 historical 616 #6,702
1997 modern 629 #7,868
1998 modern 658 #7,834
1999 modern 659 #7,866
2000 modern 667 #7,783
2001 modern 647 #7,824
2002 modern 656 #7,890
2003 modern 628 #8,032
2004 modern 624 #8,099
2005 modern 605 #8,227
2006 modern 604 #8,246
2007 modern 600 #8,358
2008 modern 588 #8,548
2009 modern 597 #8,629
2010 modern 615 #8,626
2011 modern 598 #8,718
2012 modern 585 #8,763
2013 modern 627 #8,440
2014 modern 613 #8,654
2015 modern 582 #8,931
2016 modern 585 #8,879

Geography

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Where Tappings are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Stoke Mandeville, Great and Little Hampden, Hartwell, Stone, Great and Little Kimble, Amersham 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 Sunderland, Merton, Aylesbury Vale, Rotherham and Wycombe. 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 Stoke Mandeville, Great and Little Hampden, Hartwell, Stone Buckinghamshire
2 Great and Little Kimble Buckinghamshire
3 Amersham Buckinghamshire
4 London parishes London 1
5 London parishes London 3

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Sunderland 035 Sunderland
2 Merton 023 Merton
3 Aylesbury Vale 001 Aylesbury Vale
4 Rotherham 020 Rotherham
5 Wycombe 001 Wycombe

Forenames

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First names often paired with Tapping

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Tapping

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

Low-Skilled Migrant and Student Communities

Group

Established Multi-Ethnic Communities

Nationally, the Tapping surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established Multi-Ethnic Communities, within Low-Skilled Migrant and Student Communities. This does not mean every Tapping household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Parents and young children in this Group are drawn from diverse ethnic backgrounds in broadly similar proportions. Employment is typically in elementary occupations, though workers in professional, intermediate or skilled trades occupations are also present. The residential landscape is dominated by terraced housing, although semi-detached houses and flats are also present. This Group is found in London and in many provincial towns and cities throughout the U.K.

Wider pattern

Young adults, many of whom are students, predominate in these high-density and overcrowded neighbourhoods of rented terrace houses or flats. Most ethnic minorities are present in these communities, as are people born in European countries that are not part of the EU. Students aside, low skilled occupations predominate, and unemployment rates are above average. Overall, the mix of students and more sedentary households means that neighbourhood average numbers of children are not very high. The Mixed or Multiple ethnic group composition of neighbourhoods is often associated with low rates of affiliation to Christian religions. This Supergroup predominates in non-central urban locations the UK, particularly within England in the Midlands and the outskirts of west, south and north-east London.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Tapping is most associated with areas classed as Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. 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

Mainly concentrated in suburban areas, these terraced and semi-detached developments are less overcrowded than the Supergroup average, and resident households are more likely to own two or more cars. There are fewer residents aged 25-44, and a larger share of residents employed in administrative and secretarial occupations. Residents are more likely to have been born in the UK, less likely to have been born in the EU or Africa, and much less likely to self-identify as Bangladeshi.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Tapping 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

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

1881 census detail

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Tapping families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Tapping 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. Buckinghamshire leads with 125 Tappings recorded in 1881 and an index of 52.08x.

County Total Index
Buckinghamshire 125 52.08x
Middlesex 100 2.52x
Surrey 57 2.95x
Lancashire 31 0.66x
Kent 19 1.40x
Oxfordshire 19 7.75x
Hertfordshire 11 4.02x
Durham 10 0.85x
Essex 7 0.89x
Cambridgeshire 6 2.39x
Derbyshire 6 0.97x
Sussex 5 0.75x
Berkshire 4 1.34x
Yorkshire 3 0.08x
Midlothian 2 0.38x
Bedfordshire 1 0.49x
Warwickshire 1 0.10x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Amersham in Buckinghamshire leads with 24 Tappings recorded in 1881 and an index of 705.88x.

Place Total Index
Amersham 24 705.88x
Newington 21 14.32x
Aylesbury 16 150.38x
Islington London 15 3.90x
Hammersmith London 14 14.31x
Chiswick 12 55.33x
Denton 12 114.94x
Willesden 11 29.40x
Kingsey 10 3030.30x
Stoke Mandeville 10 1470.59x
Beaconsfield 9 405.41x
Lewisham 9 12.46x
Little Heaton 9 796.46x
Great Kimble 7 1250.00x
Mitcham 7 57.24x
West Ham 7 4.05x
Bethnal Green London 6 3.48x
Eye Dunsden 6 508.47x
Fingest 6 1333.33x
Haydock 6 73.89x
Litchurch 6 23.99x
Pinner 6 172.41x
St Andrewthe Less 6 20.88x
St George Hanover 6 11.58x
West Wycombe 6 184.05x
Battersea 5 3.42x
Hampstead London 5 8.09x
Monks Risborough 5 434.78x
Penn 5 335.57x
Princes Risborough 5 155.28x
Watford 5 23.56x
Wycombe 5 27.95x
Acton 4 17.19x
Chesham 4 45.20x
Lambeth 4 1.16x
Putney 4 22.10x
Sedlescombe 4 454.55x
Southwark St George Martyr 4 5.01x
Walton On Thames 4 45.05x
Westminster St James 4 9.80x
Westoe 4 5.97x
Wingrave 4 325.20x
Bledlow 3 206.90x
Frimley 3 54.45x
Hayes 3 74.07x
Little Kimble 3 1363.64x
Newbottle 3 46.51x
Twickenham 3 17.63x
Wingate 3 37.04x
Baldock 2 77.82x
Bisham 2 208.33x
Chelsea London 2 1.67x
Coleshill 2 294.12x
Haddenham 2 101.52x
Liverpool 2 0.70x
Paddington London 2 1.37x
Radnage 2 344.83x
Ramsgate 2 9.05x
Richmond 2 7.38x
Shoreham 2 103.63x
South Leith 2 3.34x
St Pancras London 2 0.63x
Tring 2 27.36x
Wendover 2 77.22x
Attercliffe Cum Darnall 1 2.73x
Bradford 1 1.05x
Burghfield 1 56.82x
Canterbury All Sts 1 204.08x
Croydon 1 0.93x
Dartford 1 7.22x
Denham 1 58.48x
Hertford St Andrew 1 29.59x
Inkpen 1 106.38x
Leamington Priors 1 4.06x
Leighton Buzzard 1 11.31x
Saunderton 1 172.41x
Sevenoaks 1 9.11x
St Luke London 1 1.57x
Wandsworth 1 2.62x
Whitchurch 1 101.01x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 29
Elizabeth 19
Emma 16
Sarah 13
Alice 11
Ann 9
Annie 7
Emily 6
Fanny 6
Jane 6
Eliza 5
Edith 4
Ellen 4
Hannah 4
Anne 3
Charlotte 3
Eleanor 3
Georgina 3
Maria 3
Martha 3
Ada 2
Clara 2
Esther 2
Gertrude 2
Harriet 2
Julia 2
Kate 2
Matilda 2
Rebecca 2
Rhoda 2
Rose 2
Amy 1
Beatrice 1
Bridget 1
Carry 1
Catherine 1
Emelia 1
Ezabeth. 1
Florence 1
Grace 1
Jesse 1
Lilian 1
Lizzie 1
Louisa 1
Lucy 1
Lydia 1
M. 1
Maud 1
Nellie 1
Susan 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 27
John 19
George 17
Thomas 15
Henry 11
James 10
Joseph 9
Alfred 7
Frederick 7
Albert 6
Arthur 6
Edward 6
Charles 5
Richard 4
Caleb 3
Ernest 3
Harry 3
Adam 2
David 2
Mark 2
Moses 2
Robert 2
Samuel 2
Sidney 2
Walter 2
Aaron 1
Abel 1
Benjn. 1
Charlie 1
Chas. 1
Dan. 1
Edwin 1
Ezra 1
Folias 1
Francis 1
Infant 1
Isaac 1
Isaiah 1
Jmes 1
Jonathon 1
Mary 1
Nathaniel 1
Owen 1
Seminel 1
Simon 1
Stephen 1
Thos. 1
Willie 1

FAQ

Tapping surname: questions and answers

How common was the Tapping surname in 1881?

In 1881, 407 people were recorded with the Tapping surname. That placed it at #7,868 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Tapping surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 585 in 2016. That gives Tapping a modern rank of #8,879.

What does the Tapping map show?

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