NameCensus.

UK surname

Tassie

An English surname derived from the nickname for someone from the island of Tasmania.

In the 1881 census there were 61 people recorded with the Tassie surname, ranking it #24,992 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 90, ranked #32,202, down from #24,992 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to No data. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Broadland, South Norfolk and Croydon.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Tassie is 124 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 47.5%.

1881 census count

61

Ranked #24,992

Modern count

90

2016, ranked #32,202

Peak year

1999

124 bearers

Map years

1

1998 to 1998

Key insights

  • Tassie had 61 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #24,992 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 90 in 2016, ranked #32,202.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 93 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Tassie surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Tassie surname density by area, 1998 modern.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Tassie 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 85 #18,940
1861 historical 77 #23,975
1881 historical 61 #24,992
1891 historical 88 #25,677
1901 historical 93 #23,689
1911 historical 36 #29,370
1997 modern 120 #24,158
1998 modern 120 #24,793
1999 modern 124 #24,508
2000 modern 112 #25,978
2001 modern 108 #26,184
2002 modern 104 #27,303
2003 modern 98 #28,046
2004 modern 99 #28,136
2005 modern 95 #28,817
2006 modern 97 #28,793
2007 modern 101 #28,505
2008 modern 100 #29,001
2009 modern 96 #30,239
2010 modern 101 #30,078
2011 modern 93 #31,169
2012 modern 94 #31,258
2013 modern 94 #31,656
2014 modern 95 #31,792
2015 modern 92 #32,075
2016 modern 90 #32,202

Geography

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Where Tassies 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 Broadland, South Norfolk, Croydon, Redbridge and Leeds. 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 Broadland 011 Broadland
2 South Norfolk 006 South Norfolk
3 Croydon 043 Croydon
4 Redbridge 001 Redbridge
5 Leeds 032 Leeds

Forenames

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First names often paired with Tassie

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Tassie

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

Retired Professionals

Group

Spacious Rural Living

Nationally, the Tassie surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Tassie household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These predominantly ageing households typically have no resident dependent children. Most are owner-occupiers and live in detached houses in low density residential developments (although renting is more common than in the rest of the Supergroup). White ethnicity predominates. Residents are typically beyond retirement age but those still in work have managerial, professional or skilled trade occupations. White ethnicity and Christian religious affiliation predominate. Neighbourhoods are located throughout rural UK.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Tassie is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. 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

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Tassie is most concentrated in decile 2 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy 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.

2
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Tassie falls in decile 6 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.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Tassie is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

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

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Tassie

The surname Tassie originated in Scotland, and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English word "tass," meaning a cluster or tuft of vegetation, and is likely a topographic name referring to someone who lived near a clump of bushes or trees.

The earliest recorded instance of the name Tassie appears in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a record of Scottish nobles who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England during his invasion of Scotland. One entry lists a John de Tassy, which is believed to be an early spelling variation of the modern surname.

In the 15th century, the name Tassie can be found in various Scottish land records and charters, particularly in the regions of Ayrshire and Lanarkshire. Some notable examples include William Tassie, who was granted lands in Kilmarnock in 1457, and Robert Tassie, a landowner in the parish of Dalziel in 1489.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Tassie surname became more widespread throughout Scotland. One notable figure from this period was James Tassie, a renowned Scottish gem engraver and modeller who lived from 1735 to 1799. He is recognized for his contributions to the art of glyptography, or gem engraving, and his wax portrait medallions of famous figures such as Robert Burns and Sir Walter Scott.

Another prominent individual with the Tassie surname was William Tassie, a 19th-century Scottish civil engineer who was involved in the construction of several notable bridges and viaducts in Scotland and England. He worked on projects such as the Forth Bridge and the Caledonian Railway Viaduct in Glasgow, and was born in 1821 and died in 1892.

In the literary world, the name Tassie is associated with Susan Edmonstone Ferrier, a Scottish novelist who lived from 1782 to 1854. Her maiden name was Tassie, and she is best known for her novels "Marriage" and "The Inheritance," which provided insightful social commentary on the Scottish gentry of the early 19th century.

Other notable individuals with the Tassie surname include James Tassie, a Scottish entrepreneur and pioneer of the whaling industry in the 19th century, and Robert Tassie, a Scottish painter and illustrator active in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, known for his landscape paintings and illustrations of Scottish scenes.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Tassie families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Tassie 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. Lanarkshire leads with 34 Tassies recorded in 1881 and an index of 17.68x.

County Total Index
Lanarkshire 34 17.68x
Middlesex 11 1.85x
Lancashire 4 0.57x
Renfrewshire 4 8.68x
Cheshire 3 2.28x
Nottinghamshire 2 2.49x
Cumberland 1 1.95x
Dumfriesshire 1 7.61x
Dunbartonshire 1 6.26x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Glasgow in Lanarkshire leads with 10 Tassies recorded in 1881 and an index of 29.27x.

Place Total Index
Glasgow 10 29.27x
Barony 8 16.43x
Islington London 6 10.41x
Maryhill 6 159.15x
Govan 5 10.51x
Hammersmith London 5 34.13x
Rutherglen 4 141.84x
Cathcart 3 120.48x
Hale 3 666.67x
Newark Upon Trent 2 69.44x
Stretford 2 51.55x
Abbey 1 14.22x
Chorlton On Medlock 1 8.92x
Dumfries 1 76.92x
East Kilbride 1 121.95x
Manchester 1 3.15x
Row 1 48.31x
St Cuthbert W O 1 40.00x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Jessie 2
Sarah 2
Clara 1
Emily 1
Florence 1
Jane 1
Josephine 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
Harry 2
James 2
Alexander 1
Andrew 1
George 1
Henry 1
Herbert 1
John 1
Philip 1
Robert 1
William 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 Tassie households.

FAQ

Tassie surname: questions and answers

How common was the Tassie surname in 1881?

In 1881, 61 people were recorded with the Tassie surname. That placed it at #24,992 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Tassie surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 90 in 2016. That gives Tassie a modern rank of #32,202.

What does the Tassie surname mean?

An English surname derived from the nickname for someone from the island of Tasmania.

What does the Tassie map show?

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