NameCensus.

UK surname

Tatum

Derived from an Old English place name meaning "Tata's homestead," referring to a settlement belonging to someone named Tata.

In the 1881 census there were 260 people recorded with the Tatum surname, ranking it #10,781 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 682, ranked #7,860, up from #10,781 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Egham, Cockfield and Lavenham. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Babergh, South Tyneside and Mid Suffolk.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Tatum is 753 in 2002. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 162.3%.

1881 census count

260

Ranked #10,781

Modern count

682

2016, ranked #7,860

Peak year

2002

753 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Tatum had 260 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #10,781 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 682 in 2016, ranked #7,860.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 456 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Tatum surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Tatum surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Tatum 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 177 #11,441
1861 historical 182 #12,949
1881 historical 260 #10,781
1891 historical 287 #11,473
1901 historical 415 #9,236
1911 historical 456 #8,409
1997 modern 688 #7,344
1998 modern 715 #7,356
1999 modern 730 #7,290
2000 modern 735 #7,220
2001 modern 720 #7,204
2002 modern 753 #7,088
2003 modern 720 #7,221
2004 modern 703 #7,367
2005 modern 670 #7,602
2006 modern 650 #7,795
2007 modern 665 #7,735
2008 modern 663 #7,792
2009 modern 681 #7,817
2010 modern 701 #7,770
2011 modern 698 #7,706
2012 modern 699 #7,616
2013 modern 714 #7,617
2014 modern 719 #7,619
2015 modern 699 #7,719
2016 modern 682 #7,860

Geography

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Where Tatums are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Egham, Cockfield, Lavenham, London parishes and Colchester St Botolph, St Mary at the Walls, St Giles, St Mary Magdalen, Holy Trinity, St Runwald, a. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Babergh, South Tyneside and Mid Suffolk. 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 Egham Berkshire
2 Cockfield Suffolk
3 Lavenham Suffolk
4 London parishes London 3
5 Colchester St Botolph, St Mary at the Walls, St Giles, St Mary Magdalen, Holy Trinity, St Runwald, a Essex

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Babergh 007 Babergh
2 Babergh 008 Babergh
3 South Tyneside 015 South Tyneside
4 Mid Suffolk 001 Mid Suffolk
5 South Tyneside 009 South Tyneside

Forenames

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First names often paired with Tatum

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Tatum

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

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Tatum surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Tatum household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Tatum 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

Tatum 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

Tatum falls in decile 3 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

3
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Tatum

The surname Tatum is of English origin, originating from the Old English personal name "Tata", which is thought to have derived from the Old English word "Tate", meaning a pleasant or cheerful person. The name was likely adopted as a surname during the Middle Ages, around the 12th or 13th century.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Tatum surname can be found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, which lists a Richard Tatum residing in Norfolk, England. The surname was also present in other early records, such as the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1301, where a John Tatum was mentioned.

The Tatum surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk, and Lincolnshire in England during the medieval period. It is believed that the name may have been derived from a place name or topographical feature, as was common with many English surnames of that era.

One notable historical figure bearing the Tatum surname was John Tatum (c. 1554-1616), an English clergyman and author who served as the Archdeacon of Bedford. Another early example is Robert Tatum (1600-1672), an English merchant and member of the Virginia Company who played a significant role in the early colonization of Virginia.

In the 17th century, several members of the Tatum family emigrated from England to the American colonies, including John Tatum (1615-1675), who settled in Virginia in 1635, and William Tatum (1628-1711), who arrived in Pennsylvania in the late 1600s. These early settlers helped establish the Tatum name in the New World.

One of the most famous individuals with the Tatum surname was Champ Tatum (1888-1945), an American baseball player who played for the Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Indians in the early 20th century. Another notable figure was Sidney Tatum (1892-1982), an American microbiologist and biochemist who made significant contributions to the understanding of bacterial metabolism and antibiotic resistance.

Other notable individuals with the Tatum surname include Edward Tatum (1909-1975), an American geneticist and biochemist who won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1958 for his work on genetic regulation in bacteria, and Jack Tatum (1948-2010), a former American football player who played as a safety for the Oakland Raiders in the NFL during the 1970s.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Tatum families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Tatum 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. Suffolk leads with 89 Tatums recorded in 1881 and an index of 28.81x.

County Total Index
Suffolk 89 28.81x
Middlesex 50 1.97x
Surrey 40 3.24x
Essex 24 4.79x
Derbyshire 8 2.01x
Sussex 8 1.87x
Lincolnshire 7 1.73x
Bedfordshire 6 4.57x
Herefordshire 6 5.77x
Denbighshire 5 5.22x
Kent 3 0.35x
Nottinghamshire 3 0.88x
Yorkshire 3 0.12x
Gloucestershire 2 0.40x
Hampshire 2 0.38x
Hertfordshire 2 1.14x
Oxfordshire 1 0.64x
Rutland 1 5.37x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Lavenham in Suffolk leads with 24 Tatums recorded in 1881 and an index of 1481.48x.

Place Total Index
Lavenham 24 1481.48x
Cockfield 21 2592.59x
Lambeth 13 5.88x
Egham 9 118.58x
Shadwell London 9 126.76x
Broadwater 8 81.55x
Colchester St Botolph 8 187.79x
Polstead 8 1111.11x
Raydon 8 1739.13x
Colchester St James 7 344.83x
Fleet 7 603.45x
St Luke London 7 17.21x
Battersea 6 6.43x
Great Cornard 6 857.14x
Long Melford 6 209.06x
Luton 6 26.40x
St Pancras London 6 2.94x
Weston Under Penyard 6 821.92x
Derby St Alkmund 5 42.02x
Glemsford 5 230.41x
Hackney London 5 3.52x
Henllan 5 204.08x
Bethnal Green London 4 3.63x
Bulmer 4 666.67x
Colchester St Giles 4 80.81x
St Andrew Holborn 4 46.51x
Bromley London 3 5.38x
Sutton 3 33.56x
Whitechapel London 3 12.00x
Woking 3 40.27x
Worksop 3 29.59x
Berkhampstead 2 50.89x
Bow London 2 6.19x
Camberwell 2 1.23x
Derby St Werburgh 2 8.72x
Hitcham 2 256.41x
Paddington London 2 2.14x
Preston 2 769.23x
Semer 2 689.66x
Southwark St John 2 25.77x
St Marylebone London 2 1.48x
Thurston 2 333.33x
Aldershot 1 5.74x
Brimington 1 33.22x
Bristol St James St Paul 1 6.03x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 1 2.14x
Clapham 1 3.15x
Great Driffield 1 19.38x
High Halden 1 181.82x
Ipswich St Margaret 1 9.54x
Islington London 1 0.41x
Lewisham 1 2.17x
Middlesbrough 1 3.06x
Mile End Old Town 1 2.50x
Oxford St Peter In East 1 166.67x
Plumstead 1 3.47x
Portsea 1 0.98x
Southcoates 1 7.17x
St Clement Danes 1 24.33x
Stoke By Nayland 1 100.00x
Thorpe Morieux 1 277.78x
Thorrington 1 312.50x
Uppingham 1 45.05x
Wandsworth 1 4.10x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 13
Alice 8
Sarah 8
Ellen 7
Eliza 5
Elizabeth 5
Annie 4
Emily 4
Florence 4
Hannah 4
Jane 4
Anna 3
Caroline 3
Emma 3
Esther 3
Charlotte 2
Clara 2
Louisa 2
Margaret 2
Maud 2
Rachel 2
Selina 2
Susannah 2
Ada 1
Anne 1
Bessie 1
Carsling 1
Catherine 1
Elenanor 1
Elisa 1
Elizth. 1
Emaline 1
Emiley 1
Ethel 1
Fanny 1
Flora 1
Frances 1
Gracey 1
Harriet 1
Ida 1
Isabella 1
Kate 1
Lizie 1
Louise 1
M.A. 1
Mahala 1
Matilda 1
Rebecca 1
Roseato 1
Susanna 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
George 19
William 16
James 11
John 9
Henry 8
Alfred 6
Arthur 6
Edward 6
Harry 6
Charles 4
Joseph 4
Thomas 4
Albert 3
Christopher 3
Walter 3
Edwin 2
Frederick 2
Isaac 2
Samuel 2
Andrew 1
Ben. 1
Benj. 1
Benjamin 1
Bertie 1
David 1
Elija 1
Ernest 1
Fredie 1
Fredk. 1
G.B. 1
Geo 1
Harold 1
Herbit 1
Robert 1
Stephen 1
Sydney 1
Wm. 1
Zachariah 1

FAQ

Tatum surname: questions and answers

How common was the Tatum surname in 1881?

In 1881, 260 people were recorded with the Tatum surname. That placed it at #10,781 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Tatum surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 682 in 2016. That gives Tatum a modern rank of #7,860.

What does the Tatum surname mean?

Derived from an Old English place name meaning "Tata's homestead," referring to a settlement belonging to someone named Tata.

What does the Tatum map show?

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