NameCensus.

UK surname

Tearle

In the 1881 census there were 409 people recorded with the Tearle surname, ranking it #7,842 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 678, ranked #7,909, down from #7,842 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Watford, Preston and Dunstable. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Central Bedfordshire, Aylesbury Vale and Pembrokeshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Tearle is 722 in 2000. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 65.8%.

1881 census count

409

Ranked #7,842

Modern count

678

2016, ranked #7,909

Peak year

2000

722 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Tearle had 409 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #7,842 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 678 in 2016, ranked #7,909.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 654 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living.

Tearle surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Tearle surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Tearle 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 196 #10,573
1861 historical 228 #10,703
1881 historical 409 #7,842
1891 historical 484 #7,621
1901 historical 520 #7,818
1911 historical 654 #6,416
1997 modern 671 #7,487
1998 modern 687 #7,591
1999 modern 710 #7,437
2000 modern 722 #7,330
2001 modern 711 #7,275
2002 modern 716 #7,377
2003 modern 704 #7,357
2004 modern 677 #7,607
2005 modern 638 #7,893
2006 modern 647 #7,829
2007 modern 647 #7,895
2008 modern 657 #7,851
2009 modern 683 #7,791
2010 modern 700 #7,778
2011 modern 686 #7,811
2012 modern 675 #7,838
2013 modern 683 #7,886
2014 modern 692 #7,850
2015 modern 689 #7,817
2016 modern 678 #7,909

Geography

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Where Tearles are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Watford, Preston, Dunstable, Luton and Ivinghoe, Cheddington, Slapton, Pitstone (Berkhampstead, Hertfordshire), Eddlesborough, Little Gadde. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Central Bedfordshire, Aylesbury Vale, Pembrokeshire and Braintree. 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 Watford Hertfordshire
2 Preston Lancashire
3 Dunstable Bedfordshire
4 Luton Bedfordshire
5 Ivinghoe, Cheddington, Slapton, Pitstone (Berkhampstead, Hertfordshire), Eddlesborough, Little Gadde Bedfordshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Central Bedfordshire 029 Central Bedfordshire
2 Aylesbury Vale 008 Aylesbury Vale
3 Central Bedfordshire 021 Central Bedfordshire
4 Pembrokeshire 001 Pembrokeshire
5 Braintree 012 Braintree

Forenames

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First names often paired with Tearle

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Tearle

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

Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living

Nationally, the Tearle surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Tearle household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Families with resident dependent children (but not students) are common. Established family groups and White ethnicity predominate, as do individuals born in the UK. They are more likely than the Supergroup average to have been resident in their terraced, semi-detached, or detached houses for more than one year. Levels of multiple car ownership are high. Properties are owned and typically have surplus living space. Associate professionals and administrative occupations are prevalent, and parents are likely to be in middle age or approaching retirement. Educational attainment is above the Supergroup average. Scattered developments and concentrations are found in many small towns.

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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

Professional Periphery

Within London, Tearle is most associated with areas classed as Professional Periphery, 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

These neighbourhoods predominantly house residents aged 45+, with many aged 85+. Most employed residents work in senior roles, and relatively few work in unskilled jobs. Terraced housing is comparatively rare, but communal living is more common. More residents identify as of Indian ethnicity and more affiliate with non-Christian religions. Disability levels are below the Supergroup average.

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

Tearle is most concentrated in decile 4 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.

4
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Tearle falls in decile 7 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.

7
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

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Tearle families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Tearle 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. Bedfordshire leads with 187 Tearles recorded in 1881 and an index of 90.30x.

County Total Index
Bedfordshire 187 90.30x
Buckinghamshire 36 14.89x
Northamptonshire 28 7.44x
Hertfordshire 27 9.79x
Surrey 27 1.39x
Lancashire 24 0.51x
Middlesex 17 0.43x
Staffordshire 10 0.74x
Yorkshire 9 0.23x
Berkshire 8 2.66x
Oxfordshire 8 3.24x
Suffolk 6 1.23x
Cheshire 5 0.57x
Sussex 5 0.74x
Derbyshire 3 0.48x
Channel Islands 2 1.69x
Hampshire 2 0.24x
Norfolk 2 0.33x
Huntingdonshire 1 1.26x
Kent 1 0.07x
Pembrokeshire 1 0.79x
Royal Navy 1 2.10x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Leighton Buzzard in Bedfordshire leads with 50 Tearles recorded in 1881 and an index of 561.17x.

Place Total Index
Leighton Buzzard 50 561.17x
Dunstable 47 738.99x
Eaton Bray 31 1483.25x
Houghton Regis 24 727.27x
Luton 17 47.42x
Watford 12 56.15x
Preston 10 7.88x
Wortley In Bramley 9 28.67x
Slapton 8 2222.22x
Soulbury 8 1230.77x
Sutton 8 56.74x
Towcester 8 206.19x
Bisham 7 729.17x
Edlesborough 7 318.18x
Hatfield 7 125.22x
Northampton Priory St 7 31.01x
Banbury 6 121.21x
Duston 6 175.95x
Hindley 6 29.66x
Worplesdon 6 255.32x
Bedford St Peter 5 92.94x
Birkenhead 5 7.10x
Chalgrave 5 416.67x
Handsworth 5 15.03x
Little Bowden 5 381.68x
Rickmansworth 5 65.88x
Walton On Thames 5 55.87x
Wing 5 223.21x
Croydon 4 3.70x
Gazeley 4 350.88x
Hockliffe 4 888.89x
Lambeth 4 1.15x
Newton Longville 4 625.00x
Ogley Hay 4 142.86x
Shoreditch London 4 2.31x
Broadwater 3 19.39x
Chelsea London 3 2.49x
Toxteth Park 3 1.87x
West Derby 3 2.16x
Alfreton 2 10.52x
Bengeo 2 62.50x
Bethnal Green London 2 1.15x
Brighton 2 1.47x
Bury St Edmunds St James 2 15.37x
Crondall 2 45.45x
Hackney London 2 0.89x
Hammersmith London 2 2.03x
Hornsey 2 3.95x
Linslade 2 84.39x
Long Crendon 2 123.46x
St Helier 2 5.18x
Stockton 2 1250.00x
Toddington 2 67.34x
Bedford St Mary 1 18.76x
Berkhampstead 1 16.13x
Brixworth 1 62.11x
Burtonwood 1 57.47x
Culham 1 135.14x
Erith 1 7.44x
Great Oxendon 1 312.50x
Hillingdon 1 7.84x
Huntingdon All Sts 1 181.82x
Maghull 1 50.76x
Newbold Dunston 1 16.81x
Royal Navy 1 2.45x
St Marylebone London 1 0.47x
Stackpole Elidor 1 250.00x
Sydenham 1 204.08x
Totternhoe 1 103.09x
Walsall Borough 1 9.54x
Warfield 1 36.63x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 27
Elizabeth 24
Sarah 16
Annie 10
Alice 9
Emily 9
Ann 7
Martha 6
Eliza 5
Harriet 5
Jane 5
Fanny 4
Louisa 4
Maria 4
Ruth 4
Caroline 3
Catherine 3
Emma 3
Hannah 3
Lucy 3
Minnie 3
Sophia 3
Ada 2
Ellen 2
Florence 2
Kate 2
Laura 2
Lizzie 2
Susannah 2
Amy 1
Anna 1
Arpah 1
Beatrice 1
Belinda 1
Bertha 1
Bessie 1
Caloline 1
Clara 1
Constance 1
Deborah 1
Elizh. 1
Elizth 1
F.G. 1
Julia 1
K. 1
Louise 1
Nellie 1
Pamela 1
Phoebe 1
Tabitha 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
George 24
William 24
John 14
Charles 13
James 10
Joseph 8
Frederick 7
Thomas 7
Albert 6
Alfred 6
Henry 6
Richard 6
Amos 4
Arthur 4
Edward 4
Walter 4
David 3
Fred 3
Harry 3
Jabez 3
Jeffrey 3
Levi 3
Abel 2
Fredk. 2
Sidney 2
Sydney 2
Arther 1
Chas 1
Chas. 1
Edwd. 1
Edwin 1
Elizh.J. 1
Enoch 1
Ernest 1
Erza 1
Ezra 1
Francis 1
Frank 1
Geo. 1
Isaac 1
Jeffery 1
Jno. 1
Jonas 1
Mabel 1
Mahlon 1
Mark 1
Nathaniel 1
Nicholas 1
Russell 1
Samuel 1

FAQ

Tearle surname: questions and answers

How common was the Tearle surname in 1881?

In 1881, 409 people were recorded with the Tearle surname. That placed it at #7,842 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Tearle surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 678 in 2016. That gives Tearle a modern rank of #7,909.

What does the Tearle map show?

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