NameCensus.

UK surname

Tench

A surname derived from the Old English word for a pond or small lake.

In the 1881 census there were 432 people recorded with the Tench surname, ranking it #7,547 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 644, ranked #8,237, down from #7,547 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, Dudley and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Shropshire, Cheshire West and Chester and Sunderland.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Tench is 655 in 2000. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 49.1%.

1881 census count

432

Ranked #7,547

Modern count

644

2016, ranked #8,237

Peak year

2000

655 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Tench had 432 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #7,547 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 644 in 2016, ranked #8,237.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 611 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Tench surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Tench surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Tench 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 277 #8,112
1861 historical 164 #14,188
1881 historical 432 #7,547
1891 historical 443 #8,164
1901 historical 556 #7,474
1911 historical 611 #6,744
1997 modern 606 #8,087
1998 modern 652 #7,890
1999 modern 651 #7,931
2000 modern 655 #7,893
2001 modern 648 #7,816
2002 modern 650 #7,942
2003 modern 638 #7,932
2004 modern 626 #8,077
2005 modern 614 #8,134
2006 modern 628 #8,016
2007 modern 621 #8,140
2008 modern 625 #8,146
2009 modern 642 #8,148
2010 modern 646 #8,285
2011 modern 634 #8,320
2012 modern 629 #8,285
2013 modern 637 #8,336
2014 modern 651 #8,244
2015 modern 646 #8,236
2016 modern 644 #8,237

Geography

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Where Tenchs are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, Dudley, London parishes and Ryton. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Shropshire, Cheshire West and Chester and Sunderland. 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 Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside Durham
2 Dudley Staffordshire
3 London parishes London 1
4 London parishes London 3
5 Ryton Durham

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Shropshire 029 Shropshire
2 Cheshire West and Chester 020 Cheshire West and Chester
3 Sunderland 004 Sunderland
4 Shropshire 014 Shropshire
5 Sunderland 005 Sunderland

Forenames

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First names often paired with Tench

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Tench

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

Ageing Communities

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many residents are of normal retirement age or above and live in communal establishments, and there are few dependent children. The dominant property type is a mix of retirement flats and detached houses. Those in work are likely to be employed in managerial and professional occupations, and many residents are educated to degree level. Levels of owner occupation are high, but the private rental sector is also present. Rural locations predominate.

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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Tench is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. 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 located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Tench is most concentrated in decile 1 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.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Tench

The surname Tench is of English origin, deriving from an occupational name for someone who worked as a keeper of fishponds or someone who bred and sold tench fish. The name is derived from the Old English word "tenc," meaning "tench," which is a type of freshwater fish.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Tench can be found in various tax rolls and legal documents from the 13th and 14th centuries. One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Roger Tench, who is mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1275.

The surname Tench is also associated with various place names in England, such as Tenchleybrok in Worcestershire and Tenches in Hertfordshire. These place names likely influenced the spelling variations of the surname, such as Tench, Tenche, and Tensh.

Among the notable individuals with the surname Tench throughout history are John Tench (c. 1600-1672), an English colonist and explorer who accompanied the first group of settlers to Virginia in 1607 and helped establish Jamestown Colony. Another prominent figure was Watkin Tench (1758-1833), a British marine officer and author who served in the First Fleet to Australia and wrote two seminal accounts of the early settlement of New South Wales.

In the 17th century, Thomas Tench (1591-1668) was an English clergyman and author who served as the vicar of Newick in Sussex. His son, Nathaniel Tench (1628-1692), was a renowned mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the field of optics.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Tench in official records is found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where a person named Godric Tench is listed as holding lands in Leicestershire.

Throughout the centuries, the Tench surname has continued to appear in various historical documents, church records, and manuscripts, solidifying its English origins and rich history.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Tench families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Tench 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. Shropshire leads with 82 Tenchs recorded in 1881 and an index of 22.47x.

County Total Index
Shropshire 82 22.47x
Middlesex 49 1.16x
Lancashire 47 0.94x
Staffordshire 43 3.02x
Durham 41 3.26x
Cheshire 38 4.08x
Norfolk 36 5.54x
Warwickshire 25 2.35x
Suffolk 11 2.14x
Kent 9 0.62x
Nottinghamshire 9 1.58x
Worcestershire 6 1.09x
Hampshire 5 0.58x
Yorkshire 5 0.12x
Northumberland 4 0.64x
Surrey 4 0.19x
Somerset 3 0.44x
Carmarthenshire 2 1.12x
Denbighshire 2 1.25x
Dunbartonshire 2 1.76x
Gloucestershire 2 0.24x
Berkshire 1 0.32x
Essex 1 0.12x
Glamorgan 1 0.14x
Leicestershire 1 0.21x
Montgomeryshire 1 1.03x
Oxfordshire 1 0.38x
Royal Navy 1 1.99x
Sussex 1 0.14x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Winlaton in Durham leads with 31 Tenchs recorded in 1881 and an index of 257.05x.

Place Total Index
Winlaton 31 257.05x
Broseley 15 231.48x
Birmingham 14 3.94x
Eaton 14 2153.85x
Kingswinford 12 23.18x
Aston 9 3.07x
Bishopwearmouth 9 8.34x
Ellesmere 9 143.77x
Hammersmith London 9 8.65x
Mansfield 9 45.69x
Paddington London 9 5.80x
Radcliffe 9 37.25x
Shrewsbury St Chad 9 70.26x
Ashton Under Lyne 8 7.30x
Hackney London 8 3.38x
Tettenhall 8 91.74x
Willenhall 8 29.96x
Bridgnorth St Mary 7 196.63x
Ludlow St Lawrence 7 96.42x
Sunbury 7 138.07x
West Bromwich 7 8.58x
Alberbury 6 697.67x
Church Coppenhall 6 143.88x
Manchester 6 2.66x
Norwich St James 6 117.88x
Sandbach 6 75.47x
Wickham Market 6 281.69x
Alverstoke 5 15.95x
Birkdale 5 39.43x
Cranage 5 781.25x
Gillingham 5 16.83x
Heigham 5 14.34x
Islington London 5 1.22x
Leeds 5 2.12x
Norwich St Peter 5 117.37x
Old Withington 5 595.24x
Quatford 5 1785.71x
Shrewsbury St Julian 5 55.37x
Ardwick 4 8.85x
Bethnal Green London 4 2.18x
Bradwall 4 416.67x
Norwich St Giles 4 192.31x
Norwich St Saviour 4 175.44x
Sutton 4 23.80x
Wolverhampton 4 3.65x
Bedminster 3 4.70x
Dudley 3 4.47x
Hellesdon 3 252.10x
Moss Side 3 11.38x
Much Wenlock 3 89.02x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 3 7.99x
Norwich St Clement 3 39.84x
Shipdham 3 136.36x
Witton Cum Twambrooks 3 36.14x
Yealand Conyers 3 666.67x
Broughton 2 31.90x
Charlton Next Woolwich 2 13.31x
Hampton London 2 28.82x
Hulme 2 1.91x
Ipswich St Margaret 2 11.45x
Ipswich St Mathew 2 13.87x
Kidderminster Borough 2 6.20x
Kidwelly 2 55.10x
Leftwich 2 48.31x
New Kilpatrick 2 18.52x
Pendleton In Salford 2 3.35x
Runcorn 2 9.30x
Sedgley 2 3.78x
St Leonard Foster Lane 2 5000.00x
Westbury On Trym 2 7.13x
Altrincham 1 6.14x
Bilston 1 3.62x
Camberwell 1 0.37x
Church Hulme 1 104.17x
Claverley 1 40.65x
Elswick 1 1.99x
Isleworth 1 5.32x
Leyton Low 1 5.90x
Princethorpe 1 222.22x
Tonbridge 1 1.92x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 28
Elizabeth 22
Sarah 13
Ann 8
Emma 8
Jane 8
Margaret 8
Alice 7
Ellen 7
Hannah 7
Emily 6
Eliza 5
Martha 5
Caroline 4
Florence 4
Lucy 4
Annie 3
Catherine 3
Frances 3
Isabella 3
Louisa 3
Rose 3
Anne 2
Betsy 2
Clara 2
Ethel 2
Harriet 2
Helen 2
Lilian 2
Margrett 2
Maria 2
Susannah 2
Amelia 1
Amy 1
Anna 1
Bertha 1
Buttler 1
Elsa 1
Esther 1
Eugena 1
Eveline 1
Fanny 1
Isabel 1
Jessica 1
Kate 1
Katherine 1
Lizzie 1
Lydie 1
Madeline 1
Margret 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 31
John 26
Thomas 20
Samuel 17
George 16
Richard 14
James 9
Charles 8
Henry 8
Edward 7
Joseph 7
Fisher 4
Robert 4
Alfred 3
Anthony 3
Arthur 3
Harry 3
Edwin 2
Ernest 2
Frederick 2
Herbert 2
Infant 2
Peter 2
Walter 2
Archibald 1
Benjamin 1
Carlerch 1
Clifford 1
David 1
Donald 1
Frances 1
Frank 1
Gordon 1
Japhet 1
Mathew 1
Montague 1
Phillip 1
Reginald 1
Roland 1
Sidney 1
Spotswood 1
Stanley 1
Stephen 1

FAQ

Tench surname: questions and answers

How common was the Tench surname in 1881?

In 1881, 432 people were recorded with the Tench surname. That placed it at #7,547 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Tench surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 644 in 2016. That gives Tench a modern rank of #8,237.

What does the Tench surname mean?

A surname derived from the Old English word for a pond or small lake.

What does the Tench map show?

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