NameCensus.

UK surname

Tennyson

A patronymic surname derived from the given name Dennis, meaning "follower of Dionysus" or "god of wine."

In the 1881 census there were 96 people recorded with the Tennyson surname, ranking it #20,248 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 330, ranked #13,765, up from #20,248 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Port Glasgow, London parishes and Chester St Oswald, Little St John, Cathedral Church, St Peter, St Bridget, St Martin, Holy Trinity. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include East Riding of Yorkshire, Bothwell South and East Cambridgeshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Tennyson is 356 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 243.8%.

1881 census count

96

Ranked #20,248

Modern count

330

2016, ranked #13,765

Peak year

2010

356 bearers

Map years

6

1891 to 2016

Key insights

  • Tennyson had 96 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #20,248 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 330 in 2016, ranked #13,765.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 151 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Tennyson surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Tennyson surname density by area, 2016 modern.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Tennyson 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 11 #31,309
1861 historical 33 #29,814
1881 historical 96 #20,248
1891 historical 124 #20,818
1901 historical 145 #18,426
1911 historical 151 #17,797
1997 modern 318 #13,024
1998 modern 329 #13,070
1999 modern 327 #13,209
2000 modern 322 #13,307
2001 modern 320 #13,143
2002 modern 325 #13,275
2003 modern 309 #13,559
2004 modern 305 #13,752
2005 modern 305 #13,689
2006 modern 317 #13,376
2007 modern 319 #13,474
2008 modern 324 #13,437
2009 modern 335 #13,381
2010 modern 356 #13,071
2011 modern 346 #13,192
2012 modern 331 #13,538
2013 modern 320 #14,104
2014 modern 319 #14,216
2015 modern 330 #13,774
2016 modern 330 #13,765

Geography

Back to top

Where Tennysons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Port Glasgow, London parishes, Chester St Oswald, Little St John, Cathedral Church, St Peter, St Bridget, St Martin, Holy Trinity and Sheffield. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to East Riding of Yorkshire, Bothwell South, East Cambridgeshire, Luton and Birmingham. 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 Port Glasgow Renfrew
2 London parishes London 1
3 London parishes London 3
4 Chester St Oswald, Little St John, Cathedral Church, St Peter, St Bridget, St Martin, Holy Trinity Cheshire
5 Sheffield Yorkshire, West Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 East Riding of Yorkshire 039 East Riding of Yorkshire
2 Bothwell South South Lanarkshire
3 East Cambridgeshire 006 East Cambridgeshire
4 Luton 016 Luton
5 Birmingham 045 Birmingham

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Tennyson

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Tennyson

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Tennyson, 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 Tennyson surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Tennyson 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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Tennyson 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

Tennyson is most concentrated in decile 8 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier 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.

8
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Tennyson falls in decile 1 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.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Tennyson 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 - Irish

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

Meaning and origin of Tennyson

The surname Tennyson has its origins in England, where it first emerged in the 12th century. It is a locational name derived from the place name Tennyson, which itself comes from the Old English words "tenny" meaning "the tene" and "tun" meaning "farm or enclosure." The surname therefore originally referred to someone who hailed from the farm or settlement known as Tennyson.

The earliest recorded instance of the surname Tennyson dates back to the 13th century. In the Hundred Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1273, there is mention of a Robert de Tennysun. This indicates that the name was already established in that region by the 13th century.

One of the most famous individuals to bear the surname Tennyson was Alfred Tennyson (1809-1892), the renowned English poet who served as Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom from 1850 until his death. His works, such as "In Memoriam A.H.H." and "Idylls of the King," have had a lasting impact on English literature.

Another notable Tennyson was Lionel Tennyson (1809-1892), the younger brother of Alfred Tennyson. He was a respected clergyman and author in his own right, publishing several works on religious subjects.

In the 16th century, there was a Richard Tennyson (c. 1550-1615), who served as the High Sheriff of Lincolnshire in 1597. This suggests that the Tennyson family had achieved a certain level of prominence in that region by that time.

The surname Tennyson has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Tennyson's Close in Lincolnshire, which is believed to be named after the family's ancestral home.

Other notable individuals bearing the surname Tennyson include Charles Tennyson (1808-1879), an English clergyman and writer who was the younger brother of Alfred Tennyson, and Hallam Tennyson (1920-2005), a British politician and writer who served as the 2nd Baron Tennyson and was a direct descendant of the poet Alfred Tennyson.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Tennyson families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Tennyson 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. Yorkshire leads with 26 Tennysons recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.54x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 26 2.54x
Middlesex 18 1.74x
Lancashire 16 1.30x
Cheshire 12 5.26x
Renfrewshire 11 13.73x
Channel Islands 8 26.11x
Durham 4 1.30x
Dorset 2 2.95x
Gloucestershire 2 0.99x
Midlothian 2 1.44x
Devon 1 0.46x
Kent 1 0.28x
Royal Navy 1 8.12x
Somerset 1 0.60x
Surrey 1 0.20x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Chester St Oswald in Cheshire leads with 11 Tennysons recorded in 1881 and an index of 266.34x.

Place Total Index
Chester St Oswald 11 266.34x
Port Glasgow 11 284.24x
Sheffield 9 27.59x
Sculcoates 8 49.26x
St Helier 8 80.24x
Bethnal Green London 5 11.13x
Oldham 5 12.63x
Newton 4 42.28x
St George In East 4 56.90x
St Marylebone London 4 7.25x
Tudhoe 4 148.70x
Manchester 3 5.44x
St George Hanover 3 22.24x
Clifton 2 19.51x
Holy Trinity 2 8.12x
Inveresk 2 53.33x
Melcombe Regis 2 71.17x
West Derby 2 5.57x
Wortley In Bramley 2 24.66x
Altrincham 1 25.06x
Bedminster 1 6.39x
Chorlton On Medlock 1 5.13x
Dover St James 1 64.52x
East Stonehouse 1 23.58x
Grays Inn Staple Inn 1 769.23x
Hessle In Sculcoates 1 111.11x
Kensington London 1 1.74x
Kingstonupon Hull 1 121.95x
Lambeth 1 1.11x
Marfleet 1 1428.57x
Nether Hallam 1 7.22x
Owthorne 1 526.32x
Royal Navy 1 9.50x
Walton On Hill 1 15.04x

Top female names

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

Top male names

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

Name Count
Alfred 6
James 4
John 4
Peter 3
Thomas 3
Charles 2
Frederick 2
George 2
William 2
Arthur 1
Bertram 1
Franci 1
Fred. 1
Fredk.Hy. 1
Geo. 1
Hallam 1
Harrey 1
Henry 1
Horatio 1
Jonathan 1
Joseph 1
Julius 1
Lionel 1
Mathew 1
Patrick 1
Samuel 1
Sidney 1
Walter 1

FAQ

Tennyson surname: questions and answers

How common was the Tennyson surname in 1881?

In 1881, 96 people were recorded with the Tennyson surname. That placed it at #20,248 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Tennyson surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 330 in 2016. That gives Tennyson a modern rank of #13,765.

What does the Tennyson surname mean?

A patronymic surname derived from the given name Dennis, meaning "follower of Dionysus" or "god of wine."

What does the Tennyson map show?

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