NameCensus.

UK surname

Tharby

In the 1881 census there were 80 people recorded with the Tharby surname, ranking it #22,225 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 183, ranked #20,813, up from #22,225 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to St George in the East, London parishes and Ware (Ware). Hertford St John, Hertford All Saints. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include St Edmundsbury, East Hertfordshire and Basildon.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Tharby is 206 in 2000. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 128.8%.

1881 census count

80

Ranked #22,225

Modern count

183

2016, ranked #20,813

Peak year

2000

206 bearers

Map years

6

1891 to 2016

Key insights

  • Tharby had 80 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #22,225 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 183 in 2016, ranked #20,813.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 169 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Tharby surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Tharby surname density by area, 2016 modern.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Tharby 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 41 #25,926
1861 historical 65 #25,618
1881 historical 80 #22,225
1891 historical 104 #23,388
1901 historical 127 #19,893
1911 historical 169 #16,564
1997 modern 185 #18,506
1998 modern 190 #18,687
1999 modern 198 #18,343
2000 modern 206 #17,880
2001 modern 196 #18,146
2002 modern 197 #18,474
2003 modern 185 #18,999
2004 modern 171 #20,079
2005 modern 174 #19,783
2006 modern 181 #19,466
2007 modern 189 #19,146
2008 modern 180 #19,946
2009 modern 186 #19,946
2010 modern 189 #20,171
2011 modern 183 #20,425
2012 modern 174 #21,065
2013 modern 170 #21,726
2014 modern 173 #21,639
2015 modern 181 #20,934
2016 modern 183 #20,813

Geography

Back to top

Where Tharbys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around St George in the East, London parishes, Ware (Ware). Hertford St John, Hertford All Saints, Enfield and Northaw. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to St Edmundsbury, East Hertfordshire, Basildon, St Albans and County Durham. 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 St George in the East London (East Districts)
2 London parishes London 3
3 Ware (Ware). Hertford St John, Hertford All Saints Hertfordshire
4 Enfield Middlesex (Exclusive Of London Districts)
5 Northaw Hertfordshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 St Edmundsbury 014 St Edmundsbury
2 East Hertfordshire 012 East Hertfordshire
3 Basildon 017 Basildon
4 St Albans 008 St Albans
5 County Durham 063 County Durham

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Tharby

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Tharby

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

Baseline UK

Group

Challenged Communities

Nationally, the Tharby surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Challenged Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Tharby household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Residents of these neighbourhoods typically live in households with dependent children, and there are fewer-than-average residents of normal retirement age or over. Identification with ethnic minorities, particularly Black, or Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is common. The rate of Christian religious affiliation is low. Housing predominantly consists of semi-detached houses, along with a significant number of terraced properties and flats. Overcrowded social housing is common, and private renting occurs at average UK levels. Those in employment work mainly in caring leisure and other services; process, plant and machine operation; or elementary occupations. Unemployment is high, and few individuals have degree level qualifications. Many of these neighbourhoods occur in commuter towns or less accessible areas of larger towns and cities.

Wider pattern

This Supergroup exemplifies the broad base to the UK’s social structure, encompassing as it does the average or modal levels of many neighbourhood characteristics, including all housing tenures, a range of levels of educational attainment and religious affiliations, and a variety of pre-retirement age structures. Yet, in combination, these mixes are each distinctive of the parts of the UK. Overall, terraced houses and flats are the most prevalent, as is employment in intermediate or low-skilled occupations. However, this Supergroup is also characterised by above average levels of unemployment and lower levels of use of English as the main language. Many neighbourhoods occur in south London and the UK’s other major urban centres.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins

Within London, Tharby is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins, 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

Scattered across London’s Inner and Outer suburbs, residents of these neighbourhoods are typically housed in the social rented sector. Although terraced and semi-detached houses predominate, more residents live in flats than elsewhere in the Supergroup. Neighbourhoods are more ethnically diverse than the Supergroup average. Those identifying as of Bangladeshi, Pakistani and some Black ethnicities are more prevalent. Europeans born in a overseas non-EU countries make up more of the lower proportion of residents identifying as White. Few residents are very old (85+). Employment in distribution, hotels and restaurants is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

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

Tharby is most concentrated in decile 6 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.

6
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Tharby falls in decile 9 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

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

9
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

Back to top

Tharby families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Tharby 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. Hertfordshire leads with 37 Tharbys recorded in 1881 and an index of 68.79x.

County Total Index
Hertfordshire 37 68.79x
Essex 14 9.09x
Middlesex 13 1.67x
Surrey 8 2.10x
Cambridgeshire 4 8.09x
Kent 4 1.50x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Bishop Stortford in Hertfordshire leads with 8 Tharbys recorded in 1881 and an index of 444.44x.

Place Total Index
Bishop Stortford 8 444.44x
Cheshunt 8 425.53x
Manuden 8 4210.53x
Northaw 8 5000.00x
St George In East 6 112.99x
Lambeth 5 7.35x
Ware 5 324.68x
Deptford St Paul 4 19.48x
Enfield 4 78.13x
Hatfield 4 366.97x
Widford 4 2857.14x
Downham 2 377.36x
Edmonton 2 31.80x
Ely Holy Trinity St Mary 2 92.59x
Farnham 2 1538.46x
Godstone 2 294.12x
Stanstead 2 1538.46x
Hackney London 1 2.29x
Harlow 1 151.52x
Little Thurrock 1 833.33x
Southwark St George Martyr 1 6.37x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Charles 5
William 5
John 4
Joseph 4
Thomas 4
George 3
Arthur 2
Alfred 1
David 1
Frederick 1
Harry 1
Henry 1
James 1
Malichi 1
Peter 1
Richard 1
Samuel 1
Sydney 1
Thos. 1

FAQ

Tharby surname: questions and answers

How common was the Tharby surname in 1881?

In 1881, 80 people were recorded with the Tharby surname. That placed it at #22,225 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Tharby surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 183 in 2016. That gives Tharby a modern rank of #20,813.

What does the Tharby map show?

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