NameCensus.

UK surname

Thirlwall

In the 1881 census there were 189 people recorded with the Thirlwall surname, ranking it #13,322 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 381, ranked #12,317, up from #13,322 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Brampton (including Midgeholme) and Lanercost, Gateshead and Doncaster. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Allerdale, County Durham and Carlisle.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Thirlwall is 390 in 2014. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 101.6%.

1881 census count

189

Ranked #13,322

Modern count

381

2016, ranked #12,317

Peak year

2014

390 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Thirlwall had 189 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #13,322 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 381 in 2016, ranked #12,317.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 292 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living.

Thirlwall surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Thirlwall surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Thirlwall 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 105 #16,618
1861 historical 135 #16,651
1881 historical 189 #13,322
1891 historical 281 #11,630
1901 historical 284 #12,093
1911 historical 292 #11,674
1997 modern 313 #13,158
1998 modern 363 #12,228
1999 modern 369 #12,147
2000 modern 373 #11,996
2001 modern 382 #11,606
2002 modern 382 #11,839
2003 modern 373 #11,857
2004 modern 355 #12,326
2005 modern 350 #12,359
2006 modern 359 #12,216
2007 modern 360 #12,335
2008 modern 361 #12,407
2009 modern 380 #12,198
2010 modern 375 #12,568
2011 modern 371 #12,546
2012 modern 368 #12,468
2013 modern 389 #12,177
2014 modern 390 #12,239
2015 modern 382 #12,322
2016 modern 381 #12,317

Geography

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Where Thirlwalls are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Brampton (including Midgeholme) and Lanercost, Gateshead, Doncaster, Dalton-le-Dale and Aikton. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Allerdale, County Durham, Carlisle and Northumberland. 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 Brampton (including Midgeholme) and Lanercost Cumberland
2 Gateshead Durham
3 Doncaster Yorkshire, West Riding
4 Dalton-le-Dale Durham
5 Aikton Cumberland

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Allerdale 003 Allerdale
2 County Durham 027 County Durham
3 Carlisle 005 Carlisle
4 Northumberland 010 Northumberland
5 Northumberland 020 Northumberland

Forenames

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First names often paired with Thirlwall

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Thirlwall

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Thirlwall, 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 Thirlwall surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Thirlwall 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

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Thirlwall is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Pockets, part of Social Rented Sector Families with Children. 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

Found in pockets across London, residents are less likely to live in private sector rentals and fewer adults are students. Fewer individuals work in transport and communications occupations relative to the Supergroup average. More individuals identify as Black and were born in Africa.

Wider London pattern

Residents of these neighbourhoods include sizable numbers identifying with ethnicities originating outside Europe, particularly in Africa or Bangladesh. The proportion of residents identifying as White, Indian or Pakistani is well below the London average. Neighbourhood age profiles are skewed towards younger adults, and above average numbers of families have children. Rates of use of English at home are below average. Marriage rates are low, and levels of separation or divorce are above average. Housing is predominantly in flats, and renting in the social rented sector the norm - few residents are owner occupiers. Housing is often overcrowded, and neighbourhoods are amongst the most densely populated in London. Disability rates are above average, although levels of unpaid care provision are about average. Employment is in caring, leisure, other service occupations, sales and customer service, or process, plant, and machine operation. Part time working and full-time student study are common. Levels of unemployment are slightly above average. Most residents have only Level 1 or 2 educational qualifications or have completed apprenticeships.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Thirlwall 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

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

1881 census detail

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Thirlwall families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Thirlwall 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. Cumberland leads with 70 Thirlwalls recorded in 1881 and an index of 43.87x.

County Total Index
Cumberland 70 43.87x
Durham 37 6.71x
Lancashire 23 1.05x
Yorkshire 23 1.25x
Surrey 10 1.11x
Derbyshire 7 2.41x
Staffordshire 7 1.12x
Northumberland 5 1.81x
Dumfriesshire 3 7.33x
Worcestershire 2 0.83x
Buckinghamshire 1 0.89x
Middlesex 1 0.05x
Royal Navy 1 4.53x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Gateshead in Durham leads with 19 Thirlwalls recorded in 1881 and an index of 46.03x.

Place Total Index
Gateshead 19 46.03x
Farlam 18 1800.00x
Great Crosby 12 200.00x
Bothel Threapland 10 4000.00x
Lambeth 9 5.57x
Westoe 8 25.59x
Wetheral 8 379.15x
Brampton 7 319.63x
Hart 7 522.39x
Newcastle Under Lyme 7 63.23x
Claylane 6 148.88x
Gilcrux 6 1818.18x
Barrow In Furness 5 16.72x
Dalton In Furness 5 58.89x
Doncaster 5 37.26x
St Cuthbert W O 5 64.27x
Waterhead 5 2500.00x
Aikton 4 800.00x
Clifton In York 4 104.17x
Rotherham 4 38.65x
Caldewgate 3 34.32x
Hoddam 3 303.03x
Sculcoates 3 10.30x
York St Lawrence 3 156.25x
Corbridge 2 198.02x
Mathon 2 281.69x
Whitby 2 32.31x
Barnard Castle 1 36.63x
Bishop Auckland 1 13.51x
Bothal Demesne 1 75.76x
Burton Leonard 1 370.37x
Chesterfield 1 9.19x
Dalston 1 81.30x
Dalston Buckabank 1 312.50x
Dorking 1 16.50x
Everton 1 1.43x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 1 4.19x
Keswick 1 49.02x
Newcastle On Tyne St John 1 27.55x
Plumbland 1 243.90x
Settle 1 70.92x
St Marylebone London 1 1.01x
Westgate 1 5.85x
Wycombe 1 11.98x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 18
Ann 9
Elizabeth 9
Margaret 8
Jane 7
Sarah 5
Hannah 4
Annie 3
Ellen 3
Emily 3
Bessie 2
Christine 2
E. 2
Eliza 2
Frances 2
Martha 2
Abigail 1
Agnes 1
Betsy 1
Charlotte 1
Edith 1
Esther 1
Ethel 1
Evelin 1
Fanny 1
Fridrick 1
Helen 1
Kate 1
Laura 1
Maria 1
Panny 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 16
Thomas 9
William 9
Robert 7
Peter 6
George 5
Joseph 5
Isaac 4
James 4
Edward 2
Henry 2
Alfred 1
Charles 1
Connop 1
Edmund 1
Francis 1
H.H. 1
Herbert 1
Jas. 1
Jhs. 1
Joe 1
Jonathan 1
Matthew 1
Matthias 1
Michael 1
Montgomery 1
P.W. 1
Philip 1
Thos. 1
Tom 1
Walter 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Thirlwall surname: questions and answers

How common was the Thirlwall surname in 1881?

In 1881, 189 people were recorded with the Thirlwall surname. That placed it at #13,322 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Thirlwall surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 381 in 2016. That gives Thirlwall a modern rank of #12,317.

What does the Thirlwall map show?

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