NameCensus.

UK surname

Thistlewood

A surname derived from a place name referring to a wooded area of thistles.

In the 1881 census there were 131 people recorded with the Thistlewood surname, ranking it #16,824 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 190, ranked #20,262, down from #16,824 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bentham, Lincoln St Botolph and Silkstone. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Barnsley, Isle of Wight and Cheshire West and Chester.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Thistlewood is 212 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 45.0%.

1881 census count

131

Ranked #16,824

Modern count

190

2016, ranked #20,262

Peak year

1911

212 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Thistlewood had 131 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #16,824 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 190 in 2016, ranked #20,262.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 212 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Small Town Suburbia.

Thistlewood surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Thistlewood surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Thistlewood 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 138 #13,745
1861 historical 109 #19,693
1881 historical 131 #16,824
1891 historical 159 #17,636
1901 historical 191 #15,579
1911 historical 212 #14,423
1997 modern 193 #18,035
1998 modern 191 #18,624
1999 modern 192 #18,689
2000 modern 200 #18,209
2001 modern 201 #17,885
2002 modern 200 #18,294
2003 modern 193 #18,501
2004 modern 201 #18,168
2005 modern 201 #18,080
2006 modern 189 #18,961
2007 modern 202 #18,359
2008 modern 206 #18,300
2009 modern 196 #19,274
2010 modern 187 #20,309
2011 modern 188 #20,067
2012 modern 193 #19,665
2013 modern 197 #19,725
2014 modern 194 #20,097
2015 modern 193 #20,056
2016 modern 190 #20,262

Geography

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Where Thistlewoods are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bentham, Lincoln St Botolph, Silkstone, Toxteth Park and Boston (incl. Boston allotments). These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Barnsley, Isle of Wight, Cheshire West and Chester, Bolsover and Sefton. 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 Bentham Yorkshire, West Riding
2 Lincoln St Botolph Lincolnshire
3 Silkstone Yorkshire, West Riding
4 Toxteth Park Lancashire
5 Boston (incl. Boston allotments) Lincolnshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Barnsley 012 Barnsley
2 Isle of Wight 013 Isle of Wight
3 Cheshire West and Chester 009 Cheshire West and Chester
4 Bolsover 002 Bolsover
5 Sefton 009 Sefton

Forenames

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First names often paired with Thistlewood

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Thistlewood

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

Retired Professionals

Group

Small Town Suburbia

Nationally, the Thistlewood surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Small Town Suburbia, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Thistlewood household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group is predominantly comprised of married couples with no resident dependent children, living in areas characterised neither by under-occupancy nor overcrowding throughout the UK in or adjacent to small towns. White ethnic groups and affiliation with Christianity predominates. Housing tends to be predominantly semi-detached or detached and workers are employed principally in managerial and professional occupations, with semi-skilled occupations also in evidence. These areas of the Supergroup are of higher population density.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Thistlewood 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

Thistlewood 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

Thistlewood falls in decile 6 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.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Thistlewood

The surname Thistlewood has its origins in England, dating back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English words "þistel" meaning "thistle" and "wudu" meaning "wood," suggesting that the name originally referred to someone who lived near or worked in a thistle-filled woodland area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Placita de Quo Warranto, a medieval record of legal proceedings from the late 13th century, where a "John de Thistlewode" is mentioned as holding land in the county of Wiltshire. This suggests the name was already established in that region by that time.

The name Thistlewood can also be traced back to various place names in England, such as Thistlewood in Derbyshire and Thistlewood in Gloucestershire. These place names likely originated from the descriptive nature of the name, referring to areas with an abundance of thistles and woodlands.

Among the notable individuals bearing the surname Thistlewood throughout history are Arthur Thistlewood (c. 1770-1820), a prominent figure in the Cato Street Conspiracy, a failed plot to assassinate the British Prime Minister and his cabinet in 1820. Thistlewood was executed for his involvement in the conspiracy.

Another notable Thistlewood was William Thistlewood (1783-1857), a British architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings in London, including the former Marylebone Parish Church and the Carlton Club.

In the literary world, Charles Thistlewood (1770-1800) was an English poet and translator who published works such as "The Poetical Works of Callistratus" and "The Pursuits of Literature."

The name Thistlewood also appears in the annals of British military history, with Sir Henry Thistlewood (1775-1857) serving as a British Army officer during the Napoleonic Wars and later as Lieutenant-Governor of the Isle of Wight.

Additionally, Thomas Thistlewood (1721-1786) was a prominent English slave owner and plantation owner in Jamaica, whose diaries have provided valuable insights into the harsh realities of slavery in the British West Indies during that period.

These examples illustrate the long-standing presence of the surname Thistlewood in various walks of life throughout British history, from military and literary figures to those involved in significant historical events and controversial practices.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Thistlewood families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Thistlewood 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. Lincolnshire leads with 47 Thistlewoods recorded in 1881 and an index of 23.00x.

County Total Index
Lincolnshire 47 23.00x
Yorkshire 38 3.00x
Lancashire 18 1.19x
Warwickshire 10 3.10x
Surrey 7 1.12x
Sussex 4 1.86x
Middlesex 2 0.16x
Nottinghamshire 2 1.16x
Cambridgeshire 1 1.24x
Northumberland 1 0.53x
Westmorland 1 3.56x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Boston in Lincolnshire leads with 16 Thistlewoods recorded in 1881 and an index of 258.06x.

Place Total Index
Boston 16 258.06x
Leeds 11 15.38x
Birmingham 10 9.31x
Barnsley 9 68.91x
Toxteth Park 9 17.53x
Branston 7 1111.11x
Liverpool 7 7.60x
Streatham 7 73.84x
Sandal Magna 6 320.86x
Bentham 5 520.83x
St Martin Lincoln 5 263.16x
Broadwater 4 80.97x
St Maryle Wigford 4 251.57x
Burton In Lonsdale 3 1111.11x
Staveley 3 2142.86x
Stowe And Normanby 3 10000.00x
Sturton Bransby 3 1071.43x
Caistor 2 246.91x
Hackney London 2 2.79x
Skellingthorpe 2 625.00x
Welton 2 666.67x
Basford 1 12.59x
Bracebridge 1 107.53x
Ingleton 1 140.85x
Lancaster 1 11.09x
Mansfield 1 16.78x
Navenby 1 238.10x
Nether Kellet 1 833.33x
Newcastle On Tyne St 1 10.14x
Orton 1 119.05x
St Botolph Lincoln 1 68.03x
Wisbech St Peter 1 24.63x

Top female names

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

Name Count
John 11
William 11
George 8
Thomas 5
Charles 4
Arthur 2
Christopher 2
Herbert 2
Richard 2
Robert 2
Albert 1
Alfred 1
Byrom 1
Daniel 1
Edward 1
Ernest 1
Francis 1
G.H. 1
Geo. 1
Harry 1
Henry 1
Jasper 1
Joseph 1
Joshua 1
Nathan 1
Portass 1
Reginald 1
Tom 1
Walter 1

FAQ

Thistlewood surname: questions and answers

How common was the Thistlewood surname in 1881?

In 1881, 131 people were recorded with the Thistlewood surname. That placed it at #16,824 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Thistlewood surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 190 in 2016. That gives Thistlewood a modern rank of #20,262.

What does the Thistlewood surname mean?

A surname derived from a place name referring to a wooded area of thistles.

What does the Thistlewood map show?

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