NameCensus.

UK surname

Thomason

Son of Thomas, an English patronymic surname derived from the medieval personal name Thomas.

In the 1881 census there were 1,746 people recorded with the Thomason surname, ranking it #2,476 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 2,066, ranked #3,129, down from #2,476 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Fetlar and Yell, Winwick and Manchester. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include North and East Isles, Warrington and Allerdale.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Thomason is 2,413 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 18.3%.

1881 census count

1,746

Ranked #2,476

Modern count

2,066

2016, ranked #3,129

Peak year

1911

2,413 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Thomason had 1,746 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #2,476 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 2,066 in 2016, ranked #3,129.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 2,413 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Thomason surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Thomason surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Thomason 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 1,512 #1,893
1861 historical 1,373 #2,085
1881 historical 1,746 #2,476
1891 historical 2,062 #2,243
1901 historical 2,409 #2,255
1911 historical 2,413 #2,123
1997 modern 2,199 #2,825
1998 modern 2,254 #2,858
1999 modern 2,253 #2,874
2000 modern 2,231 #2,889
2001 modern 2,180 #2,887
2002 modern 2,201 #2,919
2003 modern 2,179 #2,886
2004 modern 2,156 #2,916
2005 modern 2,116 #2,928
2006 modern 2,130 #2,914
2007 modern 2,120 #2,956
2008 modern 2,115 #2,987
2009 modern 2,144 #3,024
2010 modern 2,174 #3,055
2011 modern 2,114 #3,086
2012 modern 2,062 #3,108
2013 modern 2,110 #3,092
2014 modern 2,130 #3,082
2015 modern 2,094 #3,103
2016 modern 2,066 #3,129

Geography

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Where Thomasons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Fetlar and Yell, Winwick, Manchester, Leigh and Warrington. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to North and East Isles, Warrington, Allerdale, Lerwick North and Copeland. 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 Fetlar and Yell Shetland
2 Winwick Lancashire
3 Manchester Lancashire
4 Leigh Lancashire
5 Warrington Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 North and East Isles Shetland Islands
2 Warrington 021 Warrington
3 Allerdale 004 Allerdale
4 Lerwick North Shetland Islands
5 Copeland 003 Copeland

Forenames

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First names often paired with Thomason

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Thomason

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

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Thomason surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Thomason 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 comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

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, Thomason 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

Thomason 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

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

Meaning and origin of Thomason

The surname Thomason originated in England and is derived from the medieval given name Thomas, which itself comes from the Aramaic name Toma meaning "twin". The suffix "-son" was commonly used to indicate "son of", so Thomason originally referred to the son of someone named Thomas.

The name first appeared in historical records during the late 12th century, with early spellings including Thomasson, Thomessone, and Thomsoun. One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Willelmus Thomasson, mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1195.

In the 13th century, the Thomason surname is found in various parts of England, including Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Norfolk. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 mention a John Thomasson in Oxfordshire, while the Subsidy Rolls of 1327 record a William Thomasson in Derbyshire.

The Thomason name is not found in the Domesday Book of 1086, as it emerged later in the Middle Ages. However, it is likely that some early bearers of the name were of Norman ancestry, as the given name Thomas was popular among the Norman nobility after the Norman Conquest of England in 1066.

Notable individuals with the Thomason surname throughout history include:

1. James Thomason (1804-1853), an English civil servant who served as the Lieutenant-Governor of the North-Western Provinces in British India. 2. John Thomason (1600-1672), an English Puritan minister and author who published several religious works. 3. Sir Edward Thomason (1769-1849), a British naval officer and colonial administrator who served as the Governor of the Cape Colony from 1828 to 1834. 4. George Thomason (1592-1666), an English bookseller and collector who amassed one of the most extensive collections of printed materials from the English Civil War period. 5. Marjorie Thomason (1904-1966), an American actress and singer who appeared in numerous Broadway productions and Hollywood films in the 1930s and 1940s.

The Thomason surname is also associated with various place names in England, such as Thomason's Cottage in Derbyshire and Thomason's Bridge in Yorkshire, reflecting the geographical spread of the name throughout the country over the centuries.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Thomason families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Thomason 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. Lancashire leads with 765 Thomasons recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.78x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 765 3.78x
Cheshire 223 5.92x
Shetland 128 73.50x
Shropshire 101 6.86x
Middlesex 88 0.52x
Northamptonshire 84 5.24x
Staffordshire 65 1.13x
Worcestershire 53 2.38x
Warwickshire 43 1.00x
Durham 27 0.53x
Essex 27 0.80x
Surrey 23 0.28x
Bedfordshire 20 2.27x
Herefordshire 13 1.86x
Kent 13 0.22x
Lanarkshire 12 0.22x
Cumberland 11 0.75x
Yorkshire 11 0.07x
Buckinghamshire 9 0.87x
Derbyshire 4 0.15x
Gloucestershire 4 0.12x
Hampshire 4 0.11x
Royal Navy 4 1.97x
Oxfordshire 3 0.28x
Caernarfonshire 2 0.29x
Northumberland 2 0.08x
Devon 1 0.03x
Flintshire 1 0.22x
Glamorgan 1 0.03x
Midlothian 1 0.04x
Rutland 1 0.80x
Somerset 1 0.04x
Stirlingshire 1 0.16x
Suffolk 1 0.05x
Wiltshire 1 0.07x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Warrington in Lancashire leads with 70 Thomasons recorded in 1881 and an index of 29.18x.

Place Total Index
Warrington 70 29.18x
Culcheth 63 475.11x
Lymm 52 190.06x
Northmavine 45 339.37x
Farnworth 40 33.00x
Manchester 38 4.18x
North Meols 37 18.68x
Yell Mid 33 572.92x
Thornton In Fylde 27 60.99x
Pendleton In Salford 25 10.37x
Bradford 22 23.23x
Yell South 21 495.28x
Barton Upon Irwell 20 13.13x
Everton 20 3.10x
Westleigh 20 43.53x
Birmingham 18 1.26x
Farthingstone 18 1000.00x
Parr 18 24.87x
Towcester 18 108.83x
Aston 17 1.44x
Windle 17 14.93x
Gateshead 16 4.21x
Halliwell 15 20.37x
Lambeth 15 1.01x
Nesting Lunnas Whalsay 15 97.78x
Ashton Under Lyne 13 2.94x
Great Bolton 13 4.85x
Liverpool 13 1.06x
St Luke London 13 4.75x
Atherton 12 16.29x
Bethnal Green London 12 1.62x
Bootle Cum Linacre 12 7.47x
Broughton In Salford 12 6.49x
Islington London 12 0.73x
Pennington In Leigh 12 30.91x
Shoreditch London 12 1.62x
Debden 11 231.09x
Oldham 11 1.68x
Wolsingham 11 23.79x
Alston 10 36.97x
Castleton 10 4.95x
Crumpsall 10 20.97x
Didsbury 10 37.22x
Droylsden 10 15.15x
Hartlebury 10 75.41x
Southworth With Croft 10 165.29x
Stottesdon 10 149.70x
Walsall Foreign 10 3.36x
Worfield 10 97.75x
Birkdale 9 17.58x
Chester St John Baptist 9 13.30x
Heaton Norris 9 7.81x
Kidderminster Borough 9 6.91x
Newton 9 5.77x
Pontesbury 9 50.22x
Chester St Oswald 8 11.74x
Everdon 8 242.42x
Handsworth 8 5.64x
Hodnet 8 69.50x
Kidderminster Foreign 8 25.41x
Little Bolton 8 3.08x
Little Sampford 8 400.00x
Little Sutton 8 158.42x
St Giles Cripplegate 8 35.34x
Wistaston 8 336.13x
Wolverhampton 8 1.81x
Daventry 7 30.85x
Eccleston In Prescot 7 6.89x
Egerton 7 945.95x
Govan 7 0.51x
Great Eccleston 7 190.74x
Kinnersley 7 560.00x
Moston 7 34.50x
Poulton Le Fylde 7 97.49x
Runcorn 7 8.07x
Shifnal 7 17.50x
Tottenham 7 2.58x
Trysull 7 209.58x
West Derby 7 1.18x
Whitby 7 80.55x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 121
Sarah 72
Elizabeth 65
Ann 45
Alice 35
Hannah 33
Ellen 31
Margaret 27
Jane 26
Eliza 21
Annie 19
Martha 19
Harriet 18
Emily 14
Emma 12
Louisa 10
Ada 9
Frances 9
Anne 8
Betsy 8
Edith 8
Fanny 8
Harriett 8
Agnes 7
Caroline 7
Lucy 7
Isabella 6
Betty 5
Catherine 5
Matilda 5
Bertha 4
Charlotte 4
Clara 4
Florence 4
Lydia 4
Maria 4
Rose 4
Susan 4
Amy 3
Elizh. 3
Jemima 3
Julia 3
May 3
Nancy 3
Catharine 2
Ethel 2
Eva 2
Francis 2
Louise 2
Margery 2

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 120
William 100
James 69
Thomas 69
Henry 42
George 40
Joseph 34
Samuel 26
Edward 25
Richard 22
Peter 21
Robert 16
Arthur 11
Walter 10
Albert 9
Charles 9
Frederick 8
Harry 7
Alfred 6
Benjamin 6
Wm. 6
Ernest 5
Francis 5
Isaac 5
David 4
Herbert 4
Fredk. 3
Jos. 3
Levi 3
Percy 3
Philip 3
Piers 3
Thos. 3
Willm. 3
Chas. 2
Edwd. 2
Edwin 2
Eli 2
Frank 2
Hugh 2
Jno. 2
Jonathan 2
Lewis 2
Noah 2
Reuben 2
Richd. 2
Saml. 2
Seth 2
Tom 2
Wright 2

FAQ

Thomason surname: questions and answers

How common was the Thomason surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,746 people were recorded with the Thomason surname. That placed it at #2,476 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Thomason surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 2,066 in 2016. That gives Thomason a modern rank of #3,129.

What does the Thomason surname mean?

Son of Thomas, an English patronymic surname derived from the medieval personal name Thomas.

What does the Thomason map show?

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