NameCensus.

UK surname

Thornbury

An English locational surname derived from the place name "Thornbury".

In the 1881 census there were 234 people recorded with the Thornbury surname, ranking it #11,607 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 154, ranked #23,293, down from #11,607 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Malmesbury St Paul, Bidford and Siddington. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Wiltshire, Caerphilly and Warrington.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Thornbury is 235 in 1891. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 34.2%.

1881 census count

234

Ranked #11,607

Modern count

154

2016, ranked #23,293

Peak year

1891

235 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Thornbury had 234 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #11,607 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 154 in 2016, ranked #23,293.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 235 in 1891.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Thornbury surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Thornbury surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Thornbury 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 107 #16,402
1861 historical 135 #16,651
1881 historical 234 #11,607
1891 historical 235 #13,316
1901 historical 189 #15,684
1911 historical 223 #13,951
1997 modern 184 #18,580
1998 modern 180 #19,298
1999 modern 177 #19,670
2000 modern 181 #19,360
2001 modern 177 #19,357
2002 modern 179 #19,598
2003 modern 176 #19,623
2004 modern 170 #20,146
2005 modern 164 #20,552
2006 modern 167 #20,447
2007 modern 174 #20,166
2008 modern 177 #20,169
2009 modern 178 #20,486
2010 modern 169 #21,652
2011 modern 163 #21,983
2012 modern 154 #22,870
2013 modern 152 #23,438
2014 modern 156 #23,231
2015 modern 153 #23,413
2016 modern 154 #23,293

Geography

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Where Thornburys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Malmesbury St Paul, Bidford, Siddington, London parishes and Batley. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Wiltshire, Caerphilly, Warrington, Bristol and Stockport. 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 Malmesbury St Paul Wiltshire
2 Bidford Warwickshire
3 Siddington Gloucestershire
4 London parishes London 3
5 Batley Yorkshire, West Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Wiltshire 002 Wiltshire
2 Caerphilly 014 Caerphilly
3 Warrington 021 Warrington
4 Bristol 033 Bristol, City of
5 Stockport 021 Stockport

Forenames

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First names often paired with Thornbury

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Thornbury

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

Thornbury is most concentrated in decile 1 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy 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.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Thornbury falls in decile 8 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.

8
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Thornbury

The surname Thornbury is of English origin, deriving from the place name Thornbury, which means "thorn-bush village" or "village among thorn bushes." This place name is found in various parts of England, including Gloucestershire, Buckinghamshire, and Herefordshire.

The earliest recorded spelling of the surname dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Thornberie." This entry refers to a place in Gloucestershire, indicating that the name was already well-established in that region by the late 11th century.

In the 13th century, the surname Thornbury appeared in various records, such as the Hundred Rolls of Gloucestershire (1275) and the Assize Court Rolls of Staffordshire (1293). These early references highlight the widespread use of the name across different counties in medieval England.

One notable early bearer of the surname was John Thornbury, who was recorded in the Pipe Rolls of Somerset in 1230. Another early example is William de Thornbury, mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1327.

During the 16th century, the surname Thornbury gained prominence with Sir Walter Thornbury, born in 1510, who served as a member of parliament for Gloucestershire and held significant landholdings in the region.

In the 17th century, the name appears in the records of the New World, with individuals like Thomas Thornbury, who settled in Virginia in 1635, and John Thornbury, who arrived in Maryland in 1671.

Among the notable bearers of the surname in later centuries was George Walter Thornbury, an English author and art critic born in 1828. He is best known for his work "Old and New London," a comprehensive history of the city published in the 1870s.

Another prominent figure was Edward Thornbury, born in 1849, who served as a justice of the peace and held significant influence in local politics in Gloucestershire during the late 19th century.

In the 20th century, one of the most renowned individuals with the surname was Walter Thornbury, a British writer and journalist born in 1908. He gained recognition for his travel writing and contributions to various publications, including The Times and The Daily Telegraph.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Thornbury families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Thornbury 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. Gloucestershire leads with 48 Thornburys recorded in 1881 and an index of 10.72x.

County Total Index
Gloucestershire 48 10.72x
Yorkshire 28 1.24x
Wiltshire 22 10.90x
Lancashire 20 0.74x
Middlesex 20 0.88x
Kent 19 2.44x
Warwickshire 18 3.13x
Glamorgan 14 3.52x
Worcestershire 14 4.70x
Monmouthshire 9 5.45x
Lanarkshire 7 0.95x
Surrey 5 0.45x
Devon 2 0.42x
Sussex 2 0.52x
Buckinghamshire 1 0.72x
Cheshire 1 0.20x
Cumberland 1 0.51x
Durham 1 0.15x
Hampshire 1 0.21x
Nottinghamshire 1 0.33x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Malmesbury St Paul in Wiltshire leads with 18 Thornburys recorded in 1881 and an index of 1034.48x.

Place Total Index
Malmesbury St Paul 18 1034.48x
Orpington 9 378.15x
Tetbury 9 354.33x
Stroud 8 91.85x
Bidford 7 569.11x
Birmingham 7 3.65x
Claines 7 85.57x
Govan 7 3.83x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 6 14.23x
Briton Ferry 6 126.58x
Gravesend 6 91.05x
Hindlip 6 3000.00x
Llanvihangel Llantarnam 6 190.48x
Morley 6 51.02x
St Pancras London 6 3.27x
Staunton 6 6666.67x
Farnworth 5 30.81x
Gloucester Barton St Mary 5 61.05x
Mitcham 5 71.12x
Ripon 5 95.24x
Cheltenham 4 11.58x
Kensington London 4 3.15x
Leeds 4 3.13x
Llantwit Vairdre 4 89.49x
Roath 4 22.16x
Westport St Mary 4 273.97x
Bethnal Green London 3 3.03x
Edgbaston 3 16.81x
Potter Newton 3 75.19x
Thornton In Fylde 3 50.59x
Worsley 3 17.97x
Abergavenny 2 32.36x
Brighton 2 2.58x
Gildersome 2 73.53x
Haslingden 2 17.84x
Leyland 2 42.46x
Pendlebury 2 34.97x
Siddington 2 526.32x
St Marylebone London 2 1.64x
Stow On The Wold 2 202.02x
Westminster St James 2 8.53x
Abinghall 1 476.19x
Aylburton 1 196.08x
Balsall 1 111.11x
Bristol St George 1 4.83x
Brotton 1 33.90x
Burton Cum Walden 1 285.71x
Charlton Next Woolwich 1 12.32x
Chislehurst 1 23.92x
Crosscanonby 1 15.38x
Gloucester Barton St 1 38.17x
Gomersal 1 9.47x
Great Bolton 1 2.79x
Hardwicke 1 196.08x
Holdenhurst 1 8.15x
Honiton 1 38.02x
Hucknall Torkard 1 12.82x
Hunslet 1 2.84x
Little Meolse 1 138.89x
Liverpool 1 0.61x
Maidstone 1 4.31x
Paddington London 1 1.19x
Panteg 1 38.46x
Rodmarton 1 333.33x
Salford 1 1.26x
Shipley 1 8.52x
Skelton In Guisbrough 1 16.34x
South Stainley With 1 588.24x
St George Bloomsbury 1 7.63x
St Pauls Cray 1 166.67x
Streatlam Stainton 1 370.37x
Tormoham 1 4.98x
Upton Cum Chalvey 1 18.18x
Upton On Severn 1 51.28x
Wath In Ripon Norton 1 370.37x
Willesden 1 4.65x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 13
Sarah 10
Ann 8
Elizabeth 7
Alice 6
Jane 5
Anne 4
Charlotte 4
Ellen 4
Emma 3
Ethel 3
Fanny 3
Hannah 3
Caroline 2
Clara 2
Emily 2
Louisa 2
Nancy 2
Pauline 2
Rosa 2
Susan 2
Angella 1
Anna 1
Annie 1
Anzella 1
Beatrice 1
Bessy 1
Betsy 1
Catherine 1
Eda 1
Eleanor 1
Eliza 1
Elizath. 1
Frances 1
Grace 1
Gwinllian 1
Isabella 1
Kate 1
Laura 1
Lillian 1
Lily 1
Margaret 1
Margarett 1
Maria 1
Minnie 1
N.Martha 1
Peninah 1
Rosanna 1
Rose 1
Ruth 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 16
George 11
John 11
James 8
Alfred 4
Ernest 4
Henry 4
Thomas 4
Charles 3
David 3
Edward 3
Frederick 3
Robert 3
Francis 2
Harry 2
Jesse 2
Oliver 2
Albert 1
Andrew 1
Arthur 1
Balbin 1
Bruce 1
Ed. 1
Edwd.B. 1
Egbert 1
Emma 1
Enoch 1
Frank 1
Fred 1
Friend 1
Geo.O. 1
Harrie 1
L.G. 1
Maurice 1
Nathaniel 1
Robt. 1
Samuel 1
Walter 1
Wilfred 1
Wm.Jno. 1

FAQ

Thornbury surname: questions and answers

How common was the Thornbury surname in 1881?

In 1881, 234 people were recorded with the Thornbury surname. That placed it at #11,607 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Thornbury surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 154 in 2016. That gives Thornbury a modern rank of #23,293.

What does the Thornbury surname mean?

An English locational surname derived from the place name "Thornbury".

What does the Thornbury map show?

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