NameCensus.

UK surname

Thorndike

An English locational surname originating from a place named Thorndike or Thorndyke.

In the 1881 census there were 238 people recorded with the Thorndike surname, ranking it #11,476 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 168, ranked #21,984, down from #11,476 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Cliffe, Strubby with Woodthorp and Worlingworth. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include East Lindsey, North Kesteven and Doncaster.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Thorndike is 248 in 1891. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 29.4%.

1881 census count

238

Ranked #11,476

Modern count

168

2016, ranked #21,984

Peak year

1891

248 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Thorndike had 238 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #11,476 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 168 in 2016, ranked #21,984.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 248 in 1891.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Thorndike surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Thorndike surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Thorndike 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 189 #10,896
1861 historical 181 #12,997
1881 historical 238 #11,476
1891 historical 248 #12,849
1901 historical 171 #16,689
1911 historical 213 #14,379
1997 modern 179 #18,889
1998 modern 183 #19,106
1999 modern 193 #18,642
2000 modern 191 #18,752
2001 modern 185 #18,840
2002 modern 182 #19,411
2003 modern 180 #19,347
2004 modern 169 #20,206
2005 modern 168 #20,227
2006 modern 163 #20,789
2007 modern 168 #20,634
2008 modern 172 #20,523
2009 modern 175 #20,707
2010 modern 165 #22,026
2011 modern 169 #21,499
2012 modern 175 #20,984
2013 modern 179 #21,028
2014 modern 179 #21,186
2015 modern 173 #21,542
2016 modern 168 #21,984

Geography

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Where Thorndikes are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Cliffe, Strubby with Woodthorp, Worlingworth and London parishes. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to East Lindsey, North Kesteven, Doncaster, Allerdale and Breckland. 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 Cliffe Kent
2 Strubby with Woodthorp Lincolnshire
3 Worlingworth Suffolk
4 London parishes London 1
5 London parishes London 3

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 East Lindsey 008 East Lindsey
2 North Kesteven 012 North Kesteven
3 Doncaster 015 Doncaster
4 Allerdale 005 Allerdale
5 Breckland 013 Breckland

Forenames

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First names often paired with Thorndike

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Thorndike

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

Spacious Rural Living

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

These predominantly ageing households typically have no resident dependent children. Most are owner-occupiers and live in detached houses in low density residential developments (although renting is more common than in the rest of the Supergroup). White ethnicity predominates. Residents are typically beyond retirement age but those still in work have managerial, professional or skilled trade occupations. White ethnicity and Christian religious affiliation predominate. Neighbourhoods are located throughout rural UK.

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

Skilled Trades and Construction Workers

Within London, Thorndike is most associated with areas classed as Skilled Trades and Construction 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

These scattered, peripheral and often low residential density neighbourhoods house more workers in skilled trades and construction. Few households rent social housing and there are few students. Multiple car ownership is higher than the Supergroup average, perhaps because of poorer public transport connectivity. Incidence of mixed or multiple ethnicity is below the Supergroup average, and the absence of individuals identifying as Pakistani or Other Asian groups is also less pronounced. Flatted accommodation is less dominant than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

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

Thorndike 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

Thorndike falls in decile 2 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.

2
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Thorndike is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 25-30 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

5
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Thorndike, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Thorndike

The surname Thorndike is of English origin, derived from a place name referring to a thorny dike or hedge. It is believed to have originated in the West Midlands region of England during the medieval period.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Tornedic" in reference to a location in Staffordshire. This suggests that the name had already been established in England by the late 11th century.

In the 13th century, the name was recorded as "Thornedich" and "Thornedik" in various legal documents and charters from Warwickshire and Worcestershire. These variations reflect the evolution of spelling over time.

A notable individual bearing the surname Thorndike was John Thorndike, a prominent English churchman and academic who lived from 1551 to 1639. He served as the Regius Professor of Divinity at the University of Cambridge and published several influential works on theology.

Another significant figure was Herbert Thorndike, an English theologian and philosopher who lived from 1598 to 1672. He was a staunch defender of the Church of England and authored numerous treatises on religious doctrine and church governance.

In the 18th century, the name Thorndike was associated with the village of Thorndike in Hertfordshire, which likely derived its name from the same linguistic roots as the surname.

George Thorndike, born in 1705, was a notable English landowner and member of Parliament who represented the borough of Orford in Suffolk from 1754 to 1768.

Edward Thorndike, an American psychologist and educational theorist, made significant contributions to the field of educational psychology in the early 20th century. Born in 1874, he is renowned for his work on animal intelligence and the law of effect in learning.

Another noteworthy individual was Ashley Horace Thorndike, a prominent American scholar and lexicographer who lived from 1909 to 1972. He was best known for his work on the Oxford English Dictionary and his research on the history of the English language.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Thorndike families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Thorndike 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. Suffolk leads with 93 Thorndikes recorded in 1881 and an index of 32.75x.

County Total Index
Suffolk 93 32.75x
Lincolnshire 58 15.56x
Kent 29 3.65x
Middlesex 17 0.73x
Yorkshire 12 0.52x
Surrey 11 0.97x
Essex 6 1.30x
Norfolk 5 1.39x
Somerset 3 0.80x
Gloucestershire 2 0.44x
Durham 1 0.14x
Oxfordshire 1 0.69x
Royal Navy 1 3.60x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Cliffe in Kent leads with 28 Thorndikes recorded in 1881 and an index of 1564.25x.

Place Total Index
Cliffe 28 1564.25x
Eye 27 1475.41x
Worlingworth 12 2352.94x
Strubby 11 4782.61x
Willoughby 11 2244.90x
Debenham 9 957.45x
Horham 9 3333.33x
Idle 9 84.03x
Rotherhithe 9 31.25x
Occold 8 1904.76x
Syleham 8 3636.36x
Wyham With Cadeby 8 7272.73x
Denham 7 2000.00x
St Pancras London 7 3.73x
Athelington 6 6000.00x
Bracebridge 5 294.12x
Hornsey 5 16.96x
Thornton Curtis 5 1315.79x
Alford 4 173.16x
Brome 4 1904.76x
Colchester St Botolph 4 102.30x
Paddington London 4 4.67x
Wortwell 4 1212.12x
Clee With Weelsby 3 36.76x
Doncaster 3 17.77x
North Willingham 3 1764.71x
Walcot 3 15.01x
Belchford 2 512.82x
Bilsby 2 487.80x
Croxton 2 2000.00x
Ipswich St Clement 2 27.70x
St Swithin Lincoln 2 34.13x
Westbury On Trym 2 12.91x
Camberwell 1 0.67x
Cowley 1 22.27x
Gravesend 1 14.86x
Halstead 1 18.62x
Kensington London 1 0.77x
Lambeth 1 0.49x
Redenhall 1 71.94x
Royal Navy 1 4.21x
Thorndon All Sts 1 196.08x
Usworth 1 27.17x
Walthamstow 1 6.04x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 12
Emma 9
Alice 8
Ellen 8
Sarah 8
Ann 6
Maria 6
Eliza 5
Elizabeth 5
Fanny 3
Florence 3
Jane 3
Louisa 3
Rose 3
Anne 2
Caroline 2
Clara 2
Emily 2
Isabella 2
Jemmina 2
Lucy 2
Lydia 2
Susan 2
Ada 1
Anna 1
Annie 1
Betsy 1
Candacia 1
Charity 1
Charlotte 1
Dinah 1
Edey 1
Elizth. 1
Emlia 1
Faith 1
Georga 1
Gertrude 1
Hephzibah 1
Julia 1
Kate 1
Margaret 1
Martha 1
Maud 1
Nellie 1
Rachel 1
Rosa 1
Sabina 1
Sophia 1
Susanna 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 14
George 13
John 11
Walter 8
Frederick 7
James 7
Thomas 7
Edward 4
Joseph 3
Robert 3
Albert 2
Charles 2
Francis 2
Harry 2
Herbert 2
Richard 2
Simon 2
Syer 2
Alfred 1
Arthur 1
Benjamin 1
Charls 1
Chas. 1
Cornelius 1
David 1
Francies 1
Frank 1
Fredk. 1
Freeman 1
Geo. 1
Henry 1
Horace 1
Isaac 1
Isac 1
Job 1
Samuel 1
Tom 1

FAQ

Thorndike surname: questions and answers

How common was the Thorndike surname in 1881?

In 1881, 238 people were recorded with the Thorndike surname. That placed it at #11,476 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Thorndike surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 168 in 2016. That gives Thorndike a modern rank of #21,984.

What does the Thorndike surname mean?

An English locational surname originating from a place named Thorndike or Thorndyke.

What does the Thorndike map show?

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