NameCensus.

UK surname

Thornhill

A locational surname referring to someone who lived on or near a hill with thorn bushes.

In the 1881 census there were 1,872 people recorded with the Thornhill surname, ranking it #2,325 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 2,855, ranked #2,353, down from #2,325 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard, London parishes and Manchester. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Halton, Cheshire East and Erewash.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Thornhill is 3,039 in 2000. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 52.5%.

1881 census count

1,872

Ranked #2,325

Modern count

2,855

2016, ranked #2,353

Peak year

2000

3,039 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Thornhill had 1,872 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #2,325 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 2,855 in 2016, ranked #2,353.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 2,659 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Thornhill surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Thornhill surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Thornhill 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 1,091 #2,575
1861 historical 1,245 #2,288
1881 historical 1,872 #2,325
1891 historical 2,104 #2,212
1901 historical 2,353 #2,307
1911 historical 2,659 #1,935
1997 modern 2,855 #2,262
1998 modern 2,970 #2,271
1999 modern 3,016 #2,256
2000 modern 3,039 #2,217
2001 modern 2,961 #2,226
2002 modern 3,024 #2,226
2003 modern 2,957 #2,226
2004 modern 2,925 #2,246
2005 modern 2,839 #2,286
2006 modern 2,824 #2,301
2007 modern 2,850 #2,301
2008 modern 2,871 #2,307
2009 modern 2,942 #2,301
2010 modern 3,002 #2,302
2011 modern 2,955 #2,309
2012 modern 2,878 #2,323
2013 modern 2,928 #2,323
2014 modern 2,960 #2,312
2015 modern 2,903 #2,325
2016 modern 2,855 #2,353

Geography

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Where Thornhills are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard, London parishes, Manchester, Sheffield and Heanor. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Halton, Cheshire East, Erewash, East Cambridgeshire and Derby. 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 Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard Nottinghamshire
2 London parishes London 3
3 Manchester Lancashire
4 Sheffield Yorkshire, West Riding
5 Heanor Nottinghamshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Halton 012 Halton
2 Cheshire East 033 Cheshire East
3 Erewash 003 Erewash
4 East Cambridgeshire 001 East Cambridgeshire
5 Derby 025 Derby

Forenames

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First names often paired with Thornhill

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Thornhill

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Thornhill, 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 Thornhill surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Thornhill 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, Thornhill 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

Thornhill is most concentrated in decile 8 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier 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.

8
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Thornhill 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 Thornhill is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

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

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Thornhill

The surname Thornhill has its roots in England, originating during the medieval period. It is a locational name derived from various places called Thornhill, which were named for the old English words "thorn" meaning hawthorn tree and "hyll" meaning hill. The earliest known bearer of this surname was Robert de Thornhull, recorded in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1219.

The name Thornhill is found in several counties throughout England, indicating that it arose independently in different places. For example, there are places called Thornhill in Dorset, Yorkshire, Derbyshire, and Staffordshire. The Domesday Book of 1086 records a place called Thornhille in Yorkshire, suggesting that the name existed in that area even before the 13th century.

In the 13th century, a family bearing the name Thornhill held lands in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. One notable member was Thomas de Thornhill, who served as a member of parliament for Yorkshire in 1301. Another early record is that of William de Thornhill, a landowner in Northamptonshire in the late 13th century.

As the surname spread across England, variations in spelling emerged, such as Thornhull, Thornell, and Thornill. Some of these variants may have derived from different place names or been influenced by local dialects. One notable bearer of the name in its Thornell form was Richard Thornell, a wealthy merchant and alderman in the City of London in the 16th century.

Sir Isaac Thornhill (1617-1669) was a prominent English lawyer and judge who served as a Member of Parliament and Chief Justice of the Court of Common Pleas under Charles II. Another notable figure was Sir James Thornhill (1675-1734), a celebrated English painter and one of the first members of the revived Society of Artists in London.

In the 18th century, Sir Samuel Thornhill (1704-1784) was a distinguished naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the War of the Austrian Succession and the Seven Years' War. He rose to the rank of Admiral of the Blue and was appointed Governor of Greenwich Hospital in 1770.

The Thornhill surname is also associated with several places in the United States and Canada, likely named after early settlers or locations in England. For example, there is a community called Thornhill in Ontario, Canada, as well as places bearing the name in Texas, Ohio, and West Virginia.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Thornhill families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Thornhill 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 303 Thornhills recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.40x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 303 1.40x
Yorkshire 233 1.29x
Derbyshire 189 6.61x
Nottinghamshire 171 6.95x
Middlesex 156 0.85x
Cheshire 131 3.25x
Staffordshire 126 2.04x
Warwickshire 80 1.74x
Lincolnshire 70 2.40x
Surrey 58 0.65x
Gloucestershire 52 1.45x
Hampshire 43 1.15x
Kent 28 0.45x
Berkshire 26 1.90x
Essex 21 0.58x
Norfolk 20 0.71x
Devon 19 0.50x
Dorset 17 1.42x
Glamorgan 16 0.50x
Bedfordshire 14 1.48x
Northumberland 12 0.44x
Somerset 12 0.41x
Sussex 10 0.32x
Shropshire 8 0.51x
Buckinghamshire 7 0.63x
Leicestershire 7 0.35x
Ayrshire 5 0.37x
Huntingdonshire 5 1.38x
Worcestershire 5 0.21x
Cambridgeshire 4 0.35x
Northamptonshire 4 0.23x
Suffolk 4 0.18x
Durham 3 0.06x
Midlothian 3 0.12x
Channel Islands 2 0.37x
Oxfordshire 2 0.18x
Royal Navy 2 0.92x
Brecknockshire 1 0.27x
Herefordshire 1 0.13x
Radnorshire 1 0.68x
Wiltshire 1 0.06x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Nottingham St Mary in Nottinghamshire leads with 48 Thornhills recorded in 1881 and an index of 7.54x.

Place Total Index
Nottingham St Mary 48 7.54x
Aston 44 3.47x
Beeston 44 155.59x
Ecclesall Bierlow 37 10.05x
Birmingham 33 2.15x
Islington London 32 1.81x
Glossop Dale 27 20.17x
Salford 26 4.08x
Manchester 25 2.57x
Gainsborough 21 30.51x
Leeds 21 2.06x
Nether Hallam 21 8.58x
Sheffield 21 3.65x
Stoke Upon Trent 21 3.21x
Ardwick 20 10.23x
Brightside Bierlow 20 5.64x
Shipley 20 441.50x
West Derby 20 3.15x
West Ham 20 2.51x
Ashton Under Lyne 19 4.01x
Sandbach 19 55.26x
Camberwell 18 1.54x
Hackney London 18 1.76x
Heanor 18 42.10x
Liverpool 18 1.37x
Walsall Borough 18 37.62x
Etwall 17 516.72x
Wantage 17 77.80x
Barthomley 16 686.70x
Walsall Foreign 16 5.03x
Ilkeston 15 18.71x
Handsworth 14 9.21x
Kensington London 14 1.38x
Slimbridge 14 262.66x
St Martin Lincoln 13 47.99x
Derby St Werburgh 12 7.27x
Ecclesfield 12 9.04x
Frampton Cotterell 12 95.47x
Monks Coppenhall 12 7.89x
Southery 12 161.94x
Audley 11 18.04x
Bradford 11 10.84x
Cheetham 11 6.81x
Donington 11 104.96x
Maidstone 11 5.93x
Mickleover 11 124.58x
Openshaw 11 10.84x
Sutton In Macclesfield 11 26.30x
Beswick 10 18.05x
Charlton Kings 10 40.36x
Denton 10 20.82x
Radford 10 8.00x
Runcorn 10 10.76x
Shipley 10 10.65x
Burnage 9 169.49x
Dewsbury 9 4.85x
Lenton 9 15.52x
Poole St James 9 19.99x
Shoreditch London 9 1.14x
Southwark St George Martyr 9 2.45x
Tintwistle 9 41.78x
West Drayton 9 142.63x
Woburn 9 109.62x
Bawtry 8 140.35x
Croydon 8 1.62x
Heaton Norris 8 6.49x
Little Chester 8 222.84x
Mile End Old Town 8 2.78x
Newchurch 8 4.51x
Preston 8 1.38x
South Molton 8 38.31x
St George Hanover 8 3.36x
Stoke Damerel 8 3.01x
Alverstoke 7 5.17x
Attercliffe Cum Darnall 7 4.15x
Blackburn 7 1.21x
Chilwell 7 107.03x
Droylsden 7 9.90x
Holy Trinity 7 1.61x
Southampton St Mary 7 2.97x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 125
Sarah 74
Elizabeth 68
Ann 39
Hannah 36
Annie 34
Eliza 29
Ellen 26
Jane 25
Emma 22
Alice 21
Emily 21
Maria 20
Clara 18
Martha 18
Margaret 17
Harriet 16
Fanny 15
Caroline 13
Florence 13
Edith 12
Kate 12
Ada 10
Rebecca 9
Harriett 8
Charlotte 7
Anne 6
Elizth. 6
Amelia 5
Catherine 5
Ethel 5
Louisa 5
Lucy 5
Bertha 4
Dorothy 4
Esther 4
Frances 4
Gertrude 4
Lilly 4
Lily 4
Lizzie 4
Margt. 4
Marian 4
Phoebe 4
Sophia 4
Susan 4
Julia 3
Lillian 3
Maud 3
Violet 3

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 108
William 101
George 70
Thomas 65
James 47
Henry 42
Samuel 38
Charles 35
Joseph 35
Edward 29
Alfred 18
Richard 18
Arthur 17
Walter 17
Albert 15
Frederick 13
Harry 11
Herbert 10
Edwin 9
Robert 9
Ernest 8
Wm. 8
Frank 6
Fredk. 5
Mark 5
Saml. 5
Chas. 4
Edmund 4
Francis 4
Harold 4
Isaac 4
Amos 3
Benjamin 3
David 3
Edgar 3
Jas. 3
Jno. 3
Joe 3
Reuben 3
Tom 3
Willm. 3
Anthony 2
Cecil 2
Clement 2
Daniel 2
G. 2
Geo. 2
Lewis 2
Phillip 2
Richd. 2

FAQ

Thornhill surname: questions and answers

How common was the Thornhill surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,872 people were recorded with the Thornhill surname. That placed it at #2,325 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Thornhill surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 2,855 in 2016. That gives Thornhill a modern rank of #2,353.

What does the Thornhill surname mean?

A locational surname referring to someone who lived on or near a hill with thorn bushes.

What does the Thornhill map show?

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