NameCensus.

UK surname

Thorning

An English surname derived from a place name containing the Old English word "thorn" meaning thorn tree or bush.

In the 1881 census there were 153 people recorded with the Thorning surname, ranking it #15,320 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 96, ranked #31,684, down from #15,320 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Dartmorth St Petrox, Dartmouth St Saviour, Townstall, Ashprington, Halwell, Blackawton, Stoke Flemin, London parishes and Merthyr Dovan, Highlight. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Hart, South Hams and Wirral.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Thorning is 225 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 37.3%.

1881 census count

153

Ranked #15,320

Modern count

96

2016, ranked #31,684

Peak year

1911

225 bearers

Map years

7

1851 to 1998

Key insights

  • Thorning had 153 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #15,320 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 96 in 2016, ranked #31,684.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 225 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Thorning surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Thorning surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Thorning 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 115 #15,634
1861 historical 144 #15,817
1881 historical 153 #15,320
1891 historical 187 #15,679
1901 historical 212 #14,611
1911 historical 225 #13,874
1997 modern 104 #26,351
1998 modern 110 #26,129
1999 modern 111 #26,182
2000 modern 118 #25,197
2001 modern 111 #25,767
2002 modern 114 #25,886
2003 modern 108 #26,486
2004 modern 103 #27,503
2005 modern 100 #28,025
2006 modern 96 #28,946
2007 modern 100 #28,669
2008 modern 96 #29,654
2009 modern 95 #30,393
2010 modern 96 #30,854
2011 modern 89 #31,659
2012 modern 91 #31,659
2013 modern 94 #31,656
2014 modern 96 #31,667
2015 modern 95 #31,749
2016 modern 96 #31,684

Geography

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Where Thornings are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Dartmorth St Petrox, Dartmouth St Saviour, Townstall, Ashprington, Halwell, Blackawton, Stoke Flemin, London parishes, Merthyr Dovan, Highlight, Malborough and Plympstock. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Hart, South Hams and Wirral. 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 Dartmorth St Petrox, Dartmouth St Saviour, Townstall, Ashprington, Halwell, Blackawton, Stoke Flemin Devon
2 London parishes London 3
3 Merthyr Dovan, Highlight Glamorganshire
4 Malborough Devon
5 Plympstock Devon

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Hart 006 Hart
2 South Hams 005 South Hams
3 Wirral 001 Wirral
4 Wirral 023 Wirral
5 Wirral 038 Wirral

Forenames

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First names often paired with Thorning

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Thorning

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

Ageing Communities

Nationally, the Thorning surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Ageing Communities, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Thorning household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many residents are of normal retirement age or above and live in communal establishments, and there are few dependent children. The dominant property type is a mix of retirement flats and detached houses. Those in work are likely to be employed in managerial and professional occupations, and many residents are educated to degree level. Levels of owner occupation are high, but the private rental sector is also present. Rural locations predominate.

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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Established Homeowners with Children

Within London, Thorning is most associated with areas classed as Established Homeowners with Children, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. 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 predominantly British-born residents are typically married/in civil partnerships and own the properties in which they are raising their children. Parents are typically over 45, and many other residents are beyond normal retirement age. Detached and semi-detached houses predominate and multiple car ownership is common.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Thorning is most concentrated in decile 5 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.

5
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Thorning falls in decile 10 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.

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Thorning is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 20-25 mbit/s.

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

4
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Thorning

The surname Thorning is of English origin, deriving from a location name in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The name is believed to have originated in the late 12th or early 13th century, with records showing variations such as Thorninge, Thornyngge, and Thorningge.

The name is thought to be derived from the Old English words "þorn" meaning thorn bush and "ing" meaning meadow or enclosure, indicating that the original bearers of the name likely resided near a meadow or enclosure surrounded by thorn bushes.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Thorning can be found in the Feet of Fines for Yorkshire in 1246, which mentions a William de Thorninge. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 also reference a John de Thorningge in Lincolnshire.

During the medieval period, the name appeared in various forms, such as Thornyng and Thornyngge, reflecting the fluid nature of surname spellings at the time. Records from the 14th century include a Robert de Thornyngge in the Poll Tax Returns of Yorkshire in 1379.

Notable individuals with the surname Thorning throughout history include:

1. Sir John Thorning (c. 1565-1619), an English politician who served as Member of Parliament for East Retford in 1604 and 1614. 2. William Thorning (1597-1667), an English clergyman and author who wrote "An Exposition Upon the First Ten Verses of the Fifth Chapter of the Epistle of St. Paul to the Romans" in 1637. 3. Elizabeth Thorning (c. 1620-1685), a woman accused of witchcraft during the Salem Witch Trials in 1692. She was eventually found not guilty and released. 4. Thomas Thorning (1765-1834), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars and was present at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. 5. Hilda Thorning (1886-1973), a Norwegian-American artist known for her landscape paintings and portraits, particularly of Native American subjects.

The surname Thorning has also been associated with various place names, such as Thorning in Derbyshire, Thorning in Nottinghamshire, and Thorning Hill in Kent, further emphasizing its geographical origins.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Thorning families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Thorning 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. Devon leads with 93 Thornings recorded in 1881 and an index of 29.74x.

County Total Index
Devon 93 29.74x
Middlesex 21 1.40x
Surrey 18 2.46x
Somerset 7 2.90x
Gloucestershire 6 2.04x
Glamorgan 4 1.53x
Cornwall 1 0.59x
Derbyshire 1 0.43x
Kent 1 0.20x
Lancashire 1 0.06x
Royal Navy 1 5.59x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Plymouth Charles The in Devon leads with 13 Thornings recorded in 1881 and an index of 94.34x.

Place Total Index
Plymouth Charles The 13 94.34x
Blackawton 12 2181.82x
Chelsea London 11 24.30x
Plymouth St Andrew 9 37.36x
Bedminster 7 30.81x
Churston Ferrers 6 1818.18x
Malborough 6 483.87x
Southwark St John 6 130.72x
Wandsworth 6 41.49x
Camberwell 5 5.21x
Clifton 5 33.58x
East Portlemouth 5 3125.00x
Kensington London 5 5.99x
Plymstock 5 304.88x
Slapton 5 1562.50x
Tormoham 5 37.79x
Plympton St Mary 4 220.99x
Stoke 4 314.96x
Dodbrooke 3 483.87x
East Stonehouse 3 48.70x
Halwell 3 882.35x
Roath 3 25.25x
Brixham 2 55.25x
Devonport 2 55.71x
Islington London 2 1.37x
St Marylebone London 2 2.49x
Stokefleming 2 512.82x
Berry Pomeroy 1 192.31x
Bristol St Augustine 1 21.05x
Cardiff St Mary 1 6.94x
Deptford St Paul 1 2.53x
Falmouth 1 16.61x
Harberton 1 140.85x
Mapperley 1 454.55x
Newton Ferrers 1 277.78x
Paddington London 1 1.81x
Penge 1 10.42x
Royal Navy 1 6.54x
St Budeaux 1 103.09x
West Derby 1 1.92x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 11
Elizabeth 7
Ann 5
Alice 4
Sarah 4
Emily 3
Jane 3
Jessie 3
Kate 3
Annie 2
Caroline 2
Florence 2
Ada 1
Adeliza 1
Amelia 1
Bernice 1
Bessie 1
Betsey 1
Charlotte 1
Cristina 1
Edith 1
Elizth.L. 1
Ellen 1
Elling 1
Eve 1
Hannah 1
Harriet 1
Julia 1
Ketneah 1
Lavinia 1
Lizzie 1
Louisa 1
Lucy 1
Margaret 1
Maria 1
Math.U. 1
Maude 1
S. 1
Thelma 1
Trelilih 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 11
William 9
Thomas 7
Albert 4
Arthur 4
Charles 4
Frederick 4
Henry 4
Joseph 3
Edwin 2
Ernest 2
Robert 2
Saml. 2
Adam 1
Alfred 1
August 1
Frank 1
Fredk. 1
Jarvis 1
Jno. 1
Leo. 1
Rd 1
Richard 1
Saml.F. 1
Samuel 1
Tho. 1
Walford 1
Welfred 1
Wellford 1
Willian 1
Zepha 1

FAQ

Thorning surname: questions and answers

How common was the Thorning surname in 1881?

In 1881, 153 people were recorded with the Thorning surname. That placed it at #15,320 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Thorning surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 96 in 2016. That gives Thorning a modern rank of #31,684.

What does the Thorning surname mean?

An English surname derived from a place name containing the Old English word "thorn" meaning thorn tree or bush.

What does the Thorning map show?

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