NameCensus.

UK surname

Thorp

A locational surname referring to someone who lived near a hamlet, village, or secondary settlement.

In the 1881 census there were 4,061 people recorded with the Thorp surname, ranking it #1,113 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 2,831, ranked #2,379, down from #1,113 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Halifax and Manchester. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Suffolk Coastal, Leeds and West Berkshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Thorp is 4,514 in 1851. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 30.3%.

1881 census count

4,061

Ranked #1,113

Modern count

2,831

2016, ranked #2,379

Peak year

1851

4,514 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Thorp had 4,061 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,113 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 2,831 in 2016, ranked #2,379.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 4,514 in 1851.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Thorp surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Thorp surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Thorp 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 4,514 #626
1861 historical 4,069 #687
1881 historical 4,061 #1,113
1891 historical 3,732 #1,283
1901 historical 3,885 #1,452
1911 historical 4,335 #1,194
1997 modern 3,009 #2,143
1998 modern 3,111 #2,157
1999 modern 3,162 #2,139
2000 modern 3,119 #2,160
2001 modern 3,051 #2,155
2002 modern 3,082 #2,184
2003 modern 2,964 #2,218
2004 modern 2,968 #2,212
2005 modern 2,849 #2,282
2006 modern 2,854 #2,276
2007 modern 2,870 #2,288
2008 modern 2,891 #2,285
2009 modern 2,936 #2,305
2010 modern 3,012 #2,296
2011 modern 2,917 #2,333
2012 modern 2,834 #2,355
2013 modern 2,885 #2,356
2014 modern 2,875 #2,380
2015 modern 2,844 #2,382
2016 modern 2,831 #2,379

Geography

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Where Thorps are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Halifax and Manchester. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Suffolk Coastal, Leeds, West Berkshire and South Kesteven. 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 London parishes London 1
2 Halifax Yorkshire, West Riding
3 London parishes London 3
4 Manchester Lancashire
5 London parishes London 2

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Suffolk Coastal 004 Suffolk Coastal
2 Leeds 098 Leeds
3 Leeds 097 Leeds
4 West Berkshire 010 West Berkshire
5 South Kesteven 009 South Kesteven

Forenames

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First names often paired with Thorp

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Thorp

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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Thorp is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. 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

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Thorp is most concentrated in decile 10 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.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Thorp

The surname Thorp originated in England, derived from the Old English word "þrop," which referred to a small village or hamlet. It is believed to have first emerged in the northern counties of Yorkshire and Lincolnshire during the Anglo-Saxon period, around the 5th to 7th centuries.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which mentions a landholder named Torp in Yorkshire. This suggests that the name was already well-established in the region by the time of the Norman Conquest.

Throughout the Middle Ages, the surname appeared in various spellings, such as Thorp, Thorpe, and Thoropp, reflecting the regional dialects and scribal variations of the time. Some of these variations may have been influenced by the Old Norse word "þorp," which had a similar meaning.

The name Thorp is often associated with place names in England, such as Thorp Arch in Yorkshire, Thorp Underwood in Northamptonshire, and Thorpe-le-Soken in Essex. These place names likely originated from the Old English word "þrop" and later evolved into the modern surname.

One notable bearer of the name was Sir Robert Thorp (c. 1340-1409), a Yorkshire landowner and Member of Parliament during the reign of King Richard II. Another prominent figure was Sir William Thorp (c. 1451-1518), a lawyer and judge who served as Chief Justice of the King's Bench under King Henry VIII.

In the literary realm, the name is associated with John Thorpe (c. 1565-1655), an English architect and surveyor who made significant contributions to the Elizabethan and Jacobean architectural styles. His work can be seen in various notable buildings, including Longford Castle in Wiltshire.

The name Thorp also has a connection to the American colonies. One of the earliest recorded instances is Thomas Thorp, who arrived in Virginia in 1623. Another notable bearer was Benjamin Thorp (1726-1804), a Revolutionary War soldier and early settler in Ohio.

Other individuals with the surname Thorp include John Thorp (1815-1892), a British painter known for his landscapes and genre scenes, and Willard Thorp (1899-1990), an American literary critic and educator who taught at Princeton University.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Thorp families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Thorp 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. Yorkshire leads with 1,198 Thorps recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.05x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 1,198 3.05x
Lancashire 788 1.68x
Middlesex 368 0.93x
Surrey 258 1.34x
Kent 160 1.18x
Cheshire 158 1.81x
Derbyshire 139 2.24x
Durham 86 0.73x
Leicestershire 85 1.94x
Hampshire 78 0.96x
Essex 76 0.97x
Berkshire 68 2.29x
Staffordshire 64 0.48x
Suffolk 57 1.18x
Norfolk 56 0.92x
Lincolnshire 45 0.71x
Sussex 43 0.64x
Cambridgeshire 40 1.59x
Buckinghamshire 38 1.59x
Warwickshire 35 0.35x
Northumberland 24 0.41x
Nottinghamshire 23 0.43x
Worcestershire 17 0.33x
Oxfordshire 15 0.61x
Rutland 15 5.16x
Gloucestershire 14 0.18x
Hertfordshire 13 0.48x
Wiltshire 13 0.37x
Lanarkshire 12 0.09x
Northamptonshire 11 0.30x
Channel Islands 7 0.60x
Shropshire 7 0.20x
Somerset 7 0.11x
Devon 6 0.07x
Midlothian 6 0.11x
Glamorgan 5 0.07x
Cumberland 4 0.12x
Huntingdonshire 4 0.51x
Bedfordshire 3 0.15x
Monmouthshire 3 0.10x
Pembrokeshire 3 0.24x
Royal Navy 3 0.64x
Anglesey 1 0.14x
Fife 1 0.04x
Herefordshire 1 0.06x
Montgomeryshire 1 0.11x
Westmorland 1 0.11x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Leeds in Yorkshire leads with 133 Thorps recorded in 1881 and an index of 6.00x.

Place Total Index
Leeds 133 6.00x
Manchester 91 4.31x
Hackney London 89 4.01x
Lambeth 68 1.97x
Golcar 47 45.30x
Ashton Under Lyne 45 4.38x
Chorlton On Medlock 40 5.36x
Skircoat 39 25.20x
Sale 38 35.43x
Leicester St Margaret 37 3.46x
Bury 36 6.71x
Shelf 36 96.05x
Sowerby In Halifax 33 25.72x
Prestwich 32 27.29x
Horton In Bradford 31 5.06x
Hunslet 31 5.07x
Derwent 30 1176.47x
Dukinfield 30 7.43x
Portsea 29 1.82x
Repton 29 123.72x
Sculcoates 29 4.66x
Northowram 28 10.17x
Camberwell 27 1.07x
Linthwaite 27 32.74x
Swavesey 27 167.91x
Croydon 26 2.43x
Hammersmith London 26 2.67x
Ovenden 25 14.31x
Wortley In Bramley 25 8.04x
Benfieldside 24 30.97x
Huddersfield 24 4.20x
Oldham 24 1.58x
Deptford St Paul 23 2.21x
Islington London 23 0.60x
Tottington Lower End 23 10.30x
Southwark St George Martyr 22 2.76x
Birmingham 21 0.63x
Little Heaton 21 187.00x
Stockport 21 4.67x
Liversedge 20 11.45x
Barking 19 76.09x
Clerkenwell London 19 2.03x
Gorton 19 4.30x
Salford 19 1.37x
St Pancras London 19 0.60x
Wooldale 19 28.55x
Barton Upon Irwell 18 5.09x
Bedford 18 18.31x
Blackley 18 21.85x
Bromley London 18 2.07x
Halifax 18 3.12x
Armley 17 9.82x
Atherton 17 9.94x
Battersea 17 1.17x
Pendleton In Salford 17 3.04x
Elland Cum Greetland 16 9.05x
Moss Side 16 6.47x
Nether Hallam 16 3.01x
Newton 16 4.42x
Terrington St John 16 174.67x
Batley 15 4.02x
Bradford 15 1.58x
Lockwood 15 10.62x
Maldon St Peter 15 37.66x
Saddleworth 15 4.95x
Sheffield 15 1.20x
St George Hanover 15 2.90x
Aldeburgh 14 49.04x
Glossop Dale 14 4.82x
Maidstone 14 3.48x
Nottingham St Mary 14 1.01x
Preston 14 1.11x
Shoreditch London 14 0.82x
Castleton 13 2.77x
Holy Trinity 13 1.38x
Little Bolton 13 2.15x
Shipley 13 6.38x
Stayley 13 13.01x
Tipton 13 3.18x
West Derby 13 0.95x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 277
Sarah 163
Elizabeth 125
Ann 95
Emma 81
Annie 66
Jane 64
Alice 63
Hannah 62
Eliza 57
Emily 52
Ellen 51
Harriet 38
Martha 38
Margaret 35
Ada 33
Clara 31
Caroline 29
Edith 27
Fanny 26
Louisa 23
Maria 23
Frances 22
Florence 21
Charlotte 20
Kate 16
Amy 14
Anne 14
Esther 14
Minnie 14
Catherine 13
Lucy 13
Agnes 12
Eleanor 12
Susan 11
Gertrude 10
Isabella 10
Beatrice 9
Bertha 9
Rebecca 9
Sophia 9
Jessie 8
Matilda 8
Amelia 7
Mabel 7
Rose 7
Ruth 7
Susannah 7
Grace 6
Laura 6

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 240
William 221
Thomas 135
James 131
George 112
Henry 82
Joseph 79
Charles 69
Edward 54
Arthur 46
Alfred 41
Robert 38
Walter 37
Samuel 36
Albert 34
Richard 34
Frederick 27
Harry 25
Frank 21
Benjamin 20
David 20
Ernest 18
Fred 13
Herbert 12
Daniel 10
Wm. 10
Edwin 9
Fredrick 9
Sidney 9
Jonathan 8
Tom 8
Harold 7
Isaac 7
Joe 7
Edgar 6
Francis 6
Percy 6
Peter 6
Sam 6
Geo. 5
Michael 5
Thos. 5
Abraham 4
Christopher 4
Friend 4
Jno. 4
Sydney 4
Ben 3
Mark 3
Stephen 3

FAQ

Thorp surname: questions and answers

How common was the Thorp surname in 1881?

In 1881, 4,061 people were recorded with the Thorp surname. That placed it at #1,113 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Thorp surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 2,831 in 2016. That gives Thorp a modern rank of #2,379.

What does the Thorp surname mean?

A locational surname referring to someone who lived near a hamlet, village, or secondary settlement.

What does the Thorp map show?

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