NameCensus.

UK surname

Thorpe

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

In the 1881 census there were 11,830 people recorded with the Thorpe surname, ranking it #362 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 17,620, ranked #351, up from #362 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard and Manchester. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include King's Lynn and West Norfolk, South Holland and Mid Suffolk.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Thorpe is 18,240 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 48.9%.

1881 census count

11,830

Ranked #362

Modern count

17,620

2016, ranked #351

Peak year

1999

18,240 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Thorpe had 11,830 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #362 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 17,620 in 2016, ranked #351.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 17,118 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Thorpe surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Thorpe surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Thorpe 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 6,035 #460
1861 historical 6,788 #412
1881 historical 11,830 #362
1891 historical 13,480 #322
1901 historical 15,764 #324
1911 historical 17,118 #274
1997 modern 17,669 #331
1998 modern 18,219 #334
1999 modern 18,240 #336
2000 modern 18,044 #338
2001 modern 17,640 #338
2002 modern 17,911 #342
2003 modern 17,395 #343
2004 modern 17,416 #342
2005 modern 17,142 #342
2006 modern 17,065 #343
2007 modern 17,144 #344
2008 modern 17,367 #341
2009 modern 17,842 #340
2010 modern 18,150 #341
2011 modern 17,852 #343
2012 modern 17,476 #344
2013 modern 17,919 #343
2014 modern 17,989 #345
2015 modern 17,761 #347
2016 modern 17,620 #351

Geography

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Where Thorpes are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard, Manchester and Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to King's Lynn and West Norfolk, South Holland, Mid Suffolk, North East Derbyshire and Ryedale. 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 Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard Nottinghamshire
3 London parishes London 3
4 Manchester Lancashire
5 Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars Leicestershire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 King's Lynn and West Norfolk 016 King's Lynn and West Norfolk
2 South Holland 008 South Holland
3 Mid Suffolk 011 Mid Suffolk
4 North East Derbyshire 004 North East Derbyshire
5 Ryedale 008 Ryedale

Forenames

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First names often paired with Thorpe

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Thorpe

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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins

Within London, Thorpe is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. 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

Scattered across London’s Inner and Outer suburbs, residents of these neighbourhoods are typically housed in the social rented sector. Although terraced and semi-detached houses predominate, more residents live in flats than elsewhere in the Supergroup. Neighbourhoods are more ethnically diverse than the Supergroup average. Those identifying as of Bangladeshi, Pakistani and some Black ethnicities are more prevalent. Europeans born in a overseas non-EU countries make up more of the lower proportion of residents identifying as White. Few residents are very old (85+). Employment in distribution, hotels and restaurants is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Thorpe is most concentrated in decile 7 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.

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Thorpe

The surname Thorpe originates from England and dates back to the Anglo-Saxon period. It is a toponymic name derived from the Old English word "þorp," which means a small village or hamlet. The name likely referred to someone who lived in or near a small settlement.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, a survey of landholdings in England, there are several references to places with names containing the element "Thorpe," such as Thorpe St. Peter in Norfolk and Thorpe-on-the-Hill in Lincolnshire. These early records indicate the widespread use of the name across various regions of England.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Thorpe can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1166, where a person named Robert de Thorp is mentioned. Another early bearer of the name was William de Thorpe, a 14th-century English judge and Chief Justice of the King's Bench.

Thorpe is also associated with several notable historical figures. Sir Edmund Thorpe (c. 1490-1558) was an English courtier and politician who served as Chief Clerk of the Household during the reign of Henry VIII. Robert Thorpe (1622-1672) was an English politician and member of the Parliament of England during the English Civil War.

In literature, the name is associated with the English poet and critic Thomas Thorpe (fl. 1600-1635), who is best known for publishing Shakespeare's sonnets in 1609. Another literary figure with this surname is the English novelist and children's writer Adam Thorpe (born 1956), known for his novels "Ulverton" and "Pieces of Light."

Other notable individuals with the surname Thorpe include the British artist and sculptor Sir Robert Thorpe (1765-1836), the English cricketer and footballer Frank Thorpe (1888-1971), and the American Olympic athlete Jim Thorpe (1887-1953), who was considered one of the greatest athletes of the 20th century.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Thorpe families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Thorpe 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 2,740 Thorpes recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.39x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 2,740 2.39x
Lancashire 1,898 1.38x
Middlesex 953 0.83x
Derbyshire 831 4.60x
Nottinghamshire 654 4.20x
Lincolnshire 586 3.17x
Kent 462 1.17x
Surrey 456 0.81x
Sussex 425 2.18x
Leicestershire 351 2.74x
Norfolk 277 1.56x
Suffolk 272 1.93x
Cheshire 259 1.02x
Warwickshire 189 0.65x
Essex 167 0.73x
Staffordshire 154 0.40x
Rutland 152 17.92x
Buckinghamshire 131 1.88x
Cambridgeshire 115 1.57x
Hampshire 104 0.44x
Durham 85 0.25x
Northamptonshire 71 0.65x
Berkshire 60 0.69x
Oxfordshire 60 0.84x
Gloucestershire 38 0.17x
Shropshire 38 0.38x
Lanarkshire 34 0.09x
Cumberland 32 0.32x
Hertfordshire 27 0.34x
Northumberland 25 0.15x
Worcestershire 23 0.15x
Huntingdonshire 18 0.78x
Renfrewshire 17 0.19x
Bedfordshire 16 0.27x
Caernarfonshire 16 0.34x
Devon 15 0.06x
Midlothian 12 0.08x
Cornwall 11 0.08x
Channel Islands 9 0.26x
Somerset 9 0.05x
Glamorgan 7 0.03x
Royal Navy 7 0.51x
Wiltshire 7 0.07x
Monmouthshire 5 0.06x
Stirlingshire 5 0.12x
Carmarthenshire 3 0.06x
Dorset 3 0.04x
Pembrokeshire 3 0.08x
Westmorland 3 0.12x
Dunbartonshire 2 0.06x
Denbighshire 1 0.02x
Morayshire 1 0.06x
Perthshire 1 0.02x

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 141 Thorpes recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.50x.

Place Total Index
Nottingham St Mary 141 3.50x
Ashton Under Lyne 128 4.27x
Sheffield 127 3.49x
Manchester 126 2.04x
Ecclesall Bierlow 124 5.33x
Leeds 114 1.76x
Brightside Bierlow 110 4.90x
Oldham 110 2.49x
Islington London 109 0.97x
Leicester St Margaret 100 3.20x
Salford 98 2.43x
Middleton In Oldham 94 22.87x
Dukinfield 92 7.81x
Codnor Loscoe 87 60.75x
St Pancras London 85 0.91x
Uppingham 78 77.16x
Pendleton In Salford 71 4.35x
Glossop Dale 66 7.79x
High Low Bishopside 63 62.05x
Steeple Claydon 61 180.69x
St Marylebone London 60 0.97x
Camberwell 57 0.77x
Atherton 56 11.23x
Horton In Bradford 56 3.13x
Kirkby In Ashfield 55 33.03x
Newington 55 1.29x
Bethnal Green London 54 1.08x
Ecclesfield 53 6.32x
Kensington London 53 0.83x
Huddersfield 49 2.94x
Tonbridge 48 3.38x
Attercliffe Cum Darnall 47 4.41x
Birmingham 45 0.46x
Nether Hallam 44 2.84x
Snenton 44 7.19x
Lockwood 43 10.44x
Newton 43 4.07x
Heanor 42 15.53x
Lambeth 42 0.42x
Battersea 41 0.96x
Bradford 41 1.48x
Croydon 41 1.31x
Hulme 41 1.43x
Eastbourne 40 4.46x
Liverpool 40 0.48x
Tonge 40 13.91x
Brighton 39 0.99x
Little Bolton 39 2.21x
Hucknall Torkard 38 9.63x
Barnsley 37 3.13x
Batley 37 3.40x
Hackney London 37 0.57x
Swineshead 37 60.97x
Bradfield 36 8.16x
Claylane 36 14.32x
Lindley Cum Quarmby 36 12.47x
Sutton In Ashfield 36 10.66x
Wigan 36 1.88x
Bermondsey 35 1.02x
Saddleworth 35 3.96x
Shoreditch London 34 0.68x
Bulwell 33 9.75x
Kimberworth 32 5.04x
West Ham 32 0.64x
Leicester St Mary 31 3.00x
Speldhurst 31 15.45x
Bramley In Bramley 30 6.85x
Fulham London 30 1.79x
Great Bolton 29 1.60x
Hope Woodlands 29 330.30x
St George Hanover 29 1.92x
West Derby 29 0.72x
Blackburn 28 0.77x
Deptford St Paul 28 0.92x
Tibshelf 28 31.56x
Bedford 27 9.42x
Clifton Campville 27 88.24x
Harpurhey 27 14.19x
Heigham 27 2.83x
Paddington London 27 0.64x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 847
Sarah 492
Elizabeth 450
Ann 242
Jane 208
Annie 197
Alice 179
Emma 175
Eliza 170
Ellen 168
Hannah 155
Martha 114
Emily 109
Louisa 91
Harriet 89
Margaret 89
Fanny 81
Ada 80
Florence 78
Maria 70
Charlotte 65
Clara 64
Edith 60
Kate 57
Catherine 55
Harriett 48
Agnes 45
Caroline 44
Lucy 41
Frances 40
Rebecca 39
Anne 35
Susan 30
Esther 29
Matilda 28
Rose 27
Julia 26
Ruth 25
Elizth. 23
Bertha 22
Sophia 22
Betsy 21
Eleanor 20
Ethel 20
Lydia 20
Minnie 20
Susannah 20
Amelia 19
Jessie 19
Isabella 18

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 711
William 643
George 444
Thomas 389
James 344
Henry 254
Joseph 242
Charles 235
Edward 146
Alfred 138
Robert 134
Samuel 110
Arthur 107
Frederick 102
Richard 91
Harry 83
Walter 83
Albert 80
Herbert 58
Frank 48
Benjamin 47
Fred 46
Ernest 45
Wm. 43
David 39
Francis 34
Daniel 27
Edwin 27
Tom 25
Isaac 19
Thos. 19
Fredrick 14
Matthew 14
Percy 14
Christopher 13
Edgar 13
Joe 13
Alexander 12
Abraham 11
Fredk. 11
Geo. 11
Jas. 11
Stephen 11
Allen 10
Jno. 10
Leonard 10
Willie 10
Joshua 9
Mark 9
Oliver 8

FAQ

Thorpe surname: questions and answers

How common was the Thorpe surname in 1881?

In 1881, 11,830 people were recorded with the Thorpe surname. That placed it at #362 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Thorpe surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 17,620 in 2016. That gives Thorpe a modern rank of #351.

What does the Thorpe surname mean?

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

What does the Thorpe map show?

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