NameCensus.

UK surname

Thorton

In the 1881 census there were 219 people recorded with the Thorton surname, ranking it #12,122 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 57, ranked #34,511, down from #12,122 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard, Kirkheaton and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Redcar and Cleveland, Bexley and South Tyneside.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Thorton is 341 in 1997. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 74.0%.

1881 census count

219

Ranked #12,122

Modern count

57

2016, ranked #34,511

Peak year

1997

341 bearers

Map years

7

1851 to 1998

Key insights

  • Thorton had 219 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #12,122 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 57 in 2016, ranked #34,511.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 333 in 1861.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Small Town Suburbia.

Thorton surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Thorton surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Thorton 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 114 #15,716
1861 historical 333 #7,646
1881 historical 219 #12,122
1891 historical 248 #12,849
1901 historical 144 #18,505
1911 historical 260 #12,561
1997 modern 341 #12,407
1998 modern 284 #14,402
1999 modern 247 #15,932
2000 modern 200 #18,209
2001 modern 76 #30,366
2002 modern 78 #30,601
2003 modern 73 #31,186
2004 modern 73 #31,403
2005 modern 74 #31,522
2006 modern 74 #31,850
2007 modern 73 #32,287
2008 modern 81 #31,713
2009 modern 92 #30,820
2010 modern 94 #31,111
2011 modern 88 #31,801
2012 modern 72 #33,502
2013 modern 63 #34,193
2014 modern 63 #34,212
2015 modern 60 #34,361
2016 modern 57 #34,511

Geography

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Where Thortons are most common

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

The modern local-area list points to Redcar and Cleveland, Bexley, South Tyneside, Wakefield and Middlesbrough. 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 Kirkheaton Yorkshire, West Riding
3 London parishes London 3
4 Birstall Yorkshire, West Riding
5 Manchester Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Redcar and Cleveland 012 Redcar and Cleveland
2 Bexley 019 Bexley
3 South Tyneside 021 South Tyneside
4 Wakefield 027 Wakefield
5 Middlesbrough 019 Middlesbrough

Forenames

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First names often paired with Thorton

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Thorton

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

Small Town Suburbia

Nationally, the Thorton surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Small Town Suburbia, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Thorton 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 is predominantly comprised of married couples with no resident dependent children, living in areas characterised neither by under-occupancy nor overcrowding throughout the UK in or adjacent to small towns. White ethnic groups and affiliation with Christianity predominates. Housing tends to be predominantly semi-detached or detached and workers are employed principally in managerial and professional occupations, with semi-skilled occupations also in evidence. These areas of the Supergroup are of higher population density.

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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

Professional Periphery

Within London, Thorton is most associated with areas classed as Professional Periphery, 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

These neighbourhoods predominantly house residents aged 45+, with many aged 85+. Most employed residents work in senior roles, and relatively few work in unskilled jobs. Terraced housing is comparatively rare, but communal living is more common. More residents identify as of Indian ethnicity and more affiliate with non-Christian religions. Disability levels are below the Supergroup average.

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

Thorton 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

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

1881 census detail

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Thorton families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Thorton 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 46 Thortons recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.18x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 46 2.18x
Lancashire 23 0.91x
Middlesex 16 0.75x
Lincolnshire 15 4.41x
Kent 12 1.65x
Midlothian 10 3.51x
Oxfordshire 9 6.85x
Sussex 9 2.51x
Worcestershire 8 2.88x
Cumberland 7 3.82x
Somerset 6 1.75x
Staffordshire 6 0.84x
Northumberland 5 1.58x
Stirlingshire 5 6.38x
Nottinghamshire 4 1.40x
Surrey 4 0.39x
Durham 3 0.47x
Glamorgan 3 0.81x
Gloucestershire 3 0.72x
Herefordshire 3 3.44x
Hertfordshire 3 2.05x
Aberdeenshire 2 1.02x
Argyllshire 2 3.38x
Hampshire 2 0.46x
Norfolk 2 0.61x
Angus 1 0.51x
Ayrshire 1 0.63x
Brecknockshire 1 2.35x
Cambridgeshire 1 0.74x
Lanarkshire 1 0.15x
Leicestershire 1 0.42x
Perthshire 1 1.05x
Warwickshire 1 0.19x
Westmorland 1 2.14x
Wiltshire 1 0.53x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Edinburgh St Cuthberts in Midlothian leads with 10 Thortons recorded in 1881 and an index of 8.73x.

Place Total Index
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 10 8.73x
Salford 9 3214.29x
Cheetham 8 42.51x
Dudley 8 23.70x
Keighley 8 35.62x
Lewes St John Southover 8 331.95x
Coleby West Halton 7 3888.89x
Islington London 7 3.40x
Leeds 7 5.88x
Melmerby 7 3333.33x
Owston 7 721.65x
Frome 6 73.26x
Halifax 6 19.39x
Heckmondwike 6 88.50x
Alva 5 133.69x
Chirton 5 69.83x
Deptford St Paul 5 8.94x
Bromley 4 36.17x
Burnley 4 18.82x
South Crosland 4 180.18x
Habergham Eaves 3 13.01x
Nottingham St Mary 3 4.05x
Poplar London 3 7.48x
Slingsby 3 697.67x
Tipton 3 13.65x
Aberdeen St Nicholas 2 5.43x
Addingham 2 127.39x
Aldershot 2 13.70x
Barrow In Furness 2 5.83x
Bermondsey 2 3.16x
Clase 2 14.52x
Dunoon Kilmun 2 43.29x
Heeley 2 31.25x
Kingsland 2 259.74x
Kirkheaton 2 58.48x
Limehouse London 2 8.57x
Manningham 2 7.70x
Wolstanton Oldcott 2 76.92x
Acton 1 8.02x
Ambleside 1 68.97x
Aston 1 0.68x
Auchterarder 1 37.59x
Berkeley 1 43.10x
Berkhampstead 1 30.30x
Bishopwearmouth 1 1.84x
Bolton Le Sands 1 175.44x
Bradford 1 1.96x
Brighton 1 1.38x
Brilley 1 344.83x
Cardiff St Mary 1 4.90x
Cheltenham 1 3.11x
Clee With Weelsby 1 13.44x
Darlington 1 4.09x
East Bridgford 1 153.85x
Erith 1 13.99x
Fakenham 1 62.11x
Folkestone 1 7.11x
Great Driffield 1 23.15x
Hackney London 1 0.84x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 1 3.65x
Horton Kirby 1 89.29x
Kings Lynn St Margaret 1 10.18x
Liverpool 1 0.65x
Llangattock 1 28.90x
Loughborough 1 9.35x
Moss Side 1 7.53x
North Bierley 1 8.79x
Oddington 1 270.27x
Old Monkland 1 3.66x
Ormskirk 1 20.70x
Paddington London 1 1.28x
Preston 1 1.48x
Ratcliffe London 1 8.52x
Reigate Borough 1 41.84x
Rowley Regis 1 5.00x
Stapleford 1 666.67x
Toxteth Park 1 1.17x
Warminster 1 24.27x
Watford 1 8.80x
Wimpole 1 384.62x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 16
Sarah 8
Martha 6
Jane 5
Ruth 4
Annie 3
Catherine 3
Clara 3
Elizabeth 3
Ellen 3
Isabella 3
Anne 2
Emily 2
Emma 2
Kate 2
Margaret 2
Maria 2
Ada 1
Ann 1
Atheline 1
Betty 1
Charlotte 1
Debra 1
Edith 1
Eliza 1
Georgiana 1
Hannah 1
Harriet 1
Lillian 1
Lillis 1
Lilly 1
Lily 1
Louisa 1
Louise 1
Lydia 1
Margt. 1
Sara 1
Selina 1
Sophia 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 15
William 13
James 11
Thomas 9
George 4
Joseph 4
Arthur 3
Fred 3
Robert 3
Samuel 3
Benjamin 2
Charles 2
Frank 2
Richard 2
Walter 2
Andrew 1
Archibald 1
Austin 1
Cephas 1
Christopher 1
Denis 1
Edward 1
Edwin 1
Eric 1
Ernest 1
Frances 1
Frederick 1
Fredk. 1
Harry 1
Henry 1
Hubert 1
Isaac 1
J. 1
Josaph 1
Lench 1
Levi 1
Patrick 1
R. 1
Tom 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Thorton surname: questions and answers

How common was the Thorton surname in 1881?

In 1881, 219 people were recorded with the Thorton surname. That placed it at #12,122 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Thorton surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 57 in 2016. That gives Thorton a modern rank of #34,511.

What does the Thorton map show?

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