NameCensus.

UK surname

Thurkettle

A surname derived from a dialect word meaning "dweller near the thorn bushes".

In the 1881 census there were 149 people recorded with the Thurkettle surname, ranking it #15,551 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 182, ranked #20,890, down from #15,551 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Erith, Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside and Eyke. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include East Riding of Yorkshire, Maldon and Ipswich.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Thurkettle is 235 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 22.1%.

1881 census count

149

Ranked #15,551

Modern count

182

2016, ranked #20,890

Peak year

1911

235 bearers

Map years

8

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Thurkettle had 149 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #15,551 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 182 in 2016, ranked #20,890.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 235 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Thurkettle surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Thurkettle surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Thurkettle 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 98 #17,383
1861 historical 107 #20,008
1881 historical 149 #15,551
1891 historical 193 #15,335
1901 historical 165 #17,085
1911 historical 235 #13,484
1997 modern 178 #18,958
1998 modern 186 #18,918
1999 modern 181 #19,380
2000 modern 193 #18,616
2001 modern 187 #18,708
2002 modern 195 #18,590
2003 modern 191 #18,628
2004 modern 203 #18,061
2005 modern 198 #18,279
2006 modern 192 #18,753
2007 modern 184 #19,485
2008 modern 192 #19,143
2009 modern 199 #19,090
2010 modern 189 #20,171
2011 modern 186 #20,217
2012 modern 179 #20,679
2013 modern 176 #21,237
2014 modern 181 #21,033
2015 modern 180 #20,997
2016 modern 182 #20,890

Geography

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Where Thurkettles are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Erith, Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, Eyke, Hollesley and Halifax. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to East Riding of Yorkshire, Maldon and Ipswich. 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 Erith Kent
2 Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside Durham
3 Eyke Suffolk
4 Hollesley Suffolk
5 Halifax Yorkshire, West Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 East Riding of Yorkshire 039 East Riding of Yorkshire
2 Maldon 005 Maldon
3 Ipswich 015 Ipswich
4 Ipswich 007 Ipswich
5 Ipswich 016 Ipswich

Forenames

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First names often paired with Thurkettle

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Thurkettle

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

Baseline UK

Group

Challenged Communities

Nationally, the Thurkettle surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Challenged Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Thurkettle household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Residents of these neighbourhoods typically live in households with dependent children, and there are fewer-than-average residents of normal retirement age or over. Identification with ethnic minorities, particularly Black, or Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is common. The rate of Christian religious affiliation is low. Housing predominantly consists of semi-detached houses, along with a significant number of terraced properties and flats. Overcrowded social housing is common, and private renting occurs at average UK levels. Those in employment work mainly in caring leisure and other services; process, plant and machine operation; or elementary occupations. Unemployment is high, and few individuals have degree level qualifications. Many of these neighbourhoods occur in commuter towns or less accessible areas of larger towns and cities.

Wider pattern

This Supergroup exemplifies the broad base to the UK’s social structure, encompassing as it does the average or modal levels of many neighbourhood characteristics, including all housing tenures, a range of levels of educational attainment and religious affiliations, and a variety of pre-retirement age structures. Yet, in combination, these mixes are each distinctive of the parts of the UK. Overall, terraced houses and flats are the most prevalent, as is employment in intermediate or low-skilled occupations. However, this Supergroup is also characterised by above average levels of unemployment and lower levels of use of English as the main language. Many neighbourhoods occur in south London and the UK’s other major urban centres.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Thurkettle 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

Thurkettle is most concentrated in decile 4 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.

4
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Thurkettle falls in decile 4 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

4
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Thurkettle 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 Thurkettle, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Thurkettle

The surname Thurkettle is of English origin and traces its roots back to the medieval period. It is derived from a combination of Old English words - 'Þur,' meaning a giant or supernatural being, and 'kettle,' referring to a large pot or cauldron. Together, these elements suggest an association with mythical beings or traditions involving cauldrons or cooking vessels.

In its earliest recorded forms, the surname appeared as 'Thurketyl' and 'Thurkytel' in various historical documents from the 11th and 12th centuries. One notable example is the Domesday Book of 1086, which mentions a landowner named 'Turketel' in Lincolnshire.

The Thurkettle surname is believed to have originated in the counties of Lincolnshire and Yorkshire, where it was particularly prevalent during the Middle Ages. It may have been initially used as a descriptive name, referring to individuals who were involved in the production or use of large cauldrons or pots, possibly in the context of brewing or cooking for larger households or communities.

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was William Thurkettle, a merchant and landowner from Yorkshire who lived in the late 12th century. Another notable figure was Roger Thurkettle, a prominent cleric who served as the Archdeacon of Northampton in the mid-13th century.

In the 14th century, the surname appeared in various records related to the county of Lincolnshire, including the mention of a John Thurkettle who was a landowner in the village of Grantham in 1379. A few centuries later, during the English Civil War of the 17th century, a soldier named Robert Thurkettle is recorded as having served in the Parliamentarian forces.

Other historical figures bearing the Thurkettle surname include William Thurkettle, a merchant and alderman in the city of London in the late 16th century, and Thomas Thurkettle, an English poet and writer who lived in the early 18th century and published several works on religious and philosophical topics.

While the surname Thurkettle is relatively uncommon today, it remains a part of England's rich onomastic heritage, reflecting the country's linguistic and cultural history through its unique blend of Old English elements.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Thurkettle families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Thurkettle 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. Suffolk leads with 56 Thurkettles recorded in 1881 and an index of 31.63x.

County Total Index
Suffolk 56 31.63x
Middlesex 16 1.10x
Norfolk 16 7.16x
Essex 15 5.23x
Kent 14 2.82x
Yorkshire 12 0.83x
Durham 8 1.85x
Derbyshire 6 2.64x
Rutland 3 28.12x
Lincolnshire 1 0.43x
Northamptonshire 1 0.73x
Warwickshire 1 0.27x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Ipswich St Mathew in Suffolk leads with 10 Thurkettles recorded in 1881 and an index of 201.61x.

Place Total Index
Ipswich St Mathew 10 201.61x
Erith 9 184.05x
Leyton Low 9 154.37x
Eyke 8 4210.53x
Helmingham 8 4705.88x
Plawsworth 8 1702.13x
Debenham 7 1186.44x
Swilland 7 6363.64x
Norwich St Stephen 6 292.68x
Shardlow 6 1395.35x
Shoreditch London 6 9.52x
Marske In Guisbrough 5 195.31x
Methley 5 246.31x
South Walsham St Lawrence 5 4545.45x
Wickham Market 5 684.93x
Bromley London 4 12.51x
Colchester St Peter 4 347.83x
Eaton St Andrew 4 645.16x
Hollesley 4 1538.46x
Minster In Sheppey 3 36.50x
South Luffenham 3 1764.71x
Witnesham 3 1153.85x
Hackney London 2 2.45x
Springfield 2 158.73x
St Marylebone London 2 2.58x
Baginton 1 909.09x
Blofield 1 175.44x
Bourn 1 53.19x
Halifax 1 4.73x
Kensington London 1 1.24x
Kirton 1 322.58x
Paddington London 1 1.87x
Peterborough 1 10.10x
Rendlesham 1 555.56x
Rochester St Nicholas 1 64.94x
Scarborough 1 7.64x
Sevenoaks 1 24.88x
Sudbury St Gregory 1 70.42x
Woodbridge 1 44.25x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Alice 9
Sarah 8
Elizabeth 5
Ellen 5
Mary 5
Eliza 4
Emma 3
Hannah 3
Susannah 3
Annie 2
Caroline 2
Jane 2
Louisa 2
Margaret 2
Susan 2
Ada 1
Agnes 1
Ann 1
Anna 1
Anne 1
Ethel 1
Florence 1
Harriet 1
Honor 1
Jessey 1
Jessie 1
Kate 1
Lilly 1
Lydia 1
Mable 1
Margret 1
Marrion 1
Minnie 1
Rosa 1
Sharlott 1
Sush. 1

Top male names

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

FAQ

Thurkettle surname: questions and answers

How common was the Thurkettle surname in 1881?

In 1881, 149 people were recorded with the Thurkettle surname. That placed it at #15,551 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Thurkettle surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 182 in 2016. That gives Thurkettle a modern rank of #20,890.

What does the Thurkettle surname mean?

A surname derived from a dialect word meaning "dweller near the thorn bushes".

What does the Thurkettle map show?

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