NameCensus.

UK surname

Thwaite

In the 1881 census there were 676 people recorded with the Thwaite surname, ranking it #5,331 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 665, ranked #8,025, down from #5,331 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Halifax, West Derby and Huddersfield. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Richmondshire, Allerdale and Craven.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Thwaite is 820 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has stayed broadly stable by 1.6%.

1881 census count

676

Ranked #5,331

Modern count

665

2016, ranked #8,025

Peak year

1911

820 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Thwaite had 676 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #5,331 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 665 in 2016, ranked #8,025.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 820 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Thwaite surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Thwaite surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Thwaite 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 669 #3,883
1861 historical 574 #4,590
1881 historical 676 #5,331
1891 historical 740 #5,376
1901 historical 701 #6,281
1911 historical 820 #5,371
1997 modern 632 #7,843
1998 modern 687 #7,591
1999 modern 683 #7,659
2000 modern 681 #7,654
2001 modern 675 #7,569
2002 modern 705 #7,467
2003 modern 695 #7,421
2004 modern 685 #7,526
2005 modern 675 #7,556
2006 modern 686 #7,491
2007 modern 685 #7,561
2008 modern 686 #7,600
2009 modern 692 #7,705
2010 modern 693 #7,842
2011 modern 689 #7,782
2012 modern 666 #7,912
2013 modern 690 #7,817
2014 modern 673 #8,033
2015 modern 678 #7,922
2016 modern 665 #8,025

Geography

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Where Thwaites are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Halifax, West Derby, Huddersfield, Aysgarth and Crosthwaite (Newlands, Portingscale, Braithwaite, Thornthwaite), Greta Mills and Briery Cottages. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Richmondshire, Allerdale, Craven and Eden. 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 Halifax Yorkshire, West Riding
2 West Derby Lancashire
3 Huddersfield Yorkshire, West Riding
4 Aysgarth Yorkshire, North Riding
5 Crosthwaite (Newlands, Portingscale, Braithwaite, Thornthwaite), Greta Mills and Briery Cottages Cumberland

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Richmondshire 005 Richmondshire
2 Allerdale 003 Allerdale
3 Craven 003 Craven
4 Eden 007 Eden
5 Allerdale 004 Allerdale

Forenames

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First names often paired with Thwaite

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Thwaite

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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Established Homeowners with Children

Within London, Thwaite 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

Thwaite is most concentrated in decile 6 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.

6
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

1881 census detail

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Thwaite families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Thwaite 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 364 Thwaites recorded in 1881 and an index of 5.58x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 364 5.58x
Lancashire 134 1.72x
Cumberland 85 14.99x
Middlesex 46 0.70x
Durham 7 0.36x
Gloucestershire 6 0.46x
Warwickshire 6 0.36x
Essex 5 0.38x
Surrey 5 0.16x
Sussex 4 0.36x
Hertfordshire 3 0.66x
Westmorland 3 2.07x
Norfolk 2 0.20x
Angus 1 0.16x
Lincolnshire 1 0.10x
Midlothian 1 0.11x
Somerset 1 0.09x
Staffordshire 1 0.05x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Hawes in Yorkshire leads with 53 Thwaites recorded in 1881 and an index of 1241.22x.

Place Total Index
Hawes 53 1241.22x
Huddersfield 42 44.18x
Above Derwent 26 1232.23x
Elland Cum Greetland 21 71.45x
Askrigg 18 1276.60x
Oldham 17 6.74x
West Derby 17 7.44x
Halifax 16 16.70x
Cockermouth 15 125.73x
Royton 15 62.76x
Skircoat 13 50.52x
Garsdale 12 882.35x
Headingley Cum Burley 12 28.57x
Hornsey 12 14.41x
Saddleworth 12 23.84x
Ashton Under Lyne 11 6.44x
Burton Cum Walden 11 1100.00x
Crompton 10 44.94x
Everton 10 4.02x
Marske Near Richmond 10 1666.67x
St George In East 9 20.09x
Buckden 8 1194.03x
Horton In Clitheroe 8 3809.52x
Rastrick 8 44.15x
Thoralby 8 1632.65x
Buttermere 7 2413.79x
Worsley 7 14.53x
Almondbury 6 19.02x
Bainbridge 6 389.61x
Birmingham 6 1.08x
Caldbergh With East 6 3750.00x
Clerkenwell London 6 3.86x
Liverpool 6 1.26x
Southowram 6 30.12x
St George Martyr 6 54.05x
Walton On Hill 6 14.17x
Blindcrake Isel Redmain 5 684.93x
Brompton In 5 171.23x
Camberwell 5 1.19x
Crosthwaite 5 714.29x
Great Bolton 5 4.83x
High Abbotside 5 450.45x
Leyton 5 22.33x
North Bierley 5 14.19x
Northowram 5 10.93x
Salford 5 2.18x
Stroud 5 19.90x
Bethnal Green London 4 1.40x
Bootle Cum Linacre 4 6.45x
Cheetham 4 6.86x
Church Coniston 4 182.65x
Dalton In Huddersfield 4 27.36x
Habergham Eaves 4 5.60x
Horton In Ribblesdale 4 336.13x
Keswick 4 55.17x
Manningham 4 4.98x
Menston 4 268.46x
Newbiggen 4 1739.13x
Rickergate 4 33.33x
St Pancras London 4 0.75x
Uldale 4 701.75x
Westoe 4 3.60x
Wistow 4 231.21x
Wythburn 4 869.57x
Cleator 3 12.71x
Dalton In Furness 3 9.95x
Hove 3 6.16x
Litton 3 1666.67x
Liversedge 3 10.33x
Long Preston 3 188.68x
Sedburgh 3 110.29x
Wormley 3 180.72x
Batley 2 3.23x
Horton In Bradford 2 1.96x
Hulme 2 1.23x
Ingleton 2 54.50x
Middlesbrough 2 2.35x
Newton 2 3.32x
Sowerby In Halifax 2 9.37x
Wooldale 2 18.07x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 58
Elizabeth 35
Sarah 26
Jane 18
Ann 15
Hannah 15
Margaret 13
Ada 9
Agnes 9
Isabella 9
Annie 8
Martha 7
Alice 6
Emma 6
Ellen 5
Rose 5
Amelia 4
Eliza 4
Betsy 3
Clara 3
Emily 3
Maria 3
Annas 2
Eleanor 2
Frances 2
Grace 2
Louisa 2
Lucy 2
Nancy 2
Rachel 2
Rosamond 2
Sophia 2
Susan 2
Susannah 2
Teresa 2
Amy 1
Catherine 1
Cecily 1
Charlotte 1
Emmerline 1
Esther 1
Eugene 1
Eugeni 1
Fannie 1
Ht. 1
Ina 1
Jessie 1
Julia 1
Katherine 1
Zelia 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 45
William 37
James 33
Thomas 24
Joseph 19
Richard 15
George 13
Simon 12
Charles 8
Daniel 6
Henry 6
Alfred 4
Benjamin 4
Frederick 4
Matthew 4
Robert 4
Albert 3
Arthur 3
Christopher 3
Frank 3
Harry 3
Isaac 3
Joe 3
Sam 3
Samuel 3
Anthony 2
David 2
Edward 2
Fisher 2
Newsome 2
Ninion 2
Reuben 2
Wilfred 2
Wm. 2
Alexandra 1
Benj. 1
Carr 1
Chas. 1
Duke 1
Eli 1
Ernest 1
Felix 1
Francis 1
Fred 1
Holme 1
Hy. 1
Irvine 1
J.Henry 1
Jno. 1
Job 1

FAQ

Thwaite surname: questions and answers

How common was the Thwaite surname in 1881?

In 1881, 676 people were recorded with the Thwaite surname. That placed it at #5,331 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Thwaite surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 665 in 2016. That gives Thwaite a modern rank of #8,025.

What does the Thwaite map show?

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