NameCensus.

UK surname

Tiernan

An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Tighearnáin," meaning "descendant of Tighearnán," a personal name meaning "little lord."

In the 1881 census there were 117 people recorded with the Tiernan surname, ranking it #18,026 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 853, ranked #6,562, up from #18,026 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Edinburgh, Manchester and Brancepeth. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Halton, Birmingham and Thornton and Kinglassie.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Tiernan is 887 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 629.1%.

1881 census count

117

Ranked #18,026

Modern count

853

2016, ranked #6,562

Peak year

2010

887 bearers

Map years

6

1881 to 2016

Key insights

  • Tiernan had 117 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #18,026 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 853 in 2016, ranked #6,562.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 157 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Tiernan surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Tiernan surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Tiernan 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 60 #22,584
1861 historical 33 #29,814
1881 historical 117 #18,026
1891 historical 67 #28,424
1901 historical 157 #17,577
1911 historical 155 #17,485
1997 modern 799 #6,544
1998 modern 824 #6,601
1999 modern 843 #6,530
2000 modern 857 #6,412
2001 modern 840 #6,401
2002 modern 851 #6,455
2003 modern 825 #6,483
2004 modern 828 #6,485
2005 modern 825 #6,448
2006 modern 834 #6,401
2007 modern 827 #6,511
2008 modern 832 #6,542
2009 modern 851 #6,561
2010 modern 887 #6,470
2011 modern 878 #6,453
2012 modern 838 #6,600
2013 modern 855 #6,601
2014 modern 861 #6,604
2015 modern 852 #6,587
2016 modern 853 #6,562

Geography

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Where Tiernans are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Edinburgh, Manchester, Brancepeth, Childwall and Liverpool. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Halton, Birmingham, Thornton and Kinglassie and Sunderland. 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 Edinburgh Edinburgh
2 Manchester Lancashire
3 Brancepeth Durham
4 Childwall Lancashire
5 Liverpool Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Halton 007 Halton
2 Halton 001 Halton
3 Birmingham 029 Birmingham
4 Thornton and Kinglassie Fife
5 Sunderland 035 Sunderland

Forenames

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First names often paired with Tiernan

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Tiernan

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Tiernan, 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 Tiernan surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Challenged Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Tiernan 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

Skilled Trades and Construction Workers

Within London, Tiernan is most associated with areas classed as Skilled Trades and Construction 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

These scattered, peripheral and often low residential density neighbourhoods house more workers in skilled trades and construction. Few households rent social housing and there are few students. Multiple car ownership is higher than the Supergroup average, perhaps because of poorer public transport connectivity. Incidence of mixed or multiple ethnicity is below the Supergroup average, and the absence of individuals identifying as Pakistani or Other Asian groups is also less pronounced. Flatted accommodation is less dominant than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

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

Tiernan is most concentrated in decile 8 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.

8
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Tiernan 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 Tiernan is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - Irish

This describes the area pattern most associated with Tiernan, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Tiernan

The surname Tiernan has its origins in Ireland, where it first emerged in the medieval period. It is an Anglicized form of the Gaelic name Ó Tighearnaigh, which means "descendant of Tighearnaigh." The name Tighearnaigh itself is derived from the Irish word "tigharna," meaning "lord" or "master."

The Tiernans were a prominent family in County Roscommon, located in the western province of Connacht. They were part of the Gaelic nobility and held significant power and influence in the region. The name is first recorded in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, in the 13th century.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Tiernan was Donnchadh Ó Tighearnaigh, who was the Bishop of Elphin (a town in County Roscommon) in the late 12th century. He is mentioned in the Annals of the Four Masters under the year 1186.

Another notable figure was Aodh Ó Tighearnaigh, who was the Lord of Tir-Oilill (a territory in County Roscommon) in the 14th century. He is recorded as having played a significant role in the ongoing conflicts between the Irish clans and the Anglo-Norman settlers in Ireland during that time.

In the 16th century, the Tiernans were involved in the Irish Confederate Wars, a series of conflicts between the Irish Catholic nobility and the English Crown. Tadhg Ó Tighearnaigh, who lived around 1580, was a prominent leader in these wars and is mentioned in contemporary accounts.

The name Tiernan has also been associated with several place names in Ireland, such as Ballintiernan (Irish: Baile an Tighearnaigh, meaning "town of the Tiernan") and Killadiernan (Irish: Cill an Tighearnaigh, meaning "church of the Tiernan").

Other notable individuals with the surname Tiernan include Donal Tiernan (1783-1862), an Irish-born Australian Catholic priest and educator, and Francis Tiernan (1854-1936), an Irish-American engineer and inventor who made significant contributions to the development of the steam engine.

While the surname Tiernan has its roots in Ireland, it has since spread to various parts of the world, particularly through Irish emigration. However, its origins can be traced back to the medieval Gaelic nobility of County Roscommon, where the name first emerged and gained prominence.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Tiernan families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Tiernan 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. Lancashire leads with 58 Tiernans recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.28x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 58 4.28x
Yorkshire 17 1.50x
Surrey 12 2.16x
Middlesex 7 0.61x
Renfrewshire 7 7.92x
Lanarkshire 5 1.35x
Midlothian 5 3.27x
Wiltshire 2 1.98x
Dunbartonshire 1 3.26x
Herefordshire 1 2.14x
Nottinghamshire 1 0.65x
Staffordshire 1 0.26x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Liverpool in Lancashire leads with 19 Tiernans recorded in 1881 and an index of 23.10x.

Place Total Index
Liverpool 19 23.10x
Manchester 12 19.71x
Selby 9 381.36x
West Derby 7 17.67x
Newington 6 14.23x
West Greenock 6 37.81x
Edinburgh Old Church 5 406.50x
Saddleworth 5 57.34x
Warrington 5 31.15x
Shadwell London 4 125.39x
Southwark St George Martyr 4 17.42x
Toxteth Park 4 8.72x
Barony 3 3.21x
Crompton 3 77.72x
Normanby In 3 99.34x
Heston 2 52.77x
Newton 2 19.16x
Salisbury St Martin 2 190.48x
Bootle Cum Linacre 1 9.30x
Bow London 1 6.88x
Camberwell 1 1.37x
Cardross 1 27.17x
Clehonger 1 588.24x
Crumpsall 1 31.35x
Everton 1 2.32x
Hamilton 1 9.72x
Lambeth 1 1.01x
Lenton 1 27.62x
Old Monkland 1 6.83x
Port Glasgow 1 23.36x
Prescot 1 40.82x
Rusholme 1 27.70x
Stretford 1 13.42x
Wolverhampton 1 3.38x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Margaret 6
Mary 6
Elizabeth 4
Ann 3
Anne 3
Catherine 3
Ellen 3
Annie 2
Helena 2
Josephine 2
Julia 2
Maria 2
Agnes 1
Alice 1
Bridget 1
Cathrn. 1
Cecilia 1
Hannah 1
Harriot 1
Henorina 1
Judith 1
Kate 1
Marcella 1
Rose 1
Sarah 1
Susanne 1
Teresa 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 8
Edward 4
James 4
Michael 4
Patrick 3
Thomas 3
Batholemew 2
Edwd. 2
Richard 2
Richd. 2
A. 1
Bartholemew 1
Bernard 1
Dennis 1
George 1
Jno.J. 1
Josh. 1
Nicholas 1
Peter 1
Terence 1

FAQ

Tiernan surname: questions and answers

How common was the Tiernan surname in 1881?

In 1881, 117 people were recorded with the Tiernan surname. That placed it at #18,026 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Tiernan surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 853 in 2016. That gives Tiernan a modern rank of #6,562.

What does the Tiernan surname mean?

An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Tighearnáin," meaning "descendant of Tighearnán," a personal name meaning "little lord."

What does the Tiernan map show?

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