NameCensus.

UK surname

Tilby

A locational surname referring to someone from Tilbury, Essex, England.

In the 1881 census there were 175 people recorded with the Tilby surname, ranking it #13,982 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 222, ranked #18,277, down from #13,982 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, St Pancras and Benenden. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Ceredigion, Kensington and Chelsea and Hounslow.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Tilby is 282 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 26.9%.

1881 census count

175

Ranked #13,982

Modern count

222

2016, ranked #18,277

Peak year

1911

282 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Tilby had 175 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #13,982 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 222 in 2016, ranked #18,277.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 282 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Tilby surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Tilby surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Tilby 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 119 #15,247
1861 historical 169 #13,823
1881 historical 175 #13,982
1891 historical 268 #12,087
1901 historical 240 #13,461
1911 historical 282 #11,915
1997 modern 219 #16,666
1998 modern 234 #16,404
1999 modern 238 #16,308
2000 modern 250 #15,741
2001 modern 234 #16,205
2002 modern 243 #16,147
2003 modern 231 #16,504
2004 modern 231 #16,591
2005 modern 218 #17,170
2006 modern 219 #17,254
2007 modern 205 #18,194
2008 modern 221 #17,495
2009 modern 229 #17,431
2010 modern 238 #17,323
2011 modern 236 #17,279
2012 modern 218 #18,139
2013 modern 227 #17,922
2014 modern 229 #17,925
2015 modern 231 #17,733
2016 modern 222 #18,277

Geography

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Where Tilbys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, St Pancras, Benenden and St Paul Deptford, St Nicholas Deptford. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Ceredigion, Kensington and Chelsea, Hounslow, Westminster and North East Lincolnshire. 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 London parishes London 3
3 St Pancras London (North Districts)
4 Benenden Kent
5 St Paul Deptford, St Nicholas Deptford London (South Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Ceredigion 007 Ceredigion
2 Kensington and Chelsea 010 Kensington and Chelsea
3 Hounslow 020 Hounslow
4 Westminster 023 Westminster
5 North East Lincolnshire 020 North East Lincolnshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Tilby

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Tilby

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

Spacious Rural Living

Nationally, the Tilby surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Tilby household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These predominantly ageing households typically have no resident dependent children. Most are owner-occupiers and live in detached houses in low density residential developments (although renting is more common than in the rest of the Supergroup). White ethnicity predominates. Residents are typically beyond retirement age but those still in work have managerial, professional or skilled trade occupations. White ethnicity and Christian religious affiliation predominate. Neighbourhoods are located throughout rural UK.

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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Tilby is most associated with areas classed as Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs, 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

Mainly concentrated in suburban areas, these terraced and semi-detached developments are less overcrowded than the Supergroup average, and resident households are more likely to own two or more cars. There are fewer residents aged 25-44, and a larger share of residents employed in administrative and secretarial occupations. Residents are more likely to have been born in the UK, less likely to have been born in the EU or Africa, and much less likely to self-identify as Bangladeshi.

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

Tilby is most concentrated in decile 9 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.

9
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Tilby falls in decile 6 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.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Tilby is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 50-60 mbit/s.

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

8
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Tilby

The surname Tilby originated in England during the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from a place name, specifically a town or village called Tilbury or Tilby. The earliest known spelling of the name was Tillebi, which appeared in records from the 11th century.

Tilby is a locational surname, meaning it was originally used to identify someone who came from a particular place called Tilby or Tilbury. There are several villages and towns in England with similar names, such as Tilbury in Essex and Tilbury Juxta Clare in Suffolk. The name is thought to have evolved from the Old English words "til," meaning "fertile land," and "burh," meaning "fortified town or manor."

In the Domesday Book of 1086, a record of landholdings in England compiled by order of William the Conqueror, there are references to places called Tilleberie and Tilleburia, which are likely early spellings of Tilbury. This suggests that the name Tilby was in use by the late 11th century.

One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Tilby was William de Tillebi, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1197. These rolls were financial records kept by the English Exchequer.

Another notable figure was Sir Robert Tilby, a 14th-century English knight who served under King Edward III during the Hundred Years' War. He was born around 1320 and fought in the Battle of Crécy in 1346.

In the 16th century, there was a John Tilby who was a member of the English Parliament, representing the borough of Maldon in Essex in 1554.

In the 17th century, a man named Thomas Tilby was recorded as a landowner in the village of Grantham, Lincolnshire, in 1674.

During the 18th century, a prominent individual with the surname Tilby was Reverend Humphrey Tilby, who was born in 1741 and served as a vicar in the Church of England in the county of Wiltshire.

These are just a few examples of individuals with the surname Tilby throughout history, but the name has its roots in medieval England and is likely derived from the name of a specific place or town.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Tilby families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Tilby 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. Kent leads with 53 Tilbys recorded in 1881 and an index of 9.10x.

County Total Index
Kent 53 9.10x
Middlesex 49 2.87x
Surrey 21 2.52x
Berkshire 9 7.02x
Buckinghamshire 9 8.72x
Devon 8 2.25x
Cheshire 5 1.33x
Worcestershire 4 1.79x
Oxfordshire 3 2.85x
Glamorgan 2 0.67x
Hertfordshire 2 1.70x
Leicestershire 2 1.06x
Yorkshire 2 0.12x
Brecknockshire 1 2.93x
Essex 1 0.30x
Lancashire 1 0.05x
Monmouthshire 1 0.81x
Somerset 1 0.36x
Staffordshire 1 0.17x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Thornham in Kent leads with 15 Tilbys recorded in 1881 and an index of 3947.37x.

Place Total Index
Thornham 15 3947.37x
Chelsea London 11 21.38x
Brenenden 10 1333.33x
Hornsey 9 41.69x
St Pancras London 9 6.55x
Islington London 7 4.23x
Wycombe 7 91.03x
Battersea 6 9.55x
Bethnal Green London 5 6.74x
Camberwell 5 4.59x
Rochester St Margaret 5 81.43x
Tormoham 5 33.27x
Tranmere 5 36.10x
Charing 4 506.33x
Dudley 4 14.76x
East Hendred 4 833.33x
Folkestone 4 35.40x
Harwell 4 851.06x
Maidstone 4 23.05x
Southwark St John 4 76.63x
Chatham 3 18.73x
Croydon 3 6.50x
Ipsden 3 714.29x
Stoke Damerel 3 12.06x
Llandaff 2 20.22x
Paddington London 2 3.19x
Watford 2 21.93x
Aylesbury 1 21.88x
Bermondsey 1 1.97x
Caterham 1 27.17x
Deptford St Paul 1 2.23x
Faversham 1 18.02x
Fulham London 1 4.04x
Goytrey 1 256.41x
Greenwich 1 3.68x
Hackney London 1 1.04x
Hampstead London 1 3.76x
Hanbury 1 312.50x
Hawkhurst 1 55.25x
Kibworth Beauchamp 1 151.52x
Lancaster 1 8.30x
Lenham 1 86.21x
Lindley Cum Quarmby 1 23.42x
Llangattock 1 35.97x
Melsonby 1 322.58x
Milton In Gravesend 1 11.45x
Norwood 1 25.64x
Reading St Giles 1 7.96x
Saunderton 1 400.00x
Shoreditch London 1 1.35x
South Kilworth 1 400.00x
Wells St Cuthbert Out 1 45.25x
Westminster St John 1 4.81x
Westwell 1 172.41x
Weybridge 1 56.18x
Woodford 1 26.25x
Wrotham 1 51.81x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 9
Alice 6
Eliza 6
Elizabeth 6
Annie 5
Maria 4
Sarah 4
Catherine 3
Emma 3
Kate 3
Ann 2
Anne 2
Cordelia 2
Fanny 2
Jane 2
Julia 2
Louisa 2
A. 1
Ada 1
Agnes 1
Amy 1
Anna 1
Blanch 1
Caroline 1
Charlotte 1
Clara 1
Dorcas 1
Edith 1
Ellen 1
Ethel 1
Francis 1
Lillian 1
Lilly 1
M.H. 1
Marian 1
Martha 1
Minnie 1
Norah 1
Sibela 1
Silian 1
Susan 1
Susanah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
James 10
George 9
William 8
John 7
Charles 6
Alfred 5
Robert 5
Thomas 5
Henry 4
Joseph 4
Chas. 2
Frank 2
Frederick 2
A.H. 1
Albert 1
Amos 1
Arthur 1
Aubrey 1
Austin 1
Benjamin 1
C.E. 1
E.H. 1
Edward 1
Eldred 1
Frederic 1
Fredk. 1
Hector 1
Percy 1
Samuel 1
W.H.F. 1

FAQ

Tilby surname: questions and answers

How common was the Tilby surname in 1881?

In 1881, 175 people were recorded with the Tilby surname. That placed it at #13,982 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Tilby surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 222 in 2016. That gives Tilby a modern rank of #18,277.

What does the Tilby surname mean?

A locational surname referring to someone from Tilbury, Essex, England.

What does the Tilby map show?

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