NameCensus.

UK surname

Tilling

An occupational surname derived from the word "tiller," referring to a farmer or cultivator of the soil.

In the 1881 census there were 736 people recorded with the Tilling surname, ranking it #4,976 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 984, ranked #5,874, down from #4,976 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes and Ashbury. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Vale of White Horse, South Ribble and North East Lincolnshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Tilling is 1,132 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 33.7%.

1881 census count

736

Ranked #4,976

Modern count

984

2016, ranked #5,874

Peak year

1999

1,132 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Tilling had 736 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #4,976 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 984 in 2016, ranked #5,874.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,011 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Tilling surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Tilling surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Tilling 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 371 #6,410
1861 historical 480 #5,436
1881 historical 736 #4,976
1891 historical 710 #5,533
1901 historical 927 #5,028
1911 historical 1,011 #4,501
1997 modern 1,064 #5,220
1998 modern 1,124 #5,158
1999 modern 1,132 #5,174
2000 modern 1,111 #5,231
2001 modern 1,086 #5,225
2002 modern 1,104 #5,258
2003 modern 1,086 #5,236
2004 modern 1,060 #5,351
2005 modern 1,028 #5,425
2006 modern 999 #5,571
2007 modern 986 #5,670
2008 modern 986 #5,715
2009 modern 1,007 #5,734
2010 modern 1,029 #5,742
2011 modern 1,013 #5,756
2012 modern 1,004 #5,716
2013 modern 1,021 #5,731
2014 modern 1,017 #5,782
2015 modern 1,006 #5,780
2016 modern 984 #5,874

Geography

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Where Tillings are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes, Ashbury and St Marylebone. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Vale of White Horse, South Ribble, North East Lincolnshire and Stroud. 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 Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff Gloucestershire
2 London parishes London 1
3 Ashbury Berkshire
4 London parishes London 3
5 St Marylebone London (North Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Vale of White Horse 016 Vale of White Horse
2 South Ribble 011 South Ribble
3 North East Lincolnshire 001 North East Lincolnshire
4 Stroud 001 Stroud
5 Stroud 007 Stroud

Forenames

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First names often paired with Tilling

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Tilling

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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Tilling 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

Tilling is most concentrated in decile 5 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.

5
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Tilling falls in decile 9 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.

9
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Tilling

The surname Tilling is of Anglo-Saxon origin and was first found in England. It is a locational name derived from a place name meaning "the dweller at or near the tilled or cultivated land." The earliest known spelling variations include Tillen, Tyllen, Tyllene, and Tilling.

An early record of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as Tillingis. This suggests that the name was already well-established in England by the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066.

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Robert de Tillinges, who was listed in the Pipe Rolls of Northamptonshire in 1195. Another early record is that of Roger de Tillinges, who was mentioned in the Curia Regis Rolls of Hertfordshire in 1221.

In the 14th century, the name Tilling was found in various areas of England, including Essex, Suffolk, and Norfolk. For example, John Tilling was recorded in the Subsidy Rolls of Essex in 1327, while William Tyllynge was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Suffolk in 1381.

One notable bearer of the name was Sir George Tilling (c. 1545-1622), an English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Hertfordshire in the late 16th and early 17th centuries.

Another prominent figure was Sir John Tilling (1620-1692), an English lawyer and judge who served as Lord Chief Justice of the Common Pleas from 1683 to 1689.

In the 18th century, the name Tilling was also found in Scotland, where it was associated with the town of Tillicoultry in Clackmannanshire. One example is James Tilling (1736-1795), a Scottish merchant and landowner who owned estates in Tillicoultry.

Other notable individuals with the surname Tilling include William Tilling (1801-1872), an English businessman and founder of Tilling Transport Services, and Sir John Henry Tilling (1859-1925), an English businessman and philanthropist who was the chairman of Tilling Transport Services.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Tilling families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Tilling 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. Middlesex leads with 173 Tillings recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.41x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 173 2.41x
Gloucestershire 159 11.29x
Surrey 87 2.49x
Hampshire 59 4.01x
Wiltshire 52 8.19x
Berkshire 50 9.28x
Lancashire 24 0.28x
Kent 23 0.94x
Oxfordshire 18 4.06x
Sussex 14 1.16x
Buckinghamshire 12 2.76x
Somerset 9 0.78x
Warwickshire 9 0.50x
Glamorgan 7 0.56x
Devon 6 0.40x
Caernarfonshire 5 1.72x
Essex 5 0.35x
Staffordshire 5 0.21x
Herefordshire 3 1.02x
Midlothian 3 0.31x
Monmouthshire 3 0.58x
Denbighshire 2 0.74x
Nottinghamshire 2 0.21x
Yorkshire 2 0.03x
Anglesey 1 0.79x
Flintshire 1 0.52x
Hertfordshire 1 0.20x
Lincolnshire 1 0.09x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Ashbury in Berkshire leads with 25 Tillings recorded in 1881 and an index of 1488.10x.

Place Total Index
Ashbury 25 1488.10x
Islington London 24 3.45x
Camberwell 23 5.02x
Bethnal Green London 22 7.05x
Warrington 21 20.79x
Ampney St Mary 19 5937.50x
Chelsea London 17 7.86x
Croydon 17 8.75x
Charlton 13 698.92x
Battersea 12 4.54x
Chipping Norton 12 117.07x
Limehouse London 12 15.22x
St Marylebone London 12 3.13x
Wycombe 12 37.08x
Swindon 11 22.34x
Uley 11 428.02x
Avening 9 181.09x
Streatham 9 16.90x
Westerleigh 9 284.81x
Cheltenham 8 7.36x
East Woodhay 8 212.77x
Hackney London 8 1.99x
Aston 7 1.40x
Barton Stacey 7 514.71x
Bishops Waltham 7 114.19x
Bourton 7 1000.00x
Bromley 7 18.75x
Newington 7 2.64x
Oldbury On Hill 7 736.84x
Paddington London 7 2.65x
Sopworth 7 1458.33x
Southampton All Sts 7 27.72x
Clewer 6 27.17x
Hampton Wick London 6 114.07x
Hanworth 6 238.10x
Lambeth 6 0.96x
Mangotsfield 6 42.74x
Neath 6 23.58x
Stanley Pontlarge 6 3750.00x
Stratton St Margaret 6 61.60x
West Coker 6 255.32x
Whitchurch 6 128.48x
Ampney Crucis 5 375.94x
Beckenham 5 15.62x
Brighton 5 2.05x
Bristol St James St Paul 5 10.65x
Driffield 5 1724.14x
Earley 5 55.68x
Elmstone Hardwick 5 641.03x
Greenwich 5 4.37x
Llanbeblig 5 16.97x
Martyr Worthy 5 819.67x
Southwark St George Martyr 5 3.46x
St Pancras London 5 0.87x
Stroud 5 18.25x
Trowbridge 5 17.81x
Walthamstow 5 9.80x
Willingdon 5 162.87x
Acton 4 9.50x
Acton Turville 4 555.56x
Andover 4 28.78x
Bermondsey 4 1.87x
Easton 4 336.13x
Folkington 4 1212.12x
Kensington London 4 1.00x
Liddington 4 392.16x
Miserdine 4 377.36x
Shoreditch London 4 1.29x
St George Bloomsbury 4 9.71x
Sudeley Manor 4 1600.00x
Watlington 4 88.11x
Westminster St 4 15.11x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 3 2.26x
Burnley 3 4.18x
Kingscote 3 447.76x
Reading St Lawrence 3 26.02x
Teddington London 3 18.44x
Tottenham 3 2.62x
Westminster St John 3 3.43x
Wrotham 3 36.99x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Elizabeth 34
Mary 33
Alice 17
Annie 17
Emily 16
Jane 16
Sarah 16
Ann 15
Ellen 14
Eliza 11
Hannah 10
Charlotte 9
Fanny 8
Martha 8
Emma 7
Florence 7
Harriet 7
Caroline 6
Edith 5
Kate 5
Lucy 5
Harriett 4
Louisa 4
Maria 4
Ada 3
Agnes 3
Anne 3
Elizth. 3
Georgina 3
Hester 3
Julia 3
Laura 3
Rebecca 3
Bertha 2
Catherine 2
Clari 2
Emmeline 2
Henrietta 2
Jessie 2
Lucina 2
Matilda 2
Minnie 2
Phebe 2
Rachel 2
Susan 2
Christian 1
Clara 1
Dorcas 1
E. 1
W. 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 54
George 30
Henry 25
John 23
James 22
Charles 17
Thomas 17
Edward 12
Frederick 12
Alfred 11
Albert 9
Harry 9
Robert 9
Richard 8
Arthur 6
Ernest 5
Frank 5
Walter 5
Joseph 4
Chas. 3
David 3
Fred 3
Herbert 3
Job 3
Leonard 3
Samuel 3
Thos. 3
Abner 2
Alexander 2
Anthony 2
Edwd. 2
Stephen 2
Tom 2
Allon 1
Earnest 1
Edmund 1
Fredk. 1
Fredrick 1
Geo. 1
Geo.E. 1
Gilbert 1
Gordon 1
Jesse 1
Jim 1
Jno.Hy. 1
Jonathan 1
Laurence 1
Lewes 1
Mark 1
Willm. 1

FAQ

Tilling surname: questions and answers

How common was the Tilling surname in 1881?

In 1881, 736 people were recorded with the Tilling surname. That placed it at #4,976 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Tilling surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 984 in 2016. That gives Tilling a modern rank of #5,874.

What does the Tilling surname mean?

An occupational surname derived from the word "tiller," referring to a farmer or cultivator of the soil.

What does the Tilling map show?

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