NameCensus.

UK surname

Tilt

An occupational surname derived from the medieval English word for a tent or temporary shelter.

In the 1881 census there were 218 people recorded with the Tilt surname, ranking it #12,158 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 285, ranked #15,286, down from #12,158 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Egham, Christchurch and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Bromsgrove, Shropshire and Wolverhampton.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Tilt is 335 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 30.7%.

1881 census count

218

Ranked #12,158

Modern count

285

2016, ranked #15,286

Peak year

1911

335 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Tilt had 218 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #12,158 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 285 in 2016, ranked #15,286.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 335 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Tilt surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Tilt surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Tilt 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 151 #12,840
1861 historical 104 #20,477
1881 historical 218 #12,158
1891 historical 211 #14,366
1901 historical 305 #11,525
1911 historical 335 #10,584
1997 modern 312 #13,182
1998 modern 321 #13,275
1999 modern 320 #13,398
2000 modern 305 #13,769
2001 modern 302 #13,668
2002 modern 299 #14,017
2003 modern 288 #14,192
2004 modern 292 #14,109
2005 modern 283 #14,343
2006 modern 280 #14,535
2007 modern 280 #14,694
2008 modern 278 #14,901
2009 modern 295 #14,594
2010 modern 296 #14,877
2011 modern 280 #15,310
2012 modern 290 #14,838
2013 modern 296 #14,876
2014 modern 289 #15,251
2015 modern 277 #15,622
2016 modern 285 #15,286

Geography

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Where Tilts are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Egham, Christchurch, London parishes, Lambeth and Tardebigg. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Bromsgrove, Shropshire, Wolverhampton, Fareham and Pembrokeshire. 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 Egham Berkshire
2 Christchurch London (South Districts)
3 London parishes London 3
4 Lambeth London (South Districts)
5 Tardebigg Worcestershire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Bromsgrove 002 Bromsgrove
2 Shropshire 039 Shropshire
3 Wolverhampton 031 Wolverhampton
4 Fareham 008 Fareham
5 Pembrokeshire 011 Pembrokeshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Tilt

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Tilt

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Tilt, 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 Tilt surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Tilt 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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Established Homeowners with Children

Within London, Tilt 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

Tilt 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

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

Meaning and origin of Tilt

The surname TILT originates in England, dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "tyltan," which means "to tilt or incline." The name was likely occupational in origin, referring to someone who worked as a roofer or tiler, responsible for constructing and repairing roofs and tiles.

Early records of the name can be found in various historical documents, such as the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire, where a certain Robert Tilt was mentioned in 1190. The Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire from 1273 also recorded a Thomas Tylt, indicating the name's presence in different regions of England during the medieval period.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname was John Tilt, who was born in Lincolnshire in the late 15th century. He was a landowner and farmer, and his descendants continued to live in the same area for several generations.

In the 16th century, the name appeared in the records of the Church of St. Mary the Virgin in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, where a Thomas Tilt was baptized in 1562. This suggests that the name had spread to other parts of England by this time.

During the 17th century, the surname TILT gained prominence with the birth of Samuel Tilt in 1642 in Worcestershire. He was a prominent Puritan minister and author, known for his works on theology and religious controversy.

Another notable figure was Sir Edward Tilt, born in 1667 in Hampshire. He was a respected lawyer and judge who served as Chief Justice of the Common Pleas from 1718 until his death in 1730.

In the 18th century, the name was associated with the village of Tilt Cove in Newfoundland, Canada, which was named after a settler from England named John Tilt, who established a fishing community there in the early 1700s.

The 19th century saw the birth of John Tilt, a renowned English artist and engraver, who was born in 1805 in Islington, London. He became known for his intricate engravings of architectural subjects and landscapes.

Throughout history, variations of the surname TILT have emerged, such as Tilte, Tylte, and Tyltt, reflecting regional dialects and spelling variations. However, the core meaning and origin of the name have remained consistent, tracing back to its occupational roots in medieval England.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Tilt families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Tilt 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. Worcestershire leads with 75 Tilts recorded in 1881 and an index of 27.13x.

County Total Index
Worcestershire 75 27.13x
Surrey 55 5.33x
Middlesex 19 0.90x
Warwickshire 19 3.56x
Northamptonshire 16 8.04x
Staffordshire 11 1.54x
Wiltshire 6 3.21x
Glamorgan 5 1.36x
Kent 3 0.42x
Nottinghamshire 3 1.05x
Devon 2 0.45x
Cornwall 1 0.42x
Dorset 1 0.72x
Leicestershire 1 0.43x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Bromsgrove in Worcestershire leads with 62 Tilts recorded in 1881 and an index of 666.67x.

Place Total Index
Bromsgrove 62 666.67x
Lambeth 23 12.46x
Coventry St Michael 11 64.14x
Egham 11 173.78x
Belbroughton 7 489.51x
Kettering 7 86.96x
Northampton St Giles 7 92.35x
Aston 6 4.08x
Southwark Christchurch 6 60.48x
Tipton 6 27.42x
Fulham London 5 16.29x
Croydon 4 6.99x
Eglwysilan 4 62.60x
St Marylebone London 4 3.54x
Sutton 4 53.62x
West Dean 4 4444.44x
Hucknall Torkard 3 41.49x
St Martin In Fields 3 23.68x
Wednesbury 3 16.81x
Capel 2 206.19x
Clapham 2 7.56x
Foleshill 2 35.59x
Kensington London 2 1.70x
Lewisham 2 5.19x
Northampton All Sts 2 29.59x
Shoreditch London 2 2.18x
St George Hanover 2 7.24x
Stoke Prior 2 117.65x
Wolverhampton 2 3.64x
Bitteswell 1 384.62x
Camberwell 1 0.74x
Chelsea London 1 1.57x
Chislehurst 1 25.84x
Dawlish 1 30.40x
Elmley Castle 1 370.37x
Exeter Holy Trinity 1 57.80x
Kingston On Thames 1 4.04x
Mawgan In Pyder 1 196.08x
Newington 1 1.28x
Northfield 1 19.08x
Redditch 1 17.86x
Roath 1 5.97x
Steeple Langford 1 263.16x
Tutnall Cobley 1 277.78x
Warminster 1 24.39x
Winterborne St Martin 1 322.58x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Elizabeth 10
Mary 10
Emma 8
Alice 6
Ellen 5
Jane 5
Sarah 5
Ann 3
Emily 3
Susan 3
Amelia 2
Amy 2
Eliza 2
Flora 2
Florence 2
Harriet 2
Harriett 2
Rebecca 2
Susannah 2
Blane 1
Caroline 1
Clara 1
Deborah 1
Dinah 1
Dorothy 1
Ealsily 1
Elizth. 1
Ellin 1
Emilia 1
Emmeline 1
Esther 1
Georgina 1
Gertrude 1
Hannah 1
Ivy 1
Jemima 1
Kate 1
Katherine 1
Katy 1
Keziah 1
Louisa 1
Lucy 1
M.M.F. 1
Maria 1
Marpacia 1
Martha 1
Maryann 1
May 1
Minie 1
Myra 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 14
John 9
Thomas 7
Edward 6
George 6
James 6
Alfred 5
Charles 5
Joseph 5
Richard 4
Walter 4
Arthur 3
Benjamin 2
Frederick 2
Herbert 2
Samuel 2
Andrew 1
Archibald 1
Calib 1
Edmund 1
Edwin 1
Ernest 1
Frank 1
Frederic 1
Fredk.Wm. 1
Fredrick 1
Henry 1
Hy. 1
Leon 1
Leonard 1
Nicholas 1
Peter 1
Robert 1
Thos. 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Tilt surname: questions and answers

How common was the Tilt surname in 1881?

In 1881, 218 people were recorded with the Tilt surname. That placed it at #12,158 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Tilt surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 285 in 2016. That gives Tilt a modern rank of #15,286.

What does the Tilt surname mean?

An occupational surname derived from the medieval English word for a tent or temporary shelter.

What does the Tilt map show?

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