NameCensus.

UK surname

Tingey

From an English place name meaning "dweller at the hedge".

In the 1881 census there were 457 people recorded with the Tingey surname, ranking it #7,240 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 548, ranked #9,309, down from #7,240 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, St Pancras and Shitlington. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Central Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire and Tendring.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Tingey is 726 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 19.9%.

1881 census count

457

Ranked #7,240

Modern count

548

2016, ranked #9,309

Peak year

1911

726 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Tingey had 457 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #7,240 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 548 in 2016, ranked #9,309.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 726 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Tingey surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Tingey surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Tingey 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 390 #6,155
1861 historical 356 #7,171
1881 historical 457 #7,240
1891 historical 513 #7,274
1901 historical 599 #7,081
1911 historical 726 #5,895
1997 modern 569 #8,454
1998 modern 609 #8,299
1999 modern 628 #8,179
2000 modern 617 #8,267
2001 modern 619 #8,092
2002 modern 624 #8,218
2003 modern 600 #8,340
2004 modern 581 #8,539
2005 modern 569 #8,594
2006 modern 561 #8,698
2007 modern 555 #8,841
2008 modern 559 #8,844
2009 modern 585 #8,747
2010 modern 596 #8,831
2011 modern 592 #8,782
2012 modern 584 #8,773
2013 modern 573 #9,034
2014 modern 572 #9,102
2015 modern 556 #9,221
2016 modern 548 #9,309

Geography

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Where Tingeys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, St Pancras, Shitlington, Henlow and Cambridge: St Andrew the Less, St Andrew the Great, Holy Trinity, St Benedict. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Central Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, Tendring and Cherwell. 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 3
2 St Pancras London (North Districts)
3 Shitlington Bedfordshire
4 Henlow Bedfordshire
5 Cambridge: St Andrew the Less, St Andrew the Great, Holy Trinity, St Benedict Cambridgeshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Central Bedfordshire 011 Central Bedfordshire
2 Huntingdonshire 003 Huntingdonshire
3 Tendring 003 Tendring
4 Cherwell 014 Cherwell
5 Huntingdonshire 021 Huntingdonshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Tingey

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Tingey

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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Tingey is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. 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

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Tingey is most concentrated in decile 7 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.

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Tingey

The surname Tingey is of English origin, with its roots traced back to the early medieval period in the county of Lincolnshire. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "ting," meaning a thing or assembly, suggesting a connection to a gathering place or meeting ground.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Thingehaga," referring to a location in Lincolnshire. This indicates that the surname may have initially been a place name before evolving into a hereditary family name.

During the 13th century, the name appeared in various spellings, such as Tyngey, Tynghey, and Tyngay, reflecting the phonetic variations common in medieval times. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and scribal interpretations.

Notable individuals bearing the surname Tingey include William Tingey (1654-1723), an English clergyman and author, who served as the Rector of Barmston in Yorkshire. Another prominent figure was Thomas Tingey (1750-1829), a British-born naval officer who served in the Continental Navy during the American Revolutionary War and later became the first Chief of the Bureau of Navy Yards and Docks.

In the 19th century, John Cleve Tingey (1829-1903), an American politician and businessman, made his mark as the 7th Governor of New Mexico Territory from 1887 to 1888. Another individual of note was Ernest Frederick Tingey (1856-1940), a British landscape painter and etcher known for his depictions of rural scenes.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname in the United States can be traced back to John Tingey, who arrived in Virginia in 1635, suggesting that the name had already spread across the Atlantic by that time.

Throughout its history, the surname Tingey has maintained a presence in various regions of England, particularly in Lincolnshire, Yorkshire, and the surrounding areas. It has also gained a foothold in other parts of the world, carried by individuals who migrated from their ancestral homeland.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Tingey families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Tingey 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 140 Tingeys recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.14x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 140 3.14x
Bedfordshire 88 38.12x
Hertfordshire 39 12.69x
Cambridgeshire 31 10.98x
Norfolk 26 3.79x
Essex 20 2.27x
Surrey 20 0.92x
Kent 19 1.25x
Yorkshire 19 0.43x
Huntingdonshire 14 15.82x
Sussex 9 1.20x
Lincolnshire 8 1.12x
Durham 6 0.45x
Lancashire 6 0.11x
Oxfordshire 6 2.18x
Leicestershire 2 0.40x
Northamptonshire 2 0.48x
Buckinghamshire 1 0.37x
Rutland 1 3.06x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Shillington in Bedfordshire leads with 27 Tingeys recorded in 1881 and an index of 794.12x.

Place Total Index
Shillington 27 794.12x
St Pancras London 22 6.13x
Shoreditch London 18 9.31x
Bethnal Green London 12 6.20x
Bromley London 11 11.22x
Hackney London 11 4.40x
Hatfield 11 176.57x
Henlow 10 699.30x
Northill 10 462.96x
Wheathampstead 10 281.69x
Wereham 9 957.45x
West Ham 9 4.63x
Rochester St Margaret 8 49.88x
St Andrewthe Less 8 24.80x
Bygrave 7 1944.44x
Camberwell 7 2.46x
Downham 7 233.33x
Hail Weston 7 1320.75x
Bedford St Mary 6 101.01x
Shefford 6 365.85x
South Mimms 6 98.20x
St Benedict Cambridge 6 377.36x
St Clement Danes 6 83.10x
Brighton 5 3.30x
Chelsea London 5 3.72x
Clophill 5 295.86x
Eaton Socon 5 138.12x
Gomersal 5 24.25x
Great Lumley 5 220.26x
Hampstead London 5 7.20x
Harpenden 5 106.61x
Souldern 5 704.23x
Southwark St Saviour 5 21.82x
St George Hanover 5 8.59x
Whitechapel London 5 11.38x
Wyke In Bradford 5 63.29x
Clifton 4 179.37x
Deptford St Paul 4 3.41x
Great Shelford 4 270.27x
Hove 4 12.13x
Market Deeping 4 216.22x
Mile End Old Town 4 5.68x
Moss Side 4 14.37x
Ratcliffe London 4 16.25x
St Luke London 4 5.59x
Waltham Holy Cross 4 48.66x
Bermondsey 3 2.26x
Clee With Weelsby 3 19.23x
Doddington 3 144.93x
Eccles 3 937.50x
Ecclesfield 3 9.26x
Eston 3 31.19x
Fletton 3 106.01x
Great Paxton 3 750.00x
Leyton Low 3 16.77x
Limehouse London 3 6.13x
Little Ellingham 3 612.24x
Newington 3 1.82x
Pertenhall 3 588.24x
Rochester St Nicholas 3 63.42x
Southill 3 160.43x
Stoke Ferry 3 288.46x
Bedford St Paul 2 12.63x
Biggleswade 2 26.46x
Bow London 2 3.52x
Bradfield 2 11.74x
Clerkenwell London 2 1.90x
Emneth 2 130.72x
Enfield 2 6.84x
Gorton 2 4.02x
Hilgay 2 77.52x
Hitchin 2 14.42x
Irthlingborough 2 48.66x
Islington London 2 0.46x
Mile End New Town 2 32.84x
Milton In Gravesend 2 8.77x
Poplar London 2 2.38x
Saffron Walden 2 21.51x
Snarestone 2 408.16x
Tilbrook 2 333.33x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 28
Elizabeth 22
Sarah 20
Ellen 12
Emily 9
Emma 9
Alice 8
Eliza 8
Ann 7
Annie 7
Hannah 5
Jane 5
Martha 5
Fanny 4
Frances 4
Julia 4
Maria 4
Ada 3
Caroline 3
Harriet 3
Louisa 3
Lucy 3
Sophia 3
Amelia 2
Arabella 2
Charlotte 2
Clara 2
Edith 2
Eleanor 2
Helen 2
Margaret 2
Maryanne 2
Matilda 2
Maud 2
Minnie 2
Susan 2
Adelaide 1
Bessey 1
C.C. 1
Catherine 1
Elizaberth 1
Ellenor 1
Flora 1
Florence 1
Jemima 1
Jenny 1
Kate 1
Louise 1
Mabel 1
Susanah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
Henry 21
William 21
James 18
John 17
George 15
Thomas 14
Charles 12
Edward 12
Samuel 8
Frederick 7
Joseph 7
Robert 5
Albert 4
Alfred 3
Isaac 3
Richard 3
Thos. 3
Wm. 3
Arthur 2
Ernest 2
Geo. 2
Herbert 2
Paul 2
Saml. 2
Stephen 2
Bertie 1
Cornelius 1
Daniel 1
David 1
Edmund 1
Francis 1
Frank 1
Fred 1
Gill 1
J. 1
Jacob 1
Jas. 1
Jno. 1
Jonah 1
Jonathan 1
Josiah 1
Kerlert 1
Lenord 1
Lizzie 1
Michael 1
Robt. 1
Sidney 1
Valentine 1
Walter 1
Wm.C. 1

FAQ

Tingey surname: questions and answers

How common was the Tingey surname in 1881?

In 1881, 457 people were recorded with the Tingey surname. That placed it at #7,240 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Tingey surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 548 in 2016. That gives Tingey a modern rank of #9,309.

What does the Tingey surname mean?

From an English place name meaning "dweller at the hedge".

What does the Tingey map show?

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