NameCensus.

UK surname

Tirrell

An English surname derived from the given name Terrell, which itself was a Norman French diminutive of Thierry.

In the 1881 census there were 223 people recorded with the Tirrell surname, ranking it #11,998 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 117, ranked #28,033, down from #11,998 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Wilbarston, London parishes and Lambeth. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Doncaster, South Cambridgeshire and Cheshire East.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Tirrell is 228 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 47.5%.

1881 census count

223

Ranked #11,998

Modern count

117

2016, ranked #28,033

Peak year

1911

228 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Tirrell had 223 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #11,998 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 117 in 2016, ranked #28,033.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 228 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Tirrell surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Tirrell surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Tirrell 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 173 #11,629
1861 historical 103 #20,650
1881 historical 223 #11,998
1891 historical 148 #18,506
1901 historical 140 #18,795
1911 historical 228 #13,759
1997 modern 121 #24,019
1998 modern 126 #24,094
1999 modern 133 #23,487
2000 modern 130 #23,785
2001 modern 126 #23,883
2002 modern 131 #23,793
2003 modern 128 #23,890
2004 modern 126 #24,335
2005 modern 117 #25,433
2006 modern 111 #26,565
2007 modern 107 #27,557
2008 modern 110 #27,391
2009 modern 114 #27,363
2010 modern 115 #27,874
2011 modern 107 #28,979
2012 modern 112 #28,174
2013 modern 120 #27,406
2014 modern 122 #27,358
2015 modern 116 #28,151
2016 modern 117 #28,033

Geography

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Where Tirrells are most common

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

The modern local-area list points to Doncaster, South Cambridgeshire and Cheshire East. 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 Wilbarston Leicestershire
2 London parishes London 3
3 Lambeth London (South Districts)
4 Wicken Northamptonshire
5 Desborough Northamptonshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Doncaster 002 Doncaster
2 South Cambridgeshire 003 South Cambridgeshire
3 Cheshire East 039 Cheshire East
4 Cheshire East 037 Cheshire East
5 Cheshire East 038 Cheshire East

Forenames

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First names often paired with Tirrell

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Tirrell

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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Tirrell is most associated with areas classed as Inner London Working Professionals, 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 primarily Inner London neighbourhoods are more densely populated than the Supergroup average. Residents have a younger over-all age profile than the Supergroup as a whole, and are less likely to be owner occupiers. Full time employment is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup and multiple car ownership is uncommon. Chinese and non-EU-born European migrants are less in evidence than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

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

Tirrell 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

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

Meaning and origin of Tirrell

The surname Tirrell is believed to have originated in France during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old French word "torrel," which means "little tower" or "turret." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived near or worked in a small tower or fortified structure.

The name first appeared in historical records in the 11th century, during the Norman Conquest of England. It is possible that the name was brought to England by Norman soldiers or settlers who accompanied William the Conqueror in 1066. The earliest recorded spelling of the name was "Tirel," which appeared in the Domesday Book of 1086.

Over time, the spelling of the name evolved to include variations such as Tirrell, Tyrell, and Tyrrell. These variations likely emerged due to regional dialects and the inconsistent spelling practices of the time.

One notable bearer of the name was Sir Walter Tirrell, a 12th-century English knight who gained notoriety for his alleged involvement in the death of William II, also known as William Rufus. According to chronicles, Tirrell was present during a hunting accident in the New Forest, where the king was fatally shot with an arrow in 1100.

Another historical figure with this surname was Thomas Tyrrell, an English writer and philosopher who lived from 1661 to 1726. He is best known for his works on the philosophical principles of Locke and Descartes.

In the 18th century, James Tyrrell (1642-1718) was an English historian and writer who published several works, including a controversial biography of King William III.

Continuing into the 19th century, Sir John Tyrrell (1786-1876) was a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars and later became a Member of Parliament.

The name Tirrell has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Tyrrell's Pass in Hampshire and Tyrrell's Ford in Buckinghamshire, indicating the presence of families bearing this surname in those areas.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Tirrell families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Tirrell 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. Northamptonshire leads with 67 Tirrells recorded in 1881 and an index of 32.75x.

County Total Index
Northamptonshire 67 32.75x
Surrey 47 4.43x
Middlesex 26 1.20x
Cheshire 18 3.75x
Leicestershire 16 6.63x
Staffordshire 9 1.23x
Oxfordshire 6 4.47x
Dorset 5 3.50x
Hampshire 5 1.12x
Lancashire 4 0.16x
Herefordshire 3 3.36x
Lincolnshire 3 0.86x
Rutland 3 18.79x
Yorkshire 3 0.14x
Kent 2 0.27x
Bedfordshire 1 0.89x
Derbyshire 1 0.29x
Lanarkshire 1 0.14x
Sussex 1 0.27x
Wiltshire 1 0.52x
Worcestershire 1 0.35x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Wicken in Northamptonshire leads with 20 Tirrells recorded in 1881 and an index of 6666.67x.

Place Total Index
Wicken 20 6666.67x
Monks Coppenhall 18 99.34x
Wilbarston In Market 16 4210.53x
Newington 13 16.18x
Bermondsey 9 13.90x
Desborough 9 584.42x
Lambeth 9 4.75x
Clapham 8 29.42x
Horninghold 8 8888.89x
Stoke Upon Trent 8 10.27x
St Luke London 7 20.06x
Hornsey 6 21.81x
Dingley 5 5555.56x
Southwark St George Martyr 5 11.42x
Sydling St Nicholas 5 1190.48x
Islington London 4 1.90x
Merton 4 3076.92x
Peterborough 4 27.01x
Portsea 4 4.58x
Rushden 4 145.99x
Wellingborough 4 38.87x
Kingston On Thames 3 11.78x
Swayfield 3 1578.95x
Toxteth Park 3 3.43x
Egleton 2 2222.22x
Hallaton 2 377.36x
Hampstead London 2 5.90x
Leeds 2 1.64x
Medbourne 2 487.80x
Putley 2 1333.33x
St Clement Danes 2 56.82x
St Pancras London 2 1.14x
Wendlebury 2 1666.67x
Ashe 1 666.67x
Braybrooke 1 370.37x
Brightside Bierlow 1 2.37x
Broughton In Salford 1 4.24x
Clerkenwell London 1 1.95x
Cliffe 1 80.65x
Derby St Werburgh 1 5.09x
Devizes St James 1 39.06x
Great Easton 1 250.00x
Hanwell 1 25.91x
Higham 1 100.00x
Hougham 1 22.68x
Kelmarsh 1 625.00x
Kensington London 1 0.83x
Kettering 1 12.08x
Lichfield St Mary 1 47.17x
Lower Mitton 1 40.00x
Maryhill 1 7.26x
Narborough 1 151.52x
Northampton All Sts 1 14.41x
Paulerspury 1 117.65x
Shangton 1 1666.67x
Tingrith 1 833.33x
Uppingham 1 52.63x
Whitney 1 500.00x
Willoughby Waterless 1 416.67x

Top female names

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

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 14
William 13
Charles 10
Joseph 7
Thomas 7
George 6
James 5
Alfred 4
Henry 4
Samuel 4
Harry 3
Levi 3
Arthur 2
Jesse 2
Reuben 2
Albert 1
Alice 1
Archibald 1
Bryan 1
Ebenezer 1
Ernest 1
Fhilip 1
Francis 1
Frank 1
Fred 1
Frederick 1
Fredk. 1
Geoffrey 1
Jacob 1
Job 1
Jonathan 1
Lewis 1
Richard 1
Robert 1
Sidney 1
Stanley 1
Willm. 1

FAQ

Tirrell surname: questions and answers

How common was the Tirrell surname in 1881?

In 1881, 223 people were recorded with the Tirrell surname. That placed it at #11,998 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Tirrell surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 117 in 2016. That gives Tirrell a modern rank of #28,033.

What does the Tirrell surname mean?

An English surname derived from the given name Terrell, which itself was a Norman French diminutive of Thierry.

What does the Tirrell map show?

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