NameCensus.

UK surname

Tobitt

A variant spelling of Tebbit, derived from a place name meaning "homestead with deer enclosure".

In the 1881 census there were 136 people recorded with the Tobitt surname, ranking it #16,433 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 130, ranked #26,152, down from #16,433 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Dorking, London parishes and Hawkhurst, Etchingham. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Ashford, Havant and Forest Heath.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Tobitt is 180 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has stayed broadly stable by 4.4%.

1881 census count

136

Ranked #16,433

Modern count

130

2016, ranked #26,152

Peak year

1911

180 bearers

Map years

7

1881 to 2016

Key insights

  • Tobitt had 136 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #16,433 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 130 in 2016, ranked #26,152.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 180 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Tobitt surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Tobitt surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Tobitt 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 69 #21,148
1861 historical 84 #23,058
1881 historical 136 #16,433
1891 historical 128 #20,393
1901 historical 160 #17,387
1911 historical 180 #15,961
1997 modern 142 #21,856
1998 modern 153 #21,387
1999 modern 149 #21,924
2000 modern 149 #21,874
2001 modern 148 #21,664
2002 modern 148 #22,087
2003 modern 146 #22,069
2004 modern 153 #21,528
2005 modern 149 #21,866
2006 modern 146 #22,320
2007 modern 146 #22,596
2008 modern 150 #22,429
2009 modern 146 #23,352
2010 modern 144 #24,147
2011 modern 140 #24,395
2012 modern 132 #25,289
2013 modern 133 #25,655
2014 modern 124 #27,049
2015 modern 129 #26,226
2016 modern 130 #26,152

Geography

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Where Tobitts are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Dorking, London parishes, Hawkhurst, Etchingham, Croydon, Battersea (Penge), Sanderstead and Eastbourne. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Ashford, Havant, Forest Heath and Mole Valley. 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 Dorking Surrey
2 London parishes London 3
3 Hawkhurst, Etchingham Kent
4 Croydon, Battersea (Penge), Sanderstead Surrey
5 Eastbourne Sussex

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Ashford 010 Ashford
2 Havant 005 Havant
3 Havant 008 Havant
4 Forest Heath 002 Forest Heath
5 Mole Valley 009 Mole Valley

Forenames

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First names often paired with Tobitt

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Tobitt

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

Ageing Communities

Nationally, the Tobitt surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Ageing Communities, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Tobitt household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many residents are of normal retirement age or above and live in communal establishments, and there are few dependent children. The dominant property type is a mix of retirement flats and detached houses. Those in work are likely to be employed in managerial and professional occupations, and many residents are educated to degree level. Levels of owner occupation are high, but the private rental sector is also present. Rural locations predominate.

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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Skilled Trades and Construction Workers

Within London, Tobitt is most associated with areas classed as Skilled Trades and Construction Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. 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 scattered, peripheral and often low residential density neighbourhoods house more workers in skilled trades and construction. Few households rent social housing and there are few students. Multiple car ownership is higher than the Supergroup average, perhaps because of poorer public transport connectivity. Incidence of mixed or multiple ethnicity is below the Supergroup average, and the absence of individuals identifying as Pakistani or Other Asian groups is also less pronounced. Flatted accommodation is less dominant than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Tobitt is most concentrated in decile 10 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.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Tobitt 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 Tobitt is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

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

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Tobitt

The surname "TOBITT" is believed to have originated in England in the late 12th century. It is thought to have derived from the Old English words "tob" meaning a small hillock or mound, and "hytt" meaning a small dwelling or hut. Thus, the original meaning of the name likely referred to someone who lived in a small hut on a small hill or mound.

The earliest recorded instance of the name appears in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1195, where a "Robert Tobitt" is mentioned as owing taxes. The name is also found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, where a "William Tobitt" is listed as a landowner.

In the 14th century, the name is recorded in various spellings such as "Tobytt" and "Tobbyt" in court records and manorial rolls from counties like Berkshire and Wiltshire. This suggests that the name was relatively widespread in southern and central England during this time period.

One notable early bearer of the name was John Tobitt, a wealthy merchant from Bristol who lived from around 1380 to 1446. He is mentioned in several contemporary records as owning ships and trading goods throughout Europe.

Another early person of note was Richard Tobitt, a priest who lived from approximately 1420 to 1492. He served as the rector of the parish church in the village of Tobbington, which may have been named after an early bearer of the surname.

In the 16th century, the name appears in records from the city of London, where a Thomas Tobitt was a member of the Worshipful Company of Mercers from 1553 to 1578.

Moving into the 17th century, there are records of a William Tobitt who was a soldier in the English Civil War, fighting for the Parliamentarian forces between 1642 and 1646.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in North America comes from the 1630s, when a Richard Tobitt is listed as one of the original settlers of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Tobitt families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Tobitt 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. Surrey leads with 38 Tobitts recorded in 1881 and an index of 5.88x.

County Total Index
Surrey 38 5.88x
Sussex 37 16.54x
Middlesex 29 2.19x
Kent 22 4.86x
Oxfordshire 7 8.54x
Hertfordshire 1 1.09x
Lancashire 1 0.06x
Yorkshire 1 0.08x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Kirdford in Sussex leads with 12 Tobitts recorded in 1881 and an index of 1538.46x.

Place Total Index
Kirdford 12 1538.46x
Dorking 9 207.37x
Henfield 9 1046.51x
Islington London 9 7.00x
Speldhurst 9 391.30x
Checkendon 7 4117.65x
Wisborough Green 7 933.33x
Witley 7 1521.74x
Croydon 6 16.72x
Ealing 6 50.59x
Harrow On The Hill 6 226.42x
Lewisham 6 24.86x
Newington 6 12.24x
Eastbourne 5 48.59x
St George Hanover 5 28.87x
Hawkhurst 4 283.69x
Newdigate 4 1333.33x
Deptford St Paul 2 5.73x
Reigate Foreign 2 28.57x
Walton On Hill 2 714.29x
Willingdon 2 350.88x
Chelsea London 1 2.50x
Chiswick 1 13.79x
Chorlton On Medlock 1 4.00x
Epsom 1 31.75x
Falsgrave 1 51.55x
Hertford St John 1 73.53x
Horsham 1 23.04x
Kingston On Thames 1 6.44x
Ringmer 1 158.73x
Shoreham 1 156.25x
St Augustine Watling 1 1428.57x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Charles 8
Thomas 7
George 6
John 4
William 4
Albert 3
James 3
Wesley 3
Arthur 2
David 2
Edward 2
Frederick 2
Harold 2
Percy 2
Walter 2
Alfred 1
Amos 1
Burton 1
Chas. 1
Edmund 1
Ernest 1
Frances 1
Henry 1
Jack 1
Jesse 1
Joseph 1
Richd. 1
Robt.F. 1
Sampson 1
Samuel 1
Thos. 1
Witfield 1

FAQ

Tobitt surname: questions and answers

How common was the Tobitt surname in 1881?

In 1881, 136 people were recorded with the Tobitt surname. That placed it at #16,433 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Tobitt surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 130 in 2016. That gives Tobitt a modern rank of #26,152.

What does the Tobitt surname mean?

A variant spelling of Tebbit, derived from a place name meaning "homestead with deer enclosure".

What does the Tobitt map show?

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