NameCensus.

UK surname

Tofts

In the 1881 census there were 338 people recorded with the Tofts surname, ranking it #8,962 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 419, ranked #11,445, down from #8,962 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Meesden, London parishes and St Leonard Shoreditch. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include South Cambridgeshire, Braintree and Horsham.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Tofts is 542 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 24.0%.

1881 census count

338

Ranked #8,962

Modern count

419

2016, ranked #11,445

Peak year

1998

542 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Tofts had 338 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #8,962 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 419 in 2016, ranked #11,445.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 431 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Tofts surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Tofts surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Tofts 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 170 #11,780
1861 historical 202 #11,906
1881 historical 338 #8,962
1891 historical 389 #9,085
1901 historical 425 #9,081
1911 historical 431 #8,789
1997 modern 503 #9,259
1998 modern 542 #9,028
1999 modern 510 #9,517
2000 modern 525 #9,284
2001 modern 514 #9,267
2002 modern 505 #9,563
2003 modern 491 #9,612
2004 modern 469 #9,983
2005 modern 452 #10,173
2006 modern 457 #10,127
2007 modern 448 #10,365
2008 modern 442 #10,573
2009 modern 460 #10,481
2010 modern 463 #10,660
2011 modern 436 #11,053
2012 modern 407 #11,584
2013 modern 420 #11,489
2014 modern 427 #11,393
2015 modern 413 #11,622
2016 modern 419 #11,445

Geography

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Where Tofts' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Meesden, London parishes, St Leonard Shoreditch and Edinburgh. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to South Cambridgeshire, Braintree, Horsham and Milton Keynes. 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 Meesden Hertfordshire
2 London parishes London 1
3 St Leonard Shoreditch London (East Districts)
4 London parishes London 3
5 Edinburgh Edinburgh

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 South Cambridgeshire 016 South Cambridgeshire
2 Braintree 004 Braintree
3 South Cambridgeshire 017 South Cambridgeshire
4 Horsham 008 Horsham
5 Milton Keynes 002 Milton Keynes

Forenames

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First names often paired with Tofts

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Tofts

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

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Tofts is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Pockets, part of Social Rented Sector Families with Children. 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

Found in pockets across London, residents are less likely to live in private sector rentals and fewer adults are students. Fewer individuals work in transport and communications occupations relative to the Supergroup average. More individuals identify as Black and were born in Africa.

Wider London pattern

Residents of these neighbourhoods include sizable numbers identifying with ethnicities originating outside Europe, particularly in Africa or Bangladesh. The proportion of residents identifying as White, Indian or Pakistani is well below the London average. Neighbourhood age profiles are skewed towards younger adults, and above average numbers of families have children. Rates of use of English at home are below average. Marriage rates are low, and levels of separation or divorce are above average. Housing is predominantly in flats, and renting in the social rented sector the norm - few residents are owner occupiers. Housing is often overcrowded, and neighbourhoods are amongst the most densely populated in London. Disability rates are above average, although levels of unpaid care provision are about average. Employment is in caring, leisure, other service occupations, sales and customer service, or process, plant, and machine operation. Part time working and full-time student study are common. Levels of unemployment are slightly above average. Most residents have only Level 1 or 2 educational qualifications or have completed apprenticeships.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Tofts 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

Tofts falls in decile 10 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.

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

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Tofts families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Tofts 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. Cambridgeshire leads with 63 Tofts' recorded in 1881 and an index of 30.17x.

County Total Index
Cambridgeshire 63 30.17x
Middlesex 54 1.64x
Hertfordshire 41 18.04x
Essex 40 6.15x
Norfolk 25 4.93x
Berwickshire 19 47.58x
Midlothian 18 4.08x
Surrey 17 1.06x
Roxburghshire 12 20.09x
Suffolk 10 2.49x
Lanarkshire 7 0.66x
Selkirkshire 5 16.76x
Devon 4 0.58x
Wigtownshire 4 9.14x
Kent 3 0.27x
Lancashire 3 0.08x
Northumberland 3 0.61x
East Lothian 2 4.58x
Sussex 2 0.36x
Yorkshire 2 0.06x
Durham 1 0.10x
Huntingdonshire 1 1.53x
Renfrewshire 1 0.39x
Royal Navy 1 2.55x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Linton in Cambridgeshire leads with 32 Tofts' recorded in 1881 and an index of 1608.04x.

Place Total Index
Linton 32 1608.04x
Meesden 22 10476.19x
Lauder 15 678.73x
Shoreditch London 15 10.49x
Lambeth 11 3.83x
Bury St Edmunds St James 10 93.20x
Hadstock 10 2000.00x
Mattishall 9 891.09x
East Tuddenham 8 1568.63x
Baldock 7 327.10x
Bishop Stortford 7 92.23x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 7 3.94x
Elsenham 7 1320.75x
Finchingfield 7 343.14x
Glasgow 7 3.70x
St Boswells 7 648.15x
Dalkeith 6 68.89x
Great Sampford 6 857.14x
Litlington 6 789.47x
Acton 5 25.87x
Bermondsey 5 5.09x
Edmonton 5 18.83x
Hackney London 5 2.70x
Selkirk 5 59.52x
Westminster St 5 41.12x
Wisbech St Mary 5 208.33x
Codicote 4 294.12x
Farnham 4 701.75x
Hildersham 4 1428.57x
Jedburgh 4 68.38x
Sorbie 4 209.42x
St Andrewthe Less 4 16.76x
Stow 4 176.21x
West Teignmouth 4 76.19x
Westruther 4 526.32x
Brandon 3 110.29x
Chatteris 3 56.29x
Great Walsingham 3 588.24x
Hinxton 3 769.23x
Stansted Mountfitchet 3 182.93x
Tottenham 3 5.71x
Bethnal Green London 2 1.40x
Brightside Bierlow 2 3.12x
East Dereham 2 31.25x
Fawdon Clinch Hartside 2 1052.63x
Islington London 2 0.63x
Kensington London 2 1.09x
Liverpool 2 0.84x
Margate St John Baptist 2 9.71x
Paddington London 2 1.65x
St Andrew Holborn 2 17.89x
St Giles Cambridge 2 74.07x
Waterbeach 2 117.65x
Bedrule 1 333.33x
Birchanger 1 185.19x
Brighton 1 0.89x
Cathcart 1 7.24x
Chrishall 1 153.85x
Darlington 1 2.64x
Edinburgh Greenside 1 17.12x
Elswick 1 2.55x
Fletton 1 47.85x
Frimley 1 21.83x
Gladsmuir 1 51.28x
Hatfield 1 21.69x
Horseheath 1 161.29x
Lee 1 6.12x
Mile End Old Town 1 1.92x
Prestonpans 1 34.13x
Royal Navy 1 2.98x
Saffron Walden 1 14.53x
St Edward Cambridge 1 151.52x
St George Hanover 1 2.32x
St Marylebone London 1 0.57x
St Pancras London 1 0.38x
Stoke Newington London 1 3.89x
Willesden 1 3.22x
Withington 1 7.94x
Worth 1 24.75x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 18
Elizabeth 10
Emma 10
Jane 9
Sarah 8
Alice 7
Ann 5
Susan 5
Annie 4
Ellen 4
Ada 3
Clara 3
Amelia 2
Amy 2
Caroline 2
Edith 2
Eliza 2
Fanny 2
Harriet 2
Martha 2
Maud 2
Minnie 2
Phoebe 2
Augusta 1
Catherine 1
Charlotte 1
Daisy 1
Esther 1
Eveline 1
Fanney 1
Flora 1
Florence 1
H.W. 1
Hannah 1
Harriett 1
Hephzibah 1
Infant 1
Isabella 1
Janet 1
Julia 1
Lizzie 1
Louisa 1
Milicent 1
Olive 1
Rebecca 1
Robina 1
Rosetta 1
Ruth 1
Sinia 1
Susannah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
Thomas 14
William 14
Charles 12
John 11
George 7
James 7
Arthur 6
Henry 6
Robert 4
Joseph 3
Joshua 3
Alfred 2
Earnest 2
Ernest 2
Fredrick 2
Harry 2
Samuel 2
Walter 2
Willm. 2
Albert 1
Ann 1
Bertram 1
Charle 1
Claude 1
David 1
Edward 1
Elliott 1
Francis 1
Fred 1
Fred. 1
Fred.Barker 1
Frederic 1
Frederick 1
Fredk. 1
Geo. 1
Harold 1
Haylock 1
Jesse 1
Josiah 1
Lancelot 1
Lionel 1
Mark 1
Nicholas 1
Richard 1
Stephen 1
Susan 1
Thos.W. 1
Timothy 1
Vincent 1

FAQ

Tofts surname: questions and answers

How common was the Tofts surname in 1881?

In 1881, 338 people were recorded with the Tofts surname. That placed it at #8,962 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Tofts surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 419 in 2016. That gives Tofts a modern rank of #11,445.

What does the Tofts map show?

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