NameCensus.

UK surname

Tomlinson

Derived from the given name Thomas, meaning "twin," combined with the patronymic suffix "-son," denoting "son of Thomas."

In the 1881 census there were 13,809 people recorded with the Tomlinson surname, ranking it #292 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 17,853, ranked #339, down from #292 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Rochdale, Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Ribble Valley, Amber Valley and Cheshire West and Chester.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Tomlinson is 18,514 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 29.3%.

1881 census count

13,809

Ranked #292

Modern count

17,853

2016, ranked #339

Peak year

1911

18,514 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Tomlinson had 13,809 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #292 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 17,853 in 2016, ranked #339.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 18,514 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Tomlinson surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Tomlinson surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Tomlinson 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 8,459 #316
1861 historical 8,524 #327
1881 historical 13,809 #292
1891 historical 14,930 #286
1901 historical 17,035 #296
1911 historical 18,514 #252
1997 modern 17,644 #332
1998 modern 18,188 #335
1999 modern 18,295 #334
2000 modern 18,169 #333
2001 modern 17,838 #332
2002 modern 18,118 #333
2003 modern 17,730 #334
2004 modern 17,631 #335
2005 modern 17,351 #336
2006 modern 17,238 #340
2007 modern 17,377 #337
2008 modern 17,425 #339
2009 modern 17,877 #338
2010 modern 18,228 #339
2011 modern 17,919 #341
2012 modern 17,511 #342
2013 modern 18,034 #339
2014 modern 18,136 #339
2015 modern 17,901 #339
2016 modern 17,853 #339

Geography

Back to top

Where Tomlinsons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Rochdale, Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard, London parishes, St Werburgh and Manchester. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Ribble Valley, Amber Valley, Cheshire West and Chester 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 Rochdale Lancashire
2 Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard Nottinghamshire
3 London parishes London 3
4 St Werburgh Derbyshire
5 Manchester Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Ribble Valley 002 Ribble Valley
2 Amber Valley 011 Amber Valley
3 Cheshire West and Chester 021 Cheshire West and Chester
4 Cheshire East 049 Cheshire East
5 Amber Valley 009 Amber Valley

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Tomlinson

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Tomlinson

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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Tomlinson is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support 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

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

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

Tomlinson is most concentrated in decile 9 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.

9
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Tomlinson

The surname Tomlinson has its origins in England, and it dates back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English personal name "Tomlin," which is a diminutive form of the name "Thomas." The suffix "-son" was commonly added to personal names to indicate "son of."

Tomlinson is considered a patronymic surname, meaning it originally identified the bearer as the son of a man named Tomlin or Thomas. This type of surname was prevalent in the Middle Ages when families sought to distinguish themselves from others in the same area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Tomlinson can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where it appears as "Tomlynson." The Hundred Rolls were administrative records compiled in England during the reign of King Edward I.

The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land and property ownership in England and parts of Wales, completed in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror, does not contain the surname Tomlinson. However, it includes variations of the name Thomas, such as "Toma" and "Tomi."

In the 13th century, a man named John Tomlynson was recorded as living in Yorkshire, England. Another early example is Richard Tomlynson, who was mentioned in the Lancashire Assize Rolls of 1285.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Tomlinson. One of the earliest was Sir Griffith Tomlinson (1580-1652), an English lawyer and Member of Parliament during the reign of King Charles I.

Another prominent figure was Thomas Tomlinson (1808-1892), an English businessman and philanthropist who founded the Tomlinson Institute in Burnley, Lancashire, to provide education and cultural enrichment for the local community.

In the realm of literature, H.M. Tomlinson (1873-1958) was a renowned English writer and journalist known for his travel narratives and novels, including "The Sea and the Jungle" and "Gallions Reach."

In the field of sports, Graham Tomlinson (1915-1991) was an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Yorkshire County Cricket Club in the 1930s and 1940s.

More recently, Louis Tomlinson (born 1991) is an English singer and songwriter, best known as a member of the popular boy band One Direction.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Tomlinson families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Tomlinson 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. Lancashire leads with 3,810 Tomlinsons recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.38x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 3,810 2.38x
Yorkshire 2,522 1.89x
Derbyshire 1,240 5.88x
Staffordshire 956 2.10x
Nottinghamshire 944 5.20x
Cheshire 881 2.96x
Middlesex 605 0.45x
Lincolnshire 498 2.31x
Surrey 248 0.38x
Leicestershire 243 1.63x
Warwickshire 226 0.67x
Durham 223 0.56x
Cumberland 164 1.41x
Shropshire 156 1.34x
Worcestershire 108 0.61x
Kent 76 0.17x
Lanarkshire 76 0.17x
Westmorland 76 2.57x
Northamptonshire 73 0.58x
Hampshire 55 0.20x
Essex 53 0.20x
Bedfordshire 45 0.65x
Northumberland 43 0.21x
Gloucestershire 39 0.15x
Midlothian 37 0.21x
Berkshire 32 0.32x
Devon 29 0.10x
Flintshire 29 0.80x
Denbighshire 27 0.53x
Renfrewshire 21 0.20x
Sussex 21 0.09x
Somerset 19 0.09x
Cambridgeshire 18 0.21x
Glamorgan 18 0.08x
Ayrshire 17 0.17x
Buckinghamshire 16 0.20x
Norfolk 16 0.08x
Dorset 15 0.17x
Monmouthshire 15 0.15x
Herefordshire 14 0.25x
Dumfriesshire 12 0.40x
Hertfordshire 10 0.11x
Oxfordshire 10 0.12x
Cornwall 9 0.06x
Royal Navy 9 0.56x
Suffolk 9 0.05x
Kirkcudbrightshire 7 0.36x
Wiltshire 7 0.06x
Huntingdonshire 6 0.22x
Stirlingshire 6 0.12x
Angus 5 0.04x
Isle of Man 3 0.12x
Rutland 3 0.30x
Berwickshire 2 0.12x
Aberdeenshire 1 0.01x
Argyllshire 1 0.03x
Brecknockshire 1 0.04x
Channel Islands 1 0.03x
Kincardineshire 1 0.06x
Montgomeryshire 1 0.03x
Sutherland 1 0.10x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Blackburn in Lancashire leads with 272 Tomlinsons recorded in 1881 and an index of 6.39x.

Place Total Index
Blackburn 272 6.39x
Preston 206 4.82x
Nottingham St Mary 189 4.02x
Leeds 150 1.99x
Manchester 143 1.99x
Stoke Upon Trent 134 2.78x
Clitheroe 128 27.20x
Haslingden 122 18.43x
Sedgley 118 6.99x
Basford 109 13.02x
Sheffield 101 2.38x
Brightside Bierlow 100 3.82x
Accrington 97 6.67x
Radford 94 10.19x
Liverpool 92 0.95x
Hulme 87 2.61x
Habergham Eaves 86 5.89x
Salford 80 1.70x
Derby St Werburgh 79 6.49x
Islington London 78 0.60x
Pendleton In Salford 75 3.94x
Oswaldtwistle 74 13.10x
Birmingham 73 0.64x
North Meols 69 4.41x
Aston 67 0.72x
Oldham 66 1.28x
Ecclesall Bierlow 65 2.39x
Litchurch 62 7.30x
St Pancras London 61 0.56x
Birkenhead 58 2.45x
Camberwell 58 0.67x
Hunslet 53 2.55x
Newton 53 4.30x
Sculcoates 53 2.50x
Moss Side 50 5.94x
Burton Upon Trent 49 4.61x
Tranmere 48 4.39x
Ashover 47 44.78x
Belper 47 11.49x
Ingleton 47 62.57x
Bethnal Green London 46 0.79x
Broughton In Salford 46 3.15x
Derby St Peter 46 6.85x
Newchurch 46 3.52x
Hucknall Torkard 45 9.77x
Standish With Langtree 45 22.86x
West Derby 45 0.96x
Over 44 14.56x
Toxteth Park 44 0.81x
Ashton Under Lyne 43 1.23x
Lower Booths 43 15.01x
Over Darwen 43 3.37x
Wolverhampton 43 1.23x
Ardwick 42 2.91x
Bradford 42 1.30x
Huddersfield 42 2.16x
Burnley 39 2.90x
Great Bolton 39 1.84x
Leicester St Margaret 39 1.07x
Marple 39 19.10x
Rotherham 39 5.18x
Chorlton On Medlock 38 1.50x
Worksop 38 7.06x
Barrow In Furness 37 1.70x
Derby St Alkmund 37 5.85x
Hyde 37 4.22x
Greasley 36 8.79x
Hackney London 36 0.48x
Stockport 36 2.35x
Everton 35 0.69x
Holy Trinity 35 1.09x
Ilkeston 35 5.92x
Lenton 35 8.18x
Stone 35 6.02x
Wharton 35 21.61x
Chadderton 34 4.35x
Chatburn 34 95.37x
Macclesfield 34 2.57x
Edgbaston 33 3.13x
Goole 33 14.75x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 1,084
Sarah 570
Elizabeth 550
Ann 344
Jane 315
Ellen 233
Alice 221
Annie 220
Emma 194
Hannah 189
Margaret 181
Eliza 173
Martha 137
Emily 93
Harriet 87
Maria 86
Ada 82
Edith 81
Fanny 69
Clara 67
Lucy 64
Louisa 63
Florence 59
Anne 54
Isabella 54
Agnes 50
Charlotte 49
Kate 45
Catherine 44
Frances 43
Rebecca 41
Harriett 37
Susannah 36
Caroline 33
Elizth. 29
Esther 29
Sophia 27
Gertrude 26
Betsy 23
Eleanor 23
Ruth 23
Amelia 22
Grace 22
Betty 21
Rose 21
Ethel 20
Rachel 20
Selina 20
Matilda 19
Susan 19

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 969
William 845
George 506
Thomas 473
James 429
Joseph 331
Henry 222
Charles 217
Robert 183
Richard 153
Samuel 136
Edward 131
Arthur 126
Alfred 112
Walter 96
Albert 78
Frederick 77
Harry 66
Herbert 65
Frank 54
Wm. 40
Edwin 38
Benjamin 37
Francis 35
Geo. 35
Peter 34
Fred 33
Thos. 33
Isaac 32
Ernest 31
Daniel 27
David 26
Tom 26
Jonathan 20
Ralph 20
Jno. 16
Saml. 16
Anthony 13
Christopher 13
Edmund 13
Enoch 13
Willm. 13
Chas. 12
Fredrick 12
Harold 12
Mark 12
Matthew 12
Reuben 12
Robt. 11
Jesse 10

FAQ

Tomlinson surname: questions and answers

How common was the Tomlinson surname in 1881?

In 1881, 13,809 people were recorded with the Tomlinson surname. That placed it at #292 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Tomlinson surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 17,853 in 2016. That gives Tomlinson a modern rank of #339.

What does the Tomlinson surname mean?

Derived from the given name Thomas, meaning "twin," combined with the patronymic suffix "-son," denoting "son of Thomas."

What does the Tomlinson map show?

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