NameCensus.

UK surname

Tomney

Originated as a place name derived from a British town.

In the 1881 census there were 95 people recorded with the Tomney surname, ranking it #20,349 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 191, ranked #20,194, up from #20,349 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bothwell, Govan Combination and Wigan. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Craigneuk Wishaw, Rotherham and Wigan.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Tomney is 207 in 2009. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 101.1%.

1881 census count

95

Ranked #20,349

Modern count

191

2016, ranked #20,194

Peak year

2009

207 bearers

Map years

5

1891 to 2016

Key insights

  • Tomney had 95 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #20,349 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 191 in 2016, ranked #20,194.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 120 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Tomney surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Tomney surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Tomney 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 49 #24,448
1861 historical 51 #27,498
1881 historical 95 #20,349
1891 historical 105 #23,241
1901 historical 120 #20,545
1911 historical 53 #27,508
1997 modern 191 #18,150
1998 modern 189 #18,737
1999 modern 197 #18,400
2000 modern 197 #18,384
2001 modern 194 #18,287
2002 modern 194 #18,651
2003 modern 175 #19,690
2004 modern 184 #19,183
2005 modern 195 #18,458
2006 modern 190 #18,898
2007 modern 194 #18,855
2008 modern 203 #18,470
2009 modern 207 #18,600
2010 modern 191 #20,015
2011 modern 185 #20,288
2012 modern 190 #19,864
2013 modern 190 #20,201
2014 modern 195 #20,036
2015 modern 196 #19,840
2016 modern 191 #20,194

Geography

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Where Tomneys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bothwell, Govan Combination, Wigan, Glassford and Manchester. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Craigneuk Wishaw, Rotherham, Wigan and Portsmouth. 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 Bothwell Lanark
2 Govan Combination Lanark
3 Wigan Lancashire
4 Glassford Lanark
5 Manchester Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Craigneuk Wishaw North Lanarkshire
2 Rotherham 028 Rotherham
3 Wigan 010 Wigan
4 Portsmouth 010 Portsmouth
5 Wigan 024 Wigan

Forenames

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First names often paired with Tomney

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Tomney

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

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Tomney surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Tomney household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins

Within London, Tomney is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. 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

Scattered across London’s Inner and Outer suburbs, residents of these neighbourhoods are typically housed in the social rented sector. Although terraced and semi-detached houses predominate, more residents live in flats than elsewhere in the Supergroup. Neighbourhoods are more ethnically diverse than the Supergroup average. Those identifying as of Bangladeshi, Pakistani and some Black ethnicities are more prevalent. Europeans born in a overseas non-EU countries make up more of the lower proportion of residents identifying as White. Few residents are very old (85+). Employment in distribution, hotels and restaurants is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Tomney 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

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

Meaning and origin of Tomney

The surname Tomney has its origins in England, with the first recorded instances dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to be a locational name, derived from the place name Tomney in Berkshire. This place name itself is thought to have evolved from the Old English words "tun" meaning an enclosure or settlement, and "hnæp" meaning a rocky hill or crag.

Records from the 13th century show variations in the spelling of the name, including Tomneye, Tomnay, and Tomenay. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was William de Tomneye, who was mentioned in the Hundredorum Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1279.

In the 14th century, the surname appeared in the Subsidy Rolls of Bedfordshire, where a John Tomney was listed as a taxpayer in 1327. The Tomney family seems to have been well-established in Berkshire and the surrounding areas during this period.

Notable individuals with the surname Tomney include Sir Richard Tomney, a wealthy merchant and landowner who lived in the late 15th century. He was a prominent figure in the city of Bristol and served as Mayor in 1486 and 1499.

In the 16th century, the name appears in the Parish Registers of St. Mary's Church in Beverley, Yorkshire, where the baptism of a child named Alice Tomney was recorded in 1573.

During the English Civil War in the 17th century, a Captain Edward Tomney fought for the Parliamentarian forces and was mentioned in dispatches for his bravery at the Battle of Naseby in 1645.

In the 18th century, a family of Tomneys resided in Gloucestershire, and one member, William Tomney (1712-1792), was a prominent local landowner and Justice of the Peace.

Another notable figure was Sir John Tomney (1768-1842), a successful businessman and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for the borough of Hastings from 1820 to 1826.

While the surname Tomney is not as common today as it once was, it has a rich history spanning several centuries, with its roots firmly planted in the English countryside and towns.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Tomney families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Tomney 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. Lanarkshire leads with 21 Tomneys recorded in 1881 and an index of 7.08x.

County Total Index
Lanarkshire 21 7.08x
Lancashire 17 1.56x
Stirlingshire 10 29.58x
Middlesex 7 0.76x
Northumberland 7 5.13x
Ayrshire 6 8.75x
Durham 6 2.20x
Glamorgan 5 3.13x
Renfrewshire 5 7.04x
Carmarthenshire 3 7.76x
Monmouthshire 3 4.53x
Wigtownshire 2 16.43x
Buckinghamshire 1 1.80x
Surrey 1 0.22x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Polmont in Stirlingshire leads with 10 Tomneys recorded in 1881 and an index of 800.00x.

Place Total Index
Polmont 10 800.00x
Heworth 6 111.73x
Salford 6 18.76x
St Quivox 6 258.62x
Glasgow 5 9.50x
Islington London 5 5.63x
Llanwonno 5 87.11x
Barony 4 5.33x
Eastwood 4 91.32x
Glassford 4 869.57x
Manchester 4 8.18x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 4 49.08x
Oldham 4 11.39x
Berwick Upon Tweed 3 103.81x
Dalserf 3 101.35x
Govan 3 4.09x
Llanfihangel Ar Arth 3 483.87x
Monmouth 3 170.45x
Inch 2 168.07x
Kensington London 2 3.92x
Liverpool 2 3.03x
Old Monkland 2 16.99x
Lambeth 1 1.25x
Paisley Middle Church 1 24.15x
Pilkington 1 24.21x
Taplow 1 303.03x

Top female names

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

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Tomney households.

FAQ

Tomney surname: questions and answers

How common was the Tomney surname in 1881?

In 1881, 95 people were recorded with the Tomney surname. That placed it at #20,349 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Tomney surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 191 in 2016. That gives Tomney a modern rank of #20,194.

What does the Tomney surname mean?

Originated as a place name derived from a British town.

What does the Tomney map show?

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