NameCensus.

UK surname

Toney

Derived from a place name meaning "from Tonei," referring to someone who lived near a field of hemp plants.

In the 1881 census there were 131 people recorded with the Toney surname, ranking it #16,824 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 320, ranked #14,096, up from #16,824 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Warwick St Nicholas, Kings Norton and Coventry Holy Trinity (incl. Radford), Coventry St Michael, Wyken. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Arun, Warwick and Isle of Wight.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Toney is 325 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 144.3%.

1881 census count

131

Ranked #16,824

Modern count

320

2016, ranked #14,096

Peak year

2010

325 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Toney had 131 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #16,824 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 320 in 2016, ranked #14,096.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 201 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living.

Toney surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Toney surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Toney 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 112 #15,913
1861 historical 159 #14,553
1881 historical 131 #16,824
1891 historical 173 #16,600
1901 historical 199 #15,173
1911 historical 201 #14,905
1997 modern 277 #14,253
1998 modern 281 #14,506
1999 modern 277 #14,737
2000 modern 277 #14,688
2001 modern 267 #14,839
2002 modern 293 #14,203
2003 modern 292 #14,065
2004 modern 297 #13,971
2005 modern 294 #14,006
2006 modern 306 #13,724
2007 modern 297 #14,135
2008 modern 297 #14,230
2009 modern 311 #14,069
2010 modern 325 #13,946
2011 modern 314 #14,165
2012 modern 319 #13,898
2013 modern 320 #14,104
2014 modern 317 #14,269
2015 modern 317 #14,183
2016 modern 320 #14,096

Geography

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Where Toneys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Warwick St Nicholas, Kings Norton, Coventry Holy Trinity (incl. Radford), Coventry St Michael, Wyken, Birmingham Town: Birmingham and Birmingham Town: Aston. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Arun, Warwick and Isle of Wight. 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 Warwick St Nicholas Warwickshire
2 Kings Norton Worcestershire
3 Coventry Holy Trinity (incl. Radford), Coventry St Michael, Wyken Warwickshire
4 Birmingham Town: Birmingham Warwickshire
5 Birmingham Town: Aston Warwickshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Arun 005 Arun
2 Warwick 008 Warwick
3 Isle of Wight 015 Isle of Wight
4 Isle of Wight 008 Isle of Wight
5 Warwick 011 Warwick

Forenames

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First names often paired with Toney

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Toney

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

Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

Families with resident dependent children (but not students) are common. Established family groups and White ethnicity predominate, as do individuals born in the UK. They are more likely than the Supergroup average to have been resident in their terraced, semi-detached, or detached houses for more than one year. Levels of multiple car ownership are high. Properties are owned and typically have surplus living space. Associate professionals and administrative occupations are prevalent, and parents are likely to be in middle age or approaching retirement. Educational attainment is above the Supergroup average. Scattered developments and concentrations are found in many small towns.

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, Toney 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

Toney 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

Toney falls in decile 3 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.

3
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Toney

The surname Toney originated in England, with records dating back to the late 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "tun," meaning an enclosed village or settlement. This suggests that the name may have been initially used to identify someone who lived in or came from a particular town or village.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Toney can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Northamptonshire from the year 1273, which mentions a person named Richard de Toney. The "de" prefix was commonly used at the time to indicate a person's place of origin or residence.

Another early record of the Toney surname appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Warwickshire from 1332, which lists a John Toney. This suggests that the name had spread to different regions of England by the 14th century.

In the 15th century, the Toney surname appears in various records, including the Yorkshire Chantry Surveys of 1546, which mentions a Thomas Toney. This indicates that the name was well-established in Yorkshire during that period.

Notable individuals with the surname Toney throughout history include:

1. Sir Nathaniel Toney (1615-1676), an English merchant and politician who served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1672. 2. Elizabeth Toney (1730-1810), an American pioneer and early settler in Kentucky, known for her role in establishing the first permanent settlement in the area. 3. John Toney (1763-1845), an American farmer and soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War. 4. William Toney (1816-1892), an American politician who served as the 14th Governor of South Carolina from 1885 to 1887. 5. Robert Toney (1855-1932), a British artist known for his landscape paintings and portraiture.

While the Toney surname has its roots in England, it has since spread to various parts of the world through migration and settlement. However, the historical records and references provided here primarily focus on the origin and early occurrences of the name within England and its neighboring regions.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Toney families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Toney 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. Warwickshire leads with 79 Toneys recorded in 1881 and an index of 24.71x.

County Total Index
Warwickshire 79 24.71x
Staffordshire 14 3.27x
Cheshire 8 2.86x
Surrey 8 1.29x
Middlesex 7 0.55x
Yorkshire 7 0.56x
Herefordshire 2 3.85x
Lancashire 2 0.13x
Cornwall 1 0.70x
Cumberland 1 0.92x
Sussex 1 0.47x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Aston in Warwickshire leads with 24 Toneys recorded in 1881 and an index of 27.26x.

Place Total Index
Aston 24 27.26x
Birmingham 23 21.58x
Coventry St Michael 14 136.32x
Handsworth 10 94.79x
Horton In Bradford 7 35.68x
Warwick St Nicholas 7 299.15x
Birkenhead 6 26.89x
Coventry Holy Trinity 6 62.83x
Lambeth 6 5.43x
Leamington Priors 3 38.12x
Bromyard 2 294.12x
Harborne 2 14.58x
Runcorn 2 31.01x
Salford 2 4.52x
Shoreditch London 2 3.64x
Stoke Upon Trent 2 4.41x
Uxbridge 2 137.93x
Battersea 1 2.14x
Bethnal Green London 1 1.82x
Cleator 1 22.03x
Funtington 1 208.33x
Kensington London 1 1.42x
Knowle 1 151.52x
Linkinhorne 1 100.00x
Poplar London 1 4.18x
Warwick St Mary 1 35.97x
Woking 1 26.88x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Henry 8
John 7
Thomas 5
Arthur 4
Joseph 4
William 4
James 3
Alfred 2
Edward 2
George 2
Herbert 2
Howard 2
Walter 2
Barnard 1
Charles 1
Chas.F. 1
Frank 1
Fred 1
Frederick 1
Hugh 1
Lackey 1
Martin 1
Pat 1
Percival 1
Robert 1
Roger 1
Samuel 1
Timothy 1
Willm 1
Willm. 1

FAQ

Toney surname: questions and answers

How common was the Toney surname in 1881?

In 1881, 131 people were recorded with the Toney surname. That placed it at #16,824 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Toney surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 320 in 2016. That gives Toney a modern rank of #14,096.

What does the Toney surname mean?

Derived from a place name meaning "from Tonei," referring to someone who lived near a field of hemp plants.

What does the Toney map show?

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