NameCensus.

UK surname

Tonner

A surname indicating someone who made tuns or casks.

In the 1881 census there were 386 people recorded with the Tonner surname, ranking it #8,165 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,103, ranked #5,330, up from #8,165 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Hamilton, Blantyre and Govan Combination. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Fauldhouse, High Blantyre and Banknock, Haggs and Longcroft.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Tonner is 1,103 in 2016. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 185.8%.

1881 census count

386

Ranked #8,165

Modern count

1,103

2016, ranked #5,330

Peak year

2016

1,103 bearers

Map years

8

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Tonner had 386 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #8,165 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,103 in 2016, ranked #5,330.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 564 in 1891.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Tonner surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Tonner surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Tonner 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 199 #10,441
1861 historical 257 #9,629
1881 historical 386 #8,165
1891 historical 564 #6,733
1901 historical 533 #7,697
1911 historical 64 #26,435
1997 modern 1,023 #5,382
1998 modern 1,024 #5,571
1999 modern 1,047 #5,497
2000 modern 1,060 #5,427
2001 modern 1,046 #5,382
2002 modern 1,064 #5,414
2003 modern 1,029 #5,474
2004 modern 1,047 #5,405
2005 modern 1,048 #5,341
2006 modern 1,046 #5,367
2007 modern 1,040 #5,440
2008 modern 1,059 #5,387
2009 modern 1,069 #5,456
2010 modern 1,092 #5,473
2011 modern 1,084 #5,446
2012 modern 1,071 #5,404
2013 modern 1,076 #5,484
2014 modern 1,098 #5,402
2015 modern 1,092 #5,379
2016 modern 1,103 #5,330

Geography

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Where Tonners are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Hamilton, Blantyre, Govan Combination, Crawfordjohn and Glasgow. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Fauldhouse, High Blantyre, Banknock, Haggs and Longcroft, Dowanhill and Milnwood. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Hamilton Lanark
2 Blantyre Lanark
3 Govan Combination Lanark
4 Crawfordjohn Lanark
5 Glasgow Lanark

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Fauldhouse West Lothian
2 High Blantyre South Lanarkshire
3 Banknock, Haggs and Longcroft Falkirk
4 Dowanhill Glasgow City
5 Milnwood North Lanarkshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Tonner

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Tonner

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Tonner, 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 Tonner surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Tonner 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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Tonner 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

Tonner is most concentrated in decile 1 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy 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.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Tonner 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 Tonner is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of Over 70 mbit/s.

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

10
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Tonner

The surname Tonner originated in Germany in the late 16th century. It is derived from the German word "tonne" which means barrel or cask. The name likely referred to someone who made or worked with barrels, such as a cooper or barrel maker.

Tonner was initially concentrated in the southern regions of Germany, particularly in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in church records and municipal documents from these areas during the 17th century.

In the 18th century, the name began to spread to other parts of Germany and neighboring countries like Austria and Switzerland. This was likely due to increased mobility and migration during this period.

One notable early bearer of the name was Johann Tonner, a cooper from Munich who was born in 1723. He is mentioned in records as having supplied barrels to local breweries and wineries.

Another early recorded instance of the name is found in the town of Freiburg, where a family by the name of Tonner is listed in the town's tax records from the year 1678.

As the name spread across Europe, it also took on various spellings and variations. In France, for example, it was sometimes written as "Tonnier" or "Tonnaire".

One of the earliest known bearers of the name in England was a German immigrant named Heinrich Tonner, who settled in London in the early 19th century and worked as a cooper.

Other notable individuals with the surname Tonner include:

1. Philipp Tonner (1789-1857), a German painter and engraver from Nuremberg. 2. Johanna Tonner (1821-1901), an Austrian novelist and poet. 3. Wilhelm Tonner (1875-1936), a German sculptor and medallist. 4. Friedrich Tonner (1892-1963), a German architect and urban planner. 5. Erich Tonner (1919-2008), an Austrian composer and music educator.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Tonner families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Tonner 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 238 Tonners recorded in 1881 and an index of 19.49x.

County Total Index
Lanarkshire 238 19.49x
Renfrewshire 30 10.25x
Ayrshire 24 8.50x
Midlothian 22 4.35x
Lancashire 16 0.36x
Dunbartonshire 10 9.86x
Argyllshire 8 7.61x
Glamorgan 7 1.06x
Clackmannanshire 6 19.24x
Dumfriesshire 5 6.00x
Northumberland 4 0.71x
Middlesex 3 0.08x
Wigtownshire 3 5.98x
Aberdeenshire 2 0.57x
Stirlingshire 2 1.44x
West Lothian 2 3.52x
Angus 1 0.29x
Devon 1 0.13x
Kent 1 0.08x
Surrey 1 0.05x
Yorkshire 1 0.03x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Barony in Lanarkshire leads with 51 Tonners recorded in 1881 and an index of 16.51x.

Place Total Index
Barony 51 16.51x
Glasgow 42 19.37x
Hamilton 42 123.35x
Govan 31 10.27x
West Calder 17 170.51x
Old Monkland 15 30.96x
Abbey 14 31.36x
Kilmarnock 13 38.66x
Crawfordjohn 12 1100.92x
Cambuslang 10 81.23x
New Monkland 10 27.71x
Dunoon Kilmun 8 97.56x
Kilwinning 8 87.72x
Salford 8 6.07x
Cumbernauld 7 125.90x
Paisley Middle Church 7 41.10x
Alloa 6 39.68x
Annan 5 69.83x
Blantyre 5 39.34x
Eastwood 5 27.75x
Liverpool 5 1.84x
Maryhill 5 20.92x
Shettleston 5 45.75x
Cadder 4 44.35x
Cardiff St Mary 4 11.05x
Edinburgh St Johns 4 125.39x
Newcastle On Tyne St 4 13.74x
Rutherglen 4 22.33x
Briton Ferry 3 38.27x
Kirkcowan 3 177.51x
St Pancras London 3 0.99x
Aberdeen St Nicholas 2 3.06x
Barrow In Furness 2 3.28x
Bothwell 2 6.04x
Dalmeny 2 92.17x
Dumbarton 2 14.16x
West Greenock 2 3.81x
Ballantrae 1 53.48x
Dalry 1 7.52x
Denny 1 13.50x
Dundonald 1 9.60x
East Greenock 1 3.62x
Gate Fulford 1 11.44x
Gillingham 1 3.77x
Kirkdale 1 1.33x
Liberton 1 12.80x
Lidford 1 28.33x
Liff Benvie 1 1.88x
Neilston 1 6.81x
New Kilpatrick 1 10.36x
Stirling 1 5.70x
Streatham 1 3.57x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 4
Catherine 2
Elizabeth 2
Eliza.M. 1
Emma 1
Keziah 1
Lucy 1
Margret 1
Marie 1
Martha 1
Theresa 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 6
James 3
Charles 2
Alfred 1
Edward 1
Frank 1
Henry 1
John 1
Patrick 1
Thomas 1

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 Tonner households.

FAQ

Tonner surname: questions and answers

How common was the Tonner surname in 1881?

In 1881, 386 people were recorded with the Tonner surname. That placed it at #8,165 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Tonner surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,103 in 2016. That gives Tonner a modern rank of #5,330.

What does the Tonner surname mean?

A surname indicating someone who made tuns or casks.

What does the Tonner map show?

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