NameCensus.

UK surname

Took

In the 1881 census there were 414 people recorded with the Took surname, ranking it #7,778 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 281, ranked #15,449, down from #7,778 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Thurshelton, Lewtrenchard, London parishes and Burgh St Margaret. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include North Lincolnshire, Greenock Town Centre and East Central and Waveney.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Took is 414 in 1881. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 32.1%.

1881 census count

414

Ranked #7,778

Modern count

281

2016, ranked #15,449

Peak year

1881

414 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Took had 414 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #7,778 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 281 in 2016, ranked #15,449.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 414 in 1881.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Took surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Took surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Took 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 316 #7,323
1861 historical 230 #10,611
1881 historical 414 #7,778
1891 historical 347 #9,894
1901 historical 394 #9,579
1911 historical 374 #9,770
1997 modern 277 #14,253
1998 modern 291 #14,155
1999 modern 294 #14,140
2000 modern 279 #14,636
2001 modern 277 #14,474
2002 modern 275 #14,819
2003 modern 264 #15,071
2004 modern 260 #15,309
2005 modern 254 #15,480
2006 modern 244 #16,011
2007 modern 255 #15,687
2008 modern 246 #16,247
2009 modern 256 #16,145
2010 modern 266 #16,067
2011 modern 257 #16,335
2012 modern 280 #15,248
2013 modern 285 #15,313
2014 modern 290 #15,203
2015 modern 287 #15,235
2016 modern 281 #15,449

Geography

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Where Tooks are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Thurshelton, Lewtrenchard, London parishes, Burgh St Margaret, Halesworth and East Dereham. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to North Lincolnshire, Greenock Town Centre and East Central, Waveney, East Riding of Yorkshire and Colchester. 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 Thurshelton, Lewtrenchard Devon
2 London parishes London 3
3 Burgh St Margaret Norfolk
4 Halesworth Suffolk
5 East Dereham Norfolk

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 North Lincolnshire 006 North Lincolnshire
2 Greenock Town Centre and East Central Inverclyde
3 Waveney 010 Waveney
4 East Riding of Yorkshire 019 East Riding of Yorkshire
5 Colchester 001 Colchester

Forenames

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First names often paired with Took

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Took

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

Took 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

Took falls in decile 9 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.

9
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

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Took families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Took 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. Norfolk leads with 123 Tooks recorded in 1881 and an index of 20.15x.

County Total Index
Norfolk 123 20.15x
Middlesex 86 2.17x
Suffolk 50 10.34x
Devon 35 4.24x
Yorkshire 22 0.56x
Durham 19 1.61x
Kent 16 1.18x
Surrey 16 0.83x
Renfrewshire 14 4.55x
Lancashire 8 0.17x
Cornwall 3 0.67x
Essex 3 0.38x
Gloucestershire 3 0.39x
Somerset 3 0.47x
Northamptonshire 2 0.54x
Buckinghamshire 1 0.42x
Leicestershire 1 0.23x
Lincolnshire 1 0.16x
Monmouthshire 1 0.35x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Bethnal Green London in Middlesex leads with 35 Tooks recorded in 1881 and an index of 20.29x.

Place Total Index
Bethnal Green London 35 20.29x
East Dereham 23 298.31x
Burgh St Margaret 19 2533.33x
Thrushelton 16 2758.62x
West Greenock 14 25.35x
Hackney London 13 5.84x
Islington London 13 3.38x
North Elmham 13 878.38x
Stowford 13 2452.83x
Whickham 10 92.00x
Bury St Edmunds St Mary 9 99.12x
Halesworth 9 262.39x
Pulham St Mary Virgin 9 803.57x
Stockton On Tees 9 15.81x
Tharston 9 1764.71x
Corton 8 1038.96x
Longham 8 1818.18x
Dover St Mary Virgin 7 53.39x
Ipswich St Clement 7 56.96x
Lambeth 7 2.02x
St George Hanover 7 13.51x
Beccles 6 77.12x
Great Bolton 6 9.62x
Great Yarmouth 6 11.86x
Hornsey 6 11.95x
Kilnwick 6 1818.18x
Banham 5 320.51x
Stratton St Michael 5 1388.89x
Westacre 5 892.86x
Chelsea London 4 3.34x
Gate Fulford 4 43.53x
Calstock 3 34.05x
Deptford St Paul 3 2.87x
Erith 3 22.47x
Frimley 3 54.45x
Hempnall 3 250.00x
Hunstanton 3 145.63x
Melton 3 157.89x
Needham 3 697.67x
Worlingham 3 1153.85x
Ashburton 2 50.63x
Aylesford 2 53.33x
Bristol St James St Paul 2 7.70x
Brockdish 2 338.98x
Gorleston 2 16.27x
Howden 2 74.91x
Kensington London 2 0.91x
Lund 2 317.46x
Mile End Old Town 2 3.19x
Monckton Combe 2 98.04x
Stoke Damerel 2 3.46x
Tadcaster West 2 64.31x
Terrington St Clement 2 72.46x
West Ham 2 1.16x
Bainton 1 185.19x
Barnes 1 12.22x
Broadwoodwidger 1 106.38x
Bunwell 1 85.47x
Clifton 1 2.54x
Dorking 1 7.70x
Frome 1 6.54x
Hammersmith London 1 1.02x
Hampstead London 1 1.62x
Heigham 1 3.05x
Ilketshall St Andrew 1 156.25x
Lakenham 1 11.53x
Lee 1 5.08x
Leicester St Margaret 1 0.93x
Liverpool 1 0.35x
Newington 1 9.23x
Oldham 1 0.66x
Peterborough 1 3.70x
Pocklington 1 26.95x
Richmond 1 3.69x
Shire Newton 1 96.15x
Shoreditch London 1 0.58x
Skelton In Guisbrough 1 9.40x
Thorpe Next Norwich 1 15.46x
Wacton 1 312.50x
Watton 1 232.56x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 25
Elizabeth 15
Sarah 15
Emma 8
Emily 7
Alice 6
Eliza 6
Anna 5
Annie 5
Florence 5
Martha 5
Ann 4
Edith 4
Ellen 4
Hannah 4
Harriet 4
Jane 4
Rosa 4
Amelia 3
Bessie 3
Harriett 3
Margaret 3
Maria 3
Ada 2
Agnes 2
Caroline 2
Charlotte 2
Clara 2
Frances 2
Grace 2
Lucy 2
Lydia 2
Matilda 2
Rose 2
Betsy 1
Charlote 1
Elizth. 1
Emeley 1
Ethel 1
Fanny 1
Flora 1
Henrietta 1
Isabella 1
Jemima 1
Jessie 1
Laura 1
Lillie 1
Lorina 1
Lousia 1
Sussanah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 33
John 29
George 19
James 12
Robert 10
Charles 9
Frederick 8
Albert 5
Alfred 5
Walter 5
Edward 4
Herbert 4
Thomas 4
Fred 3
Henry 3
Samuel 3
Arthur 2
David 2
Frank 2
Fredrick 2
Harry 2
Jeremia 2
Richard 2
Alfd. 1
Benjamin 1
Chas.Bengo 1
Chas.Fredk. 1
Chester 1
Eartha 1
Edw. 1
Edwin 1
Ernest 1
Fred. 1
Frederic 1
Fredk.G. 1
Jesse 1
Joseph 1
Orlando 1
Percy 1
Seth 1
Solomon 1
Timothy 1
W. 1
Wm. 1
Wm.Ed.Chas. 1
Wm.Sanders 1

FAQ

Took surname: questions and answers

How common was the Took surname in 1881?

In 1881, 414 people were recorded with the Took surname. That placed it at #7,778 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Took surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 281 in 2016. That gives Took a modern rank of #15,449.

What does the Took map show?

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