NameCensus.

UK surname

Toole

An Irish occupational surname referring to a person who was a tool maker or seller.

In the 1881 census there were 1,613 people recorded with the Toole surname, ranking it #2,646 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,296, ranked #4,621, down from #2,646 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Manchester, Liverpool and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include St. Helens, County Durham and Copeland.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Toole is 1,845 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 19.7%.

1881 census count

1,613

Ranked #2,646

Modern count

1,296

2016, ranked #4,621

Peak year

1901

1,845 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Toole had 1,613 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #2,646 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,296 in 2016, ranked #4,621.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,845 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Toole surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Toole surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Toole 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 592 #4,322
1861 historical 929 #2,990
1881 historical 1,613 #2,646
1891 historical 1,665 #2,695
1901 historical 1,845 #2,849
1911 historical 1,599 #3,041
1997 modern 1,314 #4,364
1998 modern 1,351 #4,406
1999 modern 1,361 #4,415
2000 modern 1,368 #4,374
2001 modern 1,326 #4,415
2002 modern 1,362 #4,392
2003 modern 1,350 #4,350
2004 modern 1,358 #4,333
2005 modern 1,318 #4,392
2006 modern 1,290 #4,475
2007 modern 1,310 #4,454
2008 modern 1,299 #4,513
2009 modern 1,349 #4,464
2010 modern 1,362 #4,512
2011 modern 1,345 #4,508
2012 modern 1,283 #4,626
2013 modern 1,324 #4,573
2014 modern 1,320 #4,614
2015 modern 1,314 #4,584
2016 modern 1,296 #4,621

Geography

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Where Tooles are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Manchester, Liverpool, London parishes, Bidstone and Prestwich. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to St. Helens, County Durham and Copeland. 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 Manchester Lancashire
2 Liverpool Lancashire
3 London parishes London 2
4 Bidstone Cheshire
5 Prestwich Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 St. Helens 019 St. Helens
2 County Durham 012 County Durham
3 County Durham 014 County Durham
4 County Durham 055 County Durham
5 Copeland 004 Copeland

Forenames

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First names often paired with Toole

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Toole

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

Toole 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

Toole 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 Toole 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 - Irish

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

Meaning and origin of Toole

The surname TOOLE is of Irish origin and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Gaelic word "tuathalach," meaning "territorial" or "having land." The name likely originated as a descriptive term for someone who owned or occupied a particular territory or land area.

In early Irish records and manuscripts, the name is found spelled in various ways, such as "O'Tuathalain," "O'Tuathail," and "Tuathal." These spellings reflect the patronymic prefix "O," which means "descendant of," and the various spelling variations that were common in those times.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name TOOLE is found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. In 1167, it mentions a man named Tuathal O'Tuathail, who was the Lord of Fermanagh, a county in Ulster, Northern Ireland.

During the Middle Ages, the TOOLE family held lands in County Fermanagh and County Cavan, and they were influential members of the Gaelic nobility in those regions. Some notable individuals from this period include Donnell O'Toole, who was the King of Leinster in the late 12th century, and Loughlin O'Toole, who was the Archbishop of Dublin in the early 13th century.

As the name spread across Ireland, it also evolved into various anglicized spellings, such as "Toole," "Toohill," and "Toohey." One of the earliest recorded instances of the modern spelling "TOOLE" can be found in the Fiants of Elizabeth I, a collection of official documents from the late 16th century, which mentions a man named John Toole.

Notable individuals with the surname TOOLE include:

1. John Toole (1832-1906), an English actor and comedian known for his performances in pantomimes and farces. 2. James Toole (1819-1867), an Irish-American politician who served as the 59th Mayor of New York City. 3. Maureen Toole (1945-2021), an American author and journalist who wrote several novels and non-fiction books. 4. John Toole (1905-1995), an American baseball player who played for the Boston Red Sox in the 1930s. 5. James Toole (1943-2022), an American neuroscientist and stroke researcher who made significant contributions to understanding the prevention and treatment of strokes.

While the TOOLE surname has its roots in Ireland, it has since spread worldwide through immigration and has been adopted by people of various backgrounds and nationalities.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Toole families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Toole 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 581 Tooles recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.10x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 581 3.10x
Yorkshire 128 0.82x
Middlesex 115 0.73x
Cheshire 82 2.35x
Durham 77 1.64x
Northumberland 74 3.15x
Lanarkshire 64 1.25x
Surrey 60 0.78x
Cumberland 59 4.34x
Midlothian 57 2.70x
Staffordshire 54 1.01x
Dunbartonshire 52 12.26x
Warwickshire 35 0.88x
Hampshire 27 0.83x
Kent 25 0.46x
Derbyshire 19 0.77x
Essex 15 0.48x
Renfrewshire 14 1.14x
Shropshire 14 1.03x
Gloucestershire 11 0.36x
Stirlingshire 7 1.20x
Bedfordshire 6 0.73x
Devon 6 0.18x
Hertfordshire 5 0.46x
Norfolk 5 0.21x
Channel Islands 4 0.86x
Sussex 4 0.15x
Royal Navy 3 1.60x
Dorset 2 0.19x
Flintshire 2 0.47x
Worcestershire 2 0.10x
Angus 1 0.07x
Argyllshire 1 0.23x
Berkshire 1 0.08x
Denbighshire 1 0.17x
Inverness-shire 1 0.21x
Leicestershire 1 0.06x
Northamptonshire 1 0.07x
Nottinghamshire 1 0.05x
Suffolk 1 0.05x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Liverpool in Lancashire leads with 98 Tooles recorded in 1881 and an index of 8.62x.

Place Total Index
Liverpool 98 8.62x
Manchester 65 7.72x
Salford 46 8.35x
Oldham 38 6.29x
Hulme 34 8.70x
Cleator 33 58.35x
Cardross 32 62.83x
Kirkdale 30 9.52x
Birkenhead 29 10.44x
Govan 29 2.30x
Parr 29 43.28x
Bootle Cum Linacre 24 16.14x
Wigan 23 8.79x
St Pancras London 21 1.65x
Aston 20 1.82x
Darlington 20 11.03x
Islington London 20 1.31x
Longbenton 20 20.11x
Borthwick 19 201.06x
Leeds 19 2.15x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 18 12.83x
Lambeth 17 1.24x
Ashton Under Lyne 16 3.91x
Barony 14 1.08x
Blackburn 14 2.81x
Seaton Delaval 14 67.90x
Wolstanton 14 8.65x
Sheffield 13 2.61x
Stockport 13 7.25x
Aldershot 12 11.07x
Arlecdon 12 33.20x
Everton 12 2.01x
Bilston 11 10.65x
Birmingham 11 0.83x
Bromley London 11 3.17x
Chorlton On Medlock 11 3.70x
Barrow In Furness 10 3.93x
Camberwell 10 0.99x
Dumbarton 10 16.94x
Mottram 10 63.37x
Wolverhampton 10 2.44x
Woolwich 10 5.03x
Birkdale 9 18.99x
Clapham 9 4.56x
Coundon 9 47.29x
Croydon 9 2.11x
Denaby 9 101.81x
Dewsbury 9 5.61x
Edinburgh Old Church 9 53.00x
Great Harwood 9 26.59x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 9 4.43x
Heworth 9 9.73x
Wardleworth 9 8.41x
Byker 8 6.89x
Great Crosby 8 15.67x
Harborne 8 4.69x
Holy Trinity 8 2.13x
Latchford 8 34.56x
Macclesfield 8 5.17x
St George Hanover 8 3.88x
West Ham 8 1.16x
Wrotham 8 44.84x
Bowling 7 4.52x
Cadder 7 18.57x
Glossop Dale 7 6.05x
Halifax 7 3.05x
Hensingham 7 63.06x
Millbrook 7 8.59x
Newchurch 7 4.57x
Newport 7 42.53x
Paisley Middle Church 7 9.83x
Sculcoates 7 2.82x
Shrewsbury St Chad 7 14.63x
Walthamstow 7 6.24x
Warrington 7 3.15x
Westoe 7 2.63x
Clitheroe 6 10.89x
Eckington 6 10.00x
Edinburgh New North 6 32.61x
Newington 6 1.03x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 146
Margaret 46
Elizabeth 38
Ellen 35
Sarah 35
Ann 28
Bridget 26
Catherine 26
Eliza 22
Annie 19
Jane 17
Hannah 15
Alice 14
Julia 11
Kate 10
Maria 9
Anne 7
Emma 7
Rose 7
Charlotte 6
Esther 6
Caroline 5
Catharine 5
Clara 5
Emily 5
Florence 5
Harriet 5
Susan 5
Martha 4
Agnes 3
Fanny 3
Lucy 3
Margt. 3
Susanna 3
Winifred 3
Ada 2
Adelaide 2
Anna 2
Cathe. 2
Cathrine 2
Eleanor 2
Elisa 2
Elizth. 2
Essie 2
Louisa 2
Rebecca 2
Teresa 2
Theresa 2
Clement 1
Winneyford 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 127
James 96
Thomas 61
William 51
Michael 46
Patrick 37
Edward 32
Joseph 20
Henry 15
George 14
Charles 13
Peter 13
Arthur 10
Francis 10
Andrew 9
Martin 9
Richard 8
Anthony 7
Robert 7
Walter 7
Edwin 6
Wm. 6
Alfred 5
Hugh 5
Lawrence 5
Christopher 4
Daniel 4
Dennis 4
Frank 4
Frederick 4
Owen 4
Stephen 4
Austin 3
Jno. 3
Luke 3
Matthew 3
Pat 3
Albert 2
Bernard 2
David 2
Dominic 2
Edmund 2
Jas. 2
Laurence 2
Thos. 2
Timothy 2
Benjamin 1
Eli 1
Entrek 1
Wm.Hy. 1

FAQ

Toole surname: questions and answers

How common was the Toole surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,613 people were recorded with the Toole surname. That placed it at #2,646 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Toole surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,296 in 2016. That gives Toole a modern rank of #4,621.

What does the Toole surname mean?

An Irish occupational surname referring to a person who was a tool maker or seller.

What does the Toole map show?

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