NameCensus.

UK surname

Torkington

In the 1881 census there were 441 people recorded with the Torkington surname, ranking it #7,422 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 450, ranked #10,809, down from #7,422 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Stockport, Glossop and Manchester. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Bolton, Stockport and High Peak.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Torkington is 530 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has stayed broadly stable by 2.0%.

1881 census count

441

Ranked #7,422

Modern count

450

2016, ranked #10,809

Peak year

1911

530 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Torkington had 441 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #7,422 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 450 in 2016, ranked #10,809.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 530 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Torkington surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Torkington surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Torkington 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 229 #9,390
1861 historical 310 #8,175
1881 historical 441 #7,422
1891 historical 500 #7,430
1901 historical 483 #8,256
1911 historical 530 #7,500
1997 modern 468 #9,769
1998 modern 477 #9,955
1999 modern 476 #10,026
2000 modern 482 #9,901
2001 modern 494 #9,560
2002 modern 517 #9,418
2003 modern 488 #9,657
2004 modern 467 #10,013
2005 modern 462 #10,000
2006 modern 457 #10,127
2007 modern 456 #10,221
2008 modern 476 #10,012
2009 modern 488 #10,048
2010 modern 490 #10,211
2011 modern 465 #10,511
2012 modern 463 #10,457
2013 modern 472 #10,450
2014 modern 476 #10,457
2015 modern 459 #10,667
2016 modern 450 #10,809

Geography

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Where Torkingtons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Stockport, Glossop, Manchester, Bolton-le-Moors and Whalley. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Bolton, Stockport, High Peak and Tameside. 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 Stockport Cheshire
2 Glossop Derbyshire
3 Manchester Lancashire
4 Bolton-le-Moors Lancashire
5 Whalley Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Bolton 012 Bolton
2 Stockport 021 Stockport
3 Stockport 031 Stockport
4 High Peak 010 High Peak
5 Tameside 028 Tameside

Forenames

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First names often paired with Torkington

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Torkington

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

Ageing Communities

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many residents are of normal retirement age or above and live in communal establishments, and there are few dependent children. The dominant property type is a mix of retirement flats and detached houses. Those in work are likely to be employed in managerial and professional occupations, and many residents are educated to degree level. Levels of owner occupation are high, but the private rental sector is also present. Rural locations predominate.

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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Torkington is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. 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

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Torkington 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

Torkington 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 Torkington is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 50-60 mbit/s.

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

8
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

1881 census detail

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Torkington families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Torkington 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 184 Torkingtons recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.60x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 184 3.60x
Cheshire 143 15.06x
Middlesex 19 0.44x
Yorkshire 18 0.42x
Derbyshire 16 2.38x
Surrey 13 0.62x
Midlothian 10 1.74x
Hampshire 8 0.91x
Sussex 5 0.69x
Worcestershire 5 0.89x
Flintshire 4 3.46x
Kent 4 0.27x
Staffordshire 4 0.28x
Warwickshire 3 0.28x
Devon 2 0.22x
Cambridgeshire 1 0.37x
Lanarkshire 1 0.07x
Lincolnshire 1 0.15x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Stockport in Cheshire leads with 36 Torkingtons recorded in 1881 and an index of 73.66x.

Place Total Index
Stockport 36 73.66x
Denton 28 247.57x
Ashton Under Lyne 24 21.51x
Droylsden 17 102.10x
Saddleworth 16 48.66x
Habergham Eaves 14 30.00x
Tintwistle 14 276.13x
Ardwick 13 28.24x
Bollin Fee 13 308.79x
Brinnington 12 135.29x
Dukinfield 11 25.07x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 10 4.31x
Heaton Norris 10 34.42x
Bramhall 9 229.01x
Romiley 9 335.82x
Stretford 9 32.05x
Glossop Dale 8 25.36x
Lambeth 8 2.13x
Reddish 8 113.80x
Carleton 7 1250.00x
St Martin In Fields 7 27.18x
Little Bolton 6 9.14x
North Meols 6 12.01x
Salford 6 4.00x
Tonge With Haulgh 6 60.36x
Whippingham 6 89.82x
Bosden 5 171.82x
Bredbury 5 90.91x
Disley Stanley 5 102.25x
Hastings St Mary In The 5 32.32x
Hyde 5 17.84x
Kings Norton 5 9.93x
Pendleton In Salford 5 8.22x
Bermondsey 4 3.12x
Cheadle 4 22.05x
Folkestone 4 14.05x
Hampstead London 4 5.97x
Haughton 4 53.69x
Hayfield 4 96.85x
Manchester 4 1.74x
Monks Coppenhall 4 11.16x
Rhuddlan 4 39.29x
Stockport Etchells 4 198.02x
Bethnal Green London 3 1.61x
Chelsea London 3 2.31x
Openshaw 3 12.55x
Stoke Upon Trent 3 1.95x
Alfreton 2 9.78x
Halliwell 2 10.76x
Hulme 2 1.88x
Leamington Priors 2 7.49x
Liverpool 2 0.65x
Lyme Handley 2 454.55x
Nether Hallam 2 3.47x
Northenden 2 115.61x
Ollersett 2 152.67x
Portsea 2 1.16x
Poynton 2 62.70x
St Botolph Bishopsgate 2 32.84x
Tormoham 2 5.28x
Altrincham 1 6.03x
Aston 1 0.33x
Atherton 1 5.38x
Battersea 1 0.63x
Castle Church 1 11.45x
Chorlton On Medlock 1 1.23x
Crumpsall 1 8.31x
Gorton 1 2.08x
Hindley 1 4.60x
Layton With Warbreck 1 5.34x
Maryhill 1 3.67x
Rumworth 1 13.72x
St Marythe Less 1 60.24x
Stamford All Sts 1 25.97x
Withington 1 6.08x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 39
Sarah 25
Elizabeth 21
Alice 10
Annie 9
Jane 9
Martha 9
Ann 8
Clara 7
Eliza 6
Hannah 6
Ada 5
Ellen 5
Emma 4
Esther 4
Margaret 4
Agnes 3
Anne 3
Edith 3
Amy 2
Caroline 2
Charlotte 2
Emily 2
Florence 2
Frances 2
Harriet 2
Lizzie 2
Maria 2
Minnie 2
Rachel 2
Betty 1
Bridget 1
Catherine 1
Charlott 1
Eliz.A. 1
Fanny 1
Francis 1
Henrietta 1
Isabella 1
Janet 1
Jenny 1
Judith 1
Lilly 1
Lucy 1
Maggie 1
Marie 1
Nancy 1
Phoebe 1
Prothesha 1
Sophia 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 36
William 23
Samuel 15
James 14
Joseph 11
Thomas 11
Robert 10
Henry 9
George 8
Alfred 5
Herbert 5
Richard 5
Albert 4
Charles 4
Arthur 3
Chas. 3
Walter 3
Adam 2
Edward 2
Harry 2
Isaac 2
Isaiah 2
Stanley 2
Abner 1
Andrew 1
Ben 1
Edwin 1
Elizabeth 1
Francis 1
Fred 1
Fredk. 1
Fredrick 1
Harold 1
Mark 1
Mathew 1
Oliver 1
Percy 1
Peter 1
Rawlenson 1
Sam 1
Squire 1
Thos. 1
Walker 1
Wilfred 1
Willie 1
Wm.Christopher 1

FAQ

Torkington surname: questions and answers

How common was the Torkington surname in 1881?

In 1881, 441 people were recorded with the Torkington surname. That placed it at #7,422 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Torkington surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 450 in 2016. That gives Torkington a modern rank of #10,809.

What does the Torkington map show?

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