NameCensus.

UK surname

Tory

An English surname derived from an Anglo-Norman French term for an outlaw or bandit.

In the 1881 census there were 108 people recorded with the Tory surname, ranking it #18,888 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 225, ranked #18,105, up from #18,888 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bourn, London parishes and Blandford St Mary, Turnworth. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include North Dorset, East Dorset and Bedford.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Tory is 241 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 108.3%.

1881 census count

108

Ranked #18,888

Modern count

225

2016, ranked #18,105

Peak year

2010

241 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Tory had 108 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #18,888 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 225 in 2016, ranked #18,105.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 143 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Tory surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Tory surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Tory 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 106 #16,512
1861 historical 106 #20,147
1881 historical 108 #18,888
1891 historical 131 #20,073
1901 historical 141 #18,718
1911 historical 143 #18,401
1997 modern 212 #16,996
1998 modern 221 #17,021
1999 modern 227 #16,834
2000 modern 216 #17,340
2001 modern 203 #17,787
2002 modern 208 #17,848
2003 modern 218 #17,131
2004 modern 212 #17,540
2005 modern 218 #17,170
2006 modern 219 #17,254
2007 modern 223 #17,248
2008 modern 222 #17,442
2009 modern 228 #17,486
2010 modern 241 #17,186
2011 modern 236 #17,279
2012 modern 216 #18,251
2013 modern 230 #17,756
2014 modern 231 #17,813
2015 modern 229 #17,846
2016 modern 225 #18,105

Geography

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Where Torys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bourn, London parishes, Blandford St Mary, Turnworth, Sturminster Marshall and Sutterton (incl. Sutterton Allotments). These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to North Dorset, East Dorset, Bedford and Tandridge. 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 Bourn Lincolnshire
2 London parishes London 3
3 Blandford St Mary, Turnworth Dorset
4 Sturminster Marshall Dorset
5 Sutterton (incl. Sutterton Allotments) Lincolnshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 North Dorset 008 North Dorset
2 North Dorset 006 North Dorset
3 East Dorset 005 East Dorset
4 Bedford 017 Bedford
5 Tandridge 006 Tandridge

Forenames

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First names often paired with Tory

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Tory

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

Rural Amenity

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

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

Central Connected Professionals and Managers

Group

Senior Professionals

Within London, Tory is most associated with areas classed as Senior Professionals, part of Central Connected Professionals and Managers. 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

These very central neighbourhoods house residents whose ages are more skewed towards older age cohorts than elsewhere in the Supergroup. Few households have young children. Rates of illness are low. Indian ethnicity is rare compared to the Supergroup mean. Property under occupation is more common, despite the centrality of neighbourhoods, and more residents live in communal establishments than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

Adult residents of these neighbourhoods are typically aged 25 to 44, working full-time in professional, managerial or associate professional occupations. There are few families with dependent children. The predominantly Inner London neighbourhoods have an international character, including many residents born elsewhere in Europe alongside high numbers of individuals identifying as of Chinese ethnicity. Many individuals are never married, childless and/or living alone. Above average numbers of individuals, likely to be full-time students, live in communal establishments. Elsewhere, privately rented flats are the dominant housing type. Residents of these areas are well-qualified, with a significant number holding Level 4 or above qualifications. There is a correspondingly high level of individuals employed full-time in professional, managerial and associated professional or technical occupations. Employing industries are financial, real estate, professional, administration, and, to a lesser degree, transport and communications. Unemployment is uncommon.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Tory is most concentrated in decile 3 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.

3
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Tory falls in decile 6 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Tory

The surname Tory is believed to have originated in medieval England. It is thought to derive from the Old French word 'torier', meaning a maker or seller of tores, which were twisted cords or ropes. The name likely referred to an occupation associated with rope-making or a person who lived near a rope-making establishment.

In early records, the name appears with various spellings, including Tori, Torie, and Torey. One of the earliest recorded instances is found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, which mentions a William Tory. The Tory surname is also found in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire from 1297, where a John Tory is listed.

During the medieval period, the name was primarily concentrated in the English counties of Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Nottinghamshire, where rope-making was a significant industry. Some early bearers of the name include Thomas Tory, recorded in the Subsidy Rolls of Nottinghamshire in 1327, and Robert Tory, mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire in 1379.

While not a particularly common surname, the Tory name can be found in various historical records throughout the centuries. One notable figure was Josse Bade (c. 1460-1535), a French scholar and printer also known as Jodocus Badius Ascensius or Jodocus Tory. He was a renowned humanist and publisher of classical texts during the Renaissance.

Another individual of note was Geoffrey Tory (c. 1480-1533), a French Renaissance scholar, philosopher, and printer. He is credited with contributing to the development of the Apostolic insigne, which later became the printer's mark or device used by French publishers and printers.

In the 17th century, Samuel Tory (1635-1695) was an English clergyman and author who served as a chaplain to King Charles II and later became the vicar of Halstead in Essex.

During the 18th century, John Tory (1732-1805) was a notable English musician and composer who served as the Master of the Choristers at the Cathedral Church of Christ in Oxford.

In the 19th century, Richard Tory (1828-1901) was an English architect and civil engineer who designed several notable buildings, including St. Saviour's Church in Nottingham and St. Mary's Church in Hyson Green.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Tory families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Tory 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. Lincolnshire leads with 27 Torys recorded in 1881 and an index of 16.03x.

County Total Index
Lincolnshire 27 16.03x
Dorset 17 24.59x
Middlesex 14 1.33x
Leicestershire 9 7.71x
Surrey 8 1.56x
Bedfordshire 6 11.00x
Kent 6 1.67x
Yorkshire 5 0.48x
Cornwall 4 3.35x
Angus 3 3.07x
Morayshire 2 12.22x
Aberdeenshire 1 1.03x
Banffshire 1 4.58x
Glamorgan 1 0.55x
Lancashire 1 0.08x
Northamptonshire 1 1.01x
Northumberland 1 0.64x
Sussex 1 0.56x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Bourn in Lincolnshire leads with 10 Torys recorded in 1881 and an index of 735.29x.

Place Total Index
Bourn 10 735.29x
Holbeach 10 531.91x
Islington London 9 8.81x
Leicester St Margaret 9 31.60x
Sturminster Marshall 8 2758.62x
Turnworth 8 20000.00x
Camberwell 7 10.40x
Kempston 6 483.87x
Sheffield 5 15.05x
Gillingham 3 40.49x
Illogan 3 94.94x
Montrose 3 50.76x
Paddington London 3 7.75x
Coningsby 2 416.67x
Spalding 2 59.88x
Ash Next Sandwich 1 125.00x
Barnack 1 476.19x
Beadnell 1 833.33x
Blandford Forum 1 73.53x
Budock 1 111.11x
Elgin 1 31.45x
Eynsford 1 161.29x
Inveravon 1 107.53x
Lee 1 19.16x
Lewes St John Southover 1 84.03x
Little Bytham 1 909.09x
Lutton 1 357.14x
Merthyr Tydfil 1 5.67x
Speymouth 1 416.67x
St George Hanover 1 7.27x
St Pancras London 1 1.18x
Stamford St George 1 131.58x
Sutton 1 26.95x
Turriff 1 63.69x
Walton On Hill 1 14.77x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 10
Eliza 6
Elizabeth 3
Emily 3
Ann 2
Caroline 2
Selena 2
Ada 1
Agnes 1
Amy 1
Annie 1
Charlotte 1
E. 1
Edith 1
Elizbeth 1
Elizth. 1
Ellen 1
Emma 1
Ester 1
Esther 1
Frances 1
Georgina 1
Gertrude 1
Hannah 1
Hardee 1
Harriott 1
John 1
Kate 1
Laurie 1
Lilley 1
Lilly 1
Lydia 1
M.S. 1
Mabel 1
Matilda 1
Renee 1

Top male names

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

FAQ

Tory surname: questions and answers

How common was the Tory surname in 1881?

In 1881, 108 people were recorded with the Tory surname. That placed it at #18,888 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Tory surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 225 in 2016. That gives Tory a modern rank of #18,105.

What does the Tory surname mean?

An English surname derived from an Anglo-Norman French term for an outlaw or bandit.

What does the Tory map show?

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