NameCensus.

UK surname

Touhey

An anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Tuathchair, derived from the Irish Gaelic elements "tuath" meaning territory and "cathair" meaning city.

In the 1881 census there were 35 people recorded with the Touhey surname, ranking it #28,715 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 147, ranked #24,071, up from #28,715 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to No data. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Wigan and Dalgety Bay Central.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Touhey is 149 in 2013. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 320.0%.

1881 census count

35

Ranked #28,715

Modern count

147

2016, ranked #24,071

Peak year

2013

149 bearers

Map years

3

1998 to 2016

Key insights

  • Touhey had 35 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #28,715 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 147 in 2016, ranked #24,071.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 56 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established Mature Families.

Touhey surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Touhey surname density by area, 2016 modern.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Touhey 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 6 #32,278
1861 historical 13 #32,208
1881 historical 35 #28,715
1891 historical 40 #31,174
1901 historical 38 #29,914
1911 historical 56 #27,216
1997 modern 134 #22,608
1998 modern 133 #23,308
1999 modern 138 #22,983
2000 modern 139 #22,855
2001 modern 136 #22,855
2002 modern 136 #23,296
2003 modern 137 #22,939
2004 modern 129 #24,019
2005 modern 125 #24,398
2006 modern 133 #23,711
2007 modern 130 #24,389
2008 modern 138 #23,763
2009 modern 139 #24,161
2010 modern 141 #24,460
2011 modern 142 #24,182
2012 modern 144 #23,902
2013 modern 149 #23,765
2014 modern 145 #24,395
2015 modern 145 #24,246
2016 modern 147 #24,071

Geography

Back to top

Where Touheys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around No data. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Wigan and Dalgety Bay Central. 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 No data No data

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Wigan 016 Wigan
2 Wigan 026 Wigan
3 Wigan 032 Wigan
4 Dalgety Bay Central Fife
5 Wigan 004 Wigan

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Touhey

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

Historical female names

No Forenames Found

Historical male names

No Forenames Found

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Touhey

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

Retired Professionals

Group

Established Mature Families

Nationally, the Touhey surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established Mature Families, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Touhey household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Married couples predominate, many with older dependent children. Detached housing is common. Homeownership rates are the highest within this Supergroup. The presence of some students suggests that households are towards the end of a child rearing phase. Many residents have degree level qualifications, and the occupational profile is heavily skewed towards managerial and professional occupations. Residential developments commonly occur on the periphery of major urban cities or conurbations.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburban Asian Communities

Group

Settled Semi-Detached Asians

Within London, Touhey is most associated with areas classed as Settled Semi-Detached Asians, part of Suburban Asian Communities. 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 residents share Supergroup characteristics of large (non-Chinese) Asian populations but those identifying as Bangladeshi are notably absent. Many residents were born in the UK, while other more recent migrants have African birthplaces. Semi-detached housing, much of it owner occupied, prevails in these suburban residential locations.

Wider London pattern

Many residents of these neighbourhoods are of (non-Chinese) Asian descent, with many identifying as Indian, Pakistani or Bangladeshi. Neighbourhoods are located across large areas of suburban west, north-east and south London. Detached, semi-detached and terraced houses are more prevalent than flats and socially rented housing is uncommon. Few residents live in communal establishments. Many families have dependent children, sometimes in overcrowded accommodation, and few households are ethnically mixed. Marriage rates are above the London average. The even age distribution, relative absence of individuals living alone and frequent incidence of households with children suggests that multi-generation households may be relatively common. Employment is often in skilled trades, elementary, sales and customer service occupations, and roles as process, plant, and machine operatives. Manufacturing and construction are well represented, along with employment in distribution, hotels, and restaurants. Many adults have only level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. English is not used at home by some residents. Religious affiliation is above average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Touhey is most concentrated in decile 8 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.

8
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Touhey 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 Touhey 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 - Irish

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

Meaning and origin of Touhey

The surname Touhey originates from Ireland, specifically from County Mayo in the western region of the country. It is believed to have emerged sometime around the 12th or 13th century. The name is derived from the Old Irish Gaelic word "tuathach," which means "lay person" or "farmer."

Touhey is an Anglicized version of the original Irish spelling "Ó Tuathaigh" or "Ó Tuathacháin." This name is rooted in the Irish tradition of using patronymic surnames, which were initially based on the given name of the father or a notable ancestor. The prefix "Ó" means "descendant of" or "grandson of."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Touhey can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the 17th century. It mentions a notable figure named Touhey O'Toole, who was involved in a battle against the English forces in 1548.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Touhey surname was predominantly concentrated in the counties of Mayo and Galway in the west of Ireland. Some of the earliest recorded individuals with this surname include Dermot Touhey (born c. 1620) and Patrick Touhey (born c. 1650), both of whom lived in County Mayo.

In the late 17th century, the Touhey family held lands in the townland of Cloonconnavne, located in the parish of Islandeady, County Mayo. This area is believed to be the ancestral homeland of the Touhey clan.

Notable individuals with the surname Touhey throughout history include:

1. John Touhey (1809-1866), an Irish-American politician who served as the 29th Mayor of Philadelphia from 1855 to 1858. 2. Michael Touhey (1837-1923), an Irish-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as the Bishop of Providence, Rhode Island, from 1904 to 1923. 3. James Touhey (1893-1953), an American labor union leader and politician who served as the Secretary-Treasurer of the Massachusetts State Federation of Labor. 4. John Touhey (1907-1993), an Irish-born American prelate who served as the Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Newark, New Jersey, from 1970 to 1983. 5. Patrick Touhey (1915-1979), an Irish hurler who played for the Offaly senior hurling team and won an All-Ireland medal in 1949.

While the Touhey surname has its roots in Ireland, it has since spread to various parts of the world, particularly through Irish immigration to countries like the United States, Canada, and Australia.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Touhey families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Touhey 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 19 Touheys recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.69x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 19 4.69x
Essex 8 11.88x
Middlesex 8 2.34x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Newton In Makerfield in Lancashire leads with 11 Touheys recorded in 1881 and an index of 887.10x.

Place Total Index
Newton In Makerfield 11 887.10x
Clerkenwell London 8 99.38x
Wanstead 8 677.97x
Wigan 8 141.34x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Catherine 3
Mary 3
Lucy 2
Agnes 1
Ann 1
Beatrice 1
Bridget 1
Elizabeth 1
Hanora 1
Helen 1
Henrietta 1
Josephine 1
Margaret 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
James 4
Michael 3
Patrick 3
Daniel 2
Martin 2
Edward 1
John 1
Walter 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 Touhey households.

FAQ

Touhey surname: questions and answers

How common was the Touhey surname in 1881?

In 1881, 35 people were recorded with the Touhey surname. That placed it at #28,715 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Touhey surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 147 in 2016. That gives Touhey a modern rank of #24,071.

What does the Touhey surname mean?

An anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Tuathchair, derived from the Irish Gaelic elements "tuath" meaning territory and "cathair" meaning city.

What does the Touhey map show?

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