NameCensus.

UK surname

Tower

An occupational surname referring to someone who lived or worked in a tower or fortified building.

In the 1881 census there were 273 people recorded with the Tower surname, ranking it #10,390 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 176, ranked #21,298, down from #10,390 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Minster, London parishes and St Leonard Shoreditch. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Tendring, Colchester and Isle of Anglesey.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Tower is 403 in 1891. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 35.5%.

1881 census count

273

Ranked #10,390

Modern count

176

2016, ranked #21,298

Peak year

1891

403 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Tower had 273 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #10,390 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 176 in 2016, ranked #21,298.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 403 in 1891.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Multicultural Inner Suburbs.

Tower surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Tower surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Tower 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 165 #12,053
1861 historical 299 #8,460
1881 historical 273 #10,390
1891 historical 403 #8,822
1901 historical 305 #11,525
1911 historical 304 #11,342
1997 modern 168 #19,642
1998 modern 189 #18,737
1999 modern 197 #18,400
2000 modern 185 #19,118
2001 modern 160 #20,616
2002 modern 167 #20,457
2003 modern 158 #20,952
2004 modern 165 #20,530
2005 modern 155 #21,318
2006 modern 164 #20,715
2007 modern 171 #20,387
2008 modern 169 #20,745
2009 modern 168 #21,290
2010 modern 176 #21,101
2011 modern 164 #21,900
2012 modern 173 #21,135
2013 modern 188 #20,352
2014 modern 185 #20,739
2015 modern 172 #21,649
2016 modern 176 #21,298

Geography

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Where Towers are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Minster, London parishes, St Leonard Shoreditch and Chilmark. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Tendring, Colchester, Isle of Anglesey and Mendip. 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 Minster Kent
2 London parishes London 1
3 St Leonard Shoreditch London (East Districts)
4 Chilmark Wiltshire
5 London parishes London 3

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Tendring 003 Tendring
2 Colchester 002 Colchester
3 Isle of Anglesey 005 Isle of Anglesey
4 Colchester 008 Colchester
5 Mendip 010 Mendip

Forenames

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First names often paired with Tower

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Tower

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

Baseline UK

Group

Multicultural Inner Suburbs

Nationally, the Tower surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Multicultural Inner Suburbs, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Tower household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These neighbourhoods house many younger and middle-aged adults with children. All ethnic minorities, apart from those identifying as Pakistani or Bangladeshi, appear to be present in above average proportions. Affiliation to Christian religions is uncommon. Long-term disability rates are low, mirrored in limited provision of unpaid care. Privately rented terrace houses and flats are the norm. Managerial, professional and technical occupations are prevalent, and work is rarely part time. Many individuals have degree level qualifications. These areas form the inner suburbs of many of the UK’s towns and cities.

Wider pattern

This Supergroup exemplifies the broad base to the UK’s social structure, encompassing as it does the average or modal levels of many neighbourhood characteristics, including all housing tenures, a range of levels of educational attainment and religious affiliations, and a variety of pre-retirement age structures. Yet, in combination, these mixes are each distinctive of the parts of the UK. Overall, terraced houses and flats are the most prevalent, as is employment in intermediate or low-skilled occupations. However, this Supergroup is also characterised by above average levels of unemployment and lower levels of use of English as the main language. Many neighbourhoods occur in south London and the UK’s other major urban centres.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Tower 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

Tower 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

Tower falls in decile 5 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.

5
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Tower

The surname Tower originated in England, first appearing in records from the early 12th century. It derives from the Old English word "torr", meaning a tower or rocky peak. The name likely referred to someone who lived near a prominent tower or fortification.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Robert atte Toure, recorded in the Pipe Rolls of Sussex in 1199. The "atte" prefix indicated the person lived near or at the specified location. Over time, the spelling evolved from atte Toure to Tower.

The Tower surname is found in the famous Domesday Book of 1086, compiled for William the Conqueror. It records a landowner named Richard de la Tur in Staffordshire. This early spelling variation highlights the name's Norman French influence after the Norman Conquest in 1066.

In the 13th century, the name appeared as de la Tour in various records across England. This French version likely referred to individuals who lived near a prominent tower or castle. Examples include Walter de la Tour in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1230 and Robert de la Tour in the Hundred Rolls of Buckinghamshire in 1274.

One of the earliest notable figures with the Tower surname was Sir John Tower, born around 1510 in Hingham, Norfolk. He served as a Member of Parliament and Lieutenant of the Tower of London under Queen Elizabeth I.

Another prominent individual was Christopher Tower (1589-1659), an English-born officer who served in the Swedish army during the Thirty Years' War. He rose to the rank of Major General and was ennobled in Sweden as Baron Tower.

In literature, the surname appears in the works of William Shakespeare. In Henry VI, Part 2, the character John Tower is a rebel who joins Jack Cade's rebellion against King Henry VI in 1450.

Thomas Tower (1637-1699) was an English philosopher and playwright known for his work "An Essay on the Life and Actions of the Renowned Antiquary Elias Ashmole." He was also a Fellow of the Royal Society.

Lastly, Zealous B. Tower (1819-1900) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a U.S. Senator from Ohio from 1873 to 1879. He was also a Union Army officer during the American Civil War.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Tower families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Tower 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. Middlesex leads with 52 Towers recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.95x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 52 1.95x
Surrey 38 2.93x
Lancashire 29 0.92x
Durham 25 3.16x
Yorkshire 22 0.83x
Kent 13 1.43x
Warwickshire 10 1.49x
Leicestershire 7 2.37x
Somerset 7 1.63x
Sussex 7 1.56x
Lanarkshire 6 0.70x
Wiltshire 6 2.55x
Cheshire 5 0.85x
Northumberland 5 1.26x
Derbyshire 4 0.96x
Essex 4 0.76x
Devon 3 0.54x
Glamorgan 3 0.65x
Hertfordshire 3 1.63x
Lincolnshire 3 0.70x
Renfrewshire 3 1.45x
Buckinghamshire 2 1.24x
Hampshire 2 0.37x
Norfolk 2 0.49x
Nottinghamshire 2 0.56x
Aberdeenshire 1 0.41x
Berkshire 1 0.50x
Cambridgeshire 1 0.59x
Denbighshire 1 0.99x
Dorset 1 0.57x
Herefordshire 1 0.92x
Midlothian 1 0.28x
Monmouthshire 1 0.52x
Pembrokeshire 1 1.18x
Staffordshire 1 0.11x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Bradford in Yorkshire leads with 18 Towers recorded in 1881 and an index of 28.18x.

Place Total Index
Bradford 18 28.18x
Stoke Newington London 12 57.86x
Bermondsey 11 13.88x
Birtley 9 278.64x
Shoreditch London 9 7.80x
Bethnal Green London 8 6.92x
Chadderton 7 45.31x
Islington London 7 2.71x
Birmingham 6 2.68x
Camberwell 6 3.53x
Lambeth 6 2.58x
Manchester 6 4.22x
Trimdon 6 214.29x
Cheetham 5 21.21x
Chilmark 5 1000.00x
Gillingham 5 26.70x
Kirkby Mallory Earl 5 352.11x
Penge 5 29.39x
Barony 4 1.84x
Bathford 4 454.55x
Dalton In Furness 4 32.79x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 4 16.91x
Washington 4 120.48x
Cathcart 3 26.88x
Charlton 3 49.75x
Hackney London 3 2.01x
Lancing 3 243.90x
Long Eaton 3 54.55x
Preston 3 38.27x
Richmond 3 16.50x
Rugby 3 33.04x
Sutton 3 31.95x
Swansea Town 3 7.89x
Tormoham 3 12.79x
Westoe 3 6.68x
Barmston 2 338.98x
Birkenhead 2 4.27x
Croydon 2 2.78x
Fleet 2 165.29x
Govan 2 0.94x
Iver 2 96.62x
Leicester St Margaret 2 2.78x
Maidstone 2 7.39x
Paddington London 2 2.04x
Salford 2 2.15x
St George Hanover 2 5.75x
Staines 2 47.39x
Aldershot 1 5.47x
Aston 1 0.54x
Barking 1 6.50x
Bersham 1 23.31x
Birkdale 1 12.52x
Braughing 1 106.38x
Cawston 1 100.00x
Chester St John Baptist 1 9.46x
Clevedon 1 22.42x
Colne 1 10.63x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 1 0.70x
Edmondsley 1 117.65x
Edvin Ralph 1 666.67x
Elswick 1 3.16x
Fyvie 1 24.88x
Garston 1 10.72x
Godalming 1 12.24x
Havant 1 36.23x
Haverfordwest St Mary 1 81.97x
Hitchin 1 12.08x
Hove 1 5.08x
Minster In Sheppey 1 6.64x
Monckton Combe 1 72.99x
Nottingham St Mary 1 1.08x
Oxton 1 30.12x
Portland 1 10.64x
Reading St Giles 1 5.10x
South Weald 1 22.22x
St Andrew Holborn 1 11.07x
St George Bloomsbury 1 6.54x
Thornton Le Moors 1 434.78x
Winshill 1 37.59x
Wrangle 1 94.34x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 18
Elizabeth 9
Sarah 7
Emily 6
Florence 6
Ann 5
Annie 4
Caroline 4
Hannah 4
Jane 4
Margaret 4
Maria 4
Alice 3
Clara 3
Eliza 3
Ellen 3
Louisa 3
Ada 2
Edith 2
Emma 2
Esther 2
Fanny 2
Isabella 2
Josephine 2
Matilda 2
Susanah 2
Agnes 1
Angelina 1
Annabella 1
Anne 1
Augusta 1
Betty 1
Carlott 1
Catherine 1
Charlotte 1
Daisy 1
Elizth. 1
Ethel 1
Florrie 1
Francis 1
Grace 1
Harriett 1
Henrica 1
Henrietta 1
Kate 1
Laura 1
Letitia 1
Lydia 1
Maragret 1
Susannah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 18
John 12
James 10
George 9
Charles 6
Arthur 4
Thos. 4
Herbert 3
Richard 3
Thomas 3
Walter 3
Chas.H. 2
Christopher 2
David 2
Edward 2
Geo. 2
Henry 2
Jno. 2
Michael 2
Robert 2
Albert 1
Alexandra 1
Alfred 1
Beauchamp 1
Bernard 1
Catherine 1
Conyers 1
Daniel 1
Danl. 1
Dickinson 1
Edmund 1
Egerton 1
Ephraim 1
Ferdinand 1
Frank 1
Frederick 1
Issachar 1
Joseph 1
Mathew 1
Percy 1
Peter 1
Reginald 1
Rodger 1
Sidney 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Tower surname: questions and answers

How common was the Tower surname in 1881?

In 1881, 273 people were recorded with the Tower surname. That placed it at #10,390 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Tower surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 176 in 2016. That gives Tower a modern rank of #21,298.

What does the Tower surname mean?

An occupational surname referring to someone who lived or worked in a tower or fortified building.

What does the Tower map show?

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