NameCensus.

UK surname

Townhill

In the 1881 census there were 129 people recorded with the Townhill surname, ranking it #17,013 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 191, ranked #20,194, down from #17,013 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Rochdale, Lincoln St Botolph and Minting. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Barnsley, North Kesteven and Gwynedd.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Townhill is 206 in 2000. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 48.1%.

1881 census count

129

Ranked #17,013

Modern count

191

2016, ranked #20,194

Peak year

2000

206 bearers

Map years

8

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Townhill had 129 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #17,013 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 191 in 2016, ranked #20,194.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 176 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living.

Townhill surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Townhill surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Townhill 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 74 #20,443
1861 historical 108 #19,856
1881 historical 129 #17,013
1891 historical 137 #19,501
1901 historical 157 #17,577
1911 historical 176 #16,185
1997 modern 196 #17,859
1998 modern 196 #18,342
1999 modern 199 #18,293
2000 modern 206 #17,880
2001 modern 204 #17,736
2002 modern 199 #18,350
2003 modern 190 #18,683
2004 modern 182 #19,306
2005 modern 182 #19,259
2006 modern 182 #19,402
2007 modern 194 #18,855
2008 modern 194 #19,011
2009 modern 189 #19,727
2010 modern 206 #19,066
2011 modern 198 #19,410
2012 modern 187 #20,086
2013 modern 193 #19,997
2014 modern 191 #20,302
2015 modern 188 #20,417
2016 modern 191 #20,194

Geography

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Where Townhills are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Rochdale, Lincoln St Botolph, Minting, Wellingore and Metheringham. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Barnsley, North Kesteven, Gwynedd, Lincoln and Comely Bank. 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 Rochdale Lancashire
2 Lincoln St Botolph Lincolnshire
3 Minting Lincolnshire
4 Wellingore Lincolnshire
5 Metheringham Lincolnshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Barnsley 021 Barnsley
2 North Kesteven 001 North Kesteven
3 Gwynedd 008 Gwynedd
4 Lincoln 004 Lincoln
5 Comely Bank City of Edinburgh

Forenames

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First names often paired with Townhill

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Townhill

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

Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

Families with resident dependent children (but not students) are common. Established family groups and White ethnicity predominate, as do individuals born in the UK. They are more likely than the Supergroup average to have been resident in their terraced, semi-detached, or detached houses for more than one year. Levels of multiple car ownership are high. Properties are owned and typically have surplus living space. Associate professionals and administrative occupations are prevalent, and parents are likely to be in middle age or approaching retirement. Educational attainment is above the Supergroup average. Scattered developments and concentrations are found in many small towns.

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

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Townhill is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Pockets, part of Social Rented Sector Families with Children. 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

Found in pockets across London, residents are less likely to live in private sector rentals and fewer adults are students. Fewer individuals work in transport and communications occupations relative to the Supergroup average. More individuals identify as Black and were born in Africa.

Wider London pattern

Residents of these neighbourhoods include sizable numbers identifying with ethnicities originating outside Europe, particularly in Africa or Bangladesh. The proportion of residents identifying as White, Indian or Pakistani is well below the London average. Neighbourhood age profiles are skewed towards younger adults, and above average numbers of families have children. Rates of use of English at home are below average. Marriage rates are low, and levels of separation or divorce are above average. Housing is predominantly in flats, and renting in the social rented sector the norm - few residents are owner occupiers. Housing is often overcrowded, and neighbourhoods are amongst the most densely populated in London. Disability rates are above average, although levels of unpaid care provision are about average. Employment is in caring, leisure, other service occupations, sales and customer service, or process, plant, and machine operation. Part time working and full-time student study are common. Levels of unemployment are slightly above average. Most residents have only Level 1 or 2 educational qualifications or have completed apprenticeships.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Townhill 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

Townhill falls in decile 10 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

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

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

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Townhill families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Townhill 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 83 Townhills recorded in 1881 and an index of 41.57x.

County Total Index
Lincolnshire 83 41.57x
Yorkshire 29 2.34x
Durham 5 1.35x
Middlesex 5 0.40x
Lancashire 3 0.20x
Kent 2 0.47x
Surrey 1 0.16x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Bardney in Lincolnshire leads with 23 Townhills recorded in 1881 and an index of 3833.33x.

Place Total Index
Bardney 23 3833.33x
Minting 10 6666.67x
Darfield 8 707.96x
Drypool 6 317.46x
Holy Trinity 6 20.16x
St Martin Lincoln 6 324.32x
St Maryle Wigford 6 387.10x
St Michael Lincoln 6 1111.11x
Branston 5 819.67x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 5 31.08x
Horncastle 4 194.17x
St Nicholas Lincoln 4 209.42x
St Swithin Lincoln 4 127.39x
Brightside Bierlow 3 12.36x
Cherry Willingham 3 4285.71x
Hackney London 3 4.29x
Newton 3 26.27x
Potter Hanworth 3 1578.95x
Metheringham 2 250.00x
St John Lincoln 2 952.38x
Wakefield 2 21.05x
Beverley St Mary 1 55.25x
Coleby 1 526.32x
Frimley 1 57.80x
Hougham 1 39.53x
Huddersfield 1 5.55x
Kensington London 1 1.44x
Plumstead 1 7.04x
Sheffield 1 2.54x
South Willingham 1 714.29x
St Pancras London 1 1.00x
St Peterat Arches 1 434.78x
St Peterat Gowts Lincoln 1 35.59x
Swillington 1 285.71x
Torksey 1 1428.57x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 12
Elizabeth 5
Sarah 5
Annie 4
Alice 3
Fanny 3
Hannah 3
Ada 2
Ann 2
Christiana 2
Harriet 2
Jane 2
Martha 2
Amy 1
Betsy 1
Charlotte 1
Clara 1
Edith 1
Eliza 1
Elizth.Hannah 1
Ellen 1
Emily 1
Eveline 1
Georgina 1
Jessy 1
Lydia 1
Roseanna 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 9
Charles 6
George 5
Joseph 5
Robert 5
William 5
James 4
Alfred 3
Samuel 3
Thomas 3
Heweson 2
Peter 2
Richard 2
Aaron 1
Arthur 1
Criss 1
David 1
Edmund 1
Edward 1
Frederick 1
Harry 1
Herbert 1
Joe 1
Moses 1
Saml. 1
White 1

FAQ

Townhill surname: questions and answers

How common was the Townhill surname in 1881?

In 1881, 129 people were recorded with the Townhill surname. That placed it at #17,013 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Townhill surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 191 in 2016. That gives Townhill a modern rank of #20,194.

What does the Townhill map show?

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