NameCensus.

UK surname

Trimmings

A surname potentially derived from the Old English word "trimman" meaning to decorate or adorn.

In the 1881 census there were 80 people recorded with the Trimmings surname, ranking it #22,225 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 144, ranked #24,390, down from #22,225 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Henley-on-Thames, Willesden and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include South Oxfordshire, Bromley and Croydon.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Trimmings is 167 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 80.0%.

1881 census count

80

Ranked #22,225

Modern count

144

2016, ranked #24,390

Peak year

1999

167 bearers

Map years

4

1891 to 2016

Key insights

  • Trimmings had 80 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #22,225 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 144 in 2016, ranked #24,390.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 112 in 1891.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Multicultural Inner Suburbs.

Trimmings surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Trimmings surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Trimmings 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 35 #27,037
1861 historical 66 #25,487
1881 historical 80 #22,225
1891 historical 112 #22,291
1901 historical 79 #25,363
1911 historical 72 #25,642
1997 modern 157 #20,513
1998 modern 161 #20,754
1999 modern 167 #20,374
2000 modern 154 #21,415
2001 modern 148 #21,664
2002 modern 137 #23,198
2003 modern 129 #23,783
2004 modern 135 #23,326
2005 modern 125 #24,398
2006 modern 126 #24,493
2007 modern 130 #24,389
2008 modern 134 #24,249
2009 modern 139 #24,161
2010 modern 141 #24,460
2011 modern 133 #25,177
2012 modern 136 #24,830
2013 modern 151 #23,529
2014 modern 151 #23,745
2015 modern 149 #23,817
2016 modern 144 #24,390

Geography

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Where Trimmings' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Henley-on-Thames, Willesden, London parishes, Lambeth and St Marylebone. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to South Oxfordshire, Bromley, Croydon, Shepway and Northumberland. 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 Henley-on-Thames Oxfordshire
2 Willesden Middlesex (Exclusive Of London Districts)
3 London parishes London 3
4 Lambeth London (South Districts)
5 St Marylebone London (North Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 South Oxfordshire 016 South Oxfordshire
2 Bromley 014 Bromley
3 Croydon 034 Croydon
4 Shepway 012 Shepway
5 Northumberland 015 Northumberland

Forenames

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First names often paired with Trimmings

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Trimmings

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Trimmings, 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 Trimmings surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Multicultural Inner Suburbs, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Trimmings 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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Trimmings is most associated with areas classed as Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. 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 concentrated in suburban areas, these terraced and semi-detached developments are less overcrowded than the Supergroup average, and resident households are more likely to own two or more cars. There are fewer residents aged 25-44, and a larger share of residents employed in administrative and secretarial occupations. Residents are more likely to have been born in the UK, less likely to have been born in the EU or Africa, and much less likely to self-identify as Bangladeshi.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Trimmings 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

Trimmings 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 Trimmings 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 Trimmings, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Trimmings

The surname TRIMMINGS is derived from the Old English word "trymming", meaning "preparation" or "arrangement". It originated in the early 13th century in the county of Gloucestershire, England, where it was first recorded as a surname for individuals involved in the trade of textile trimming and embellishment.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name TRIMMINGS can be found in the Assize Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1221, where a "Roger le Trymmyng" is mentioned as a witness in a land dispute. This suggests that the TRIMMINGS surname may have initially been an occupational name for those involved in the trimming or decorating of fabrics, clothing, or other textile goods.

In the 14th century, the name TRIMMINGS appears in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Returns of 1379, with a "John Trymyngs" listed as a taxpayer in the village of Rotherham. This indicates that the name had spread beyond its Gloucestershire origins by this time.

During the Tudor period, a notable figure bearing the TRIMMINGS surname was William TRIMMINGS (c. 1490-1563), a wealthy merchant and landowner from Bristol. He is recorded in historical documents as having owned several properties and involved in various business ventures, including the export of wool and cloth.

Another prominent individual with this surname was Sir Edward TRIMMINGS (1612-1678), a member of the English gentry and a Royalist during the English Civil War. He fought for King Charles I and was knighted for his services in 1644.

In the 18th century, a branch of the TRIMMINGS family settled in the American colonies, with records showing a John TRIMMINGS (1725-1789) as one of the earliest settlers bearing this surname in Virginia.

A notable figure from the 19th century was Elizabeth TRIMMINGS (1818-1892), a British author and poet who published several works, including "The Cottage Fireside" and "Poems for the Household".

Overall, the surname TRIMMINGS has a rich history dating back to medieval England, with its origins likely rooted in the textile trade and craftsmanship. While not an aristocratic name, it has been associated with various individuals of notable standing throughout the centuries.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Trimmings families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Trimmings 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 25 Trimmings' recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.20x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 25 3.20x
Surrey 25 6.58x
Oxfordshire 10 20.75x
Hampshire 6 3.75x
Derbyshire 3 2.46x
Durham 2 0.86x
Gloucestershire 2 1.31x
Staffordshire 2 0.76x
Sussex 2 1.52x
Ayrshire 1 1.71x
Cheshire 1 0.58x
Kent 1 0.38x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Farnham in Surrey leads with 13 Trimmings' recorded in 1881 and an index of 439.19x.

Place Total Index
Farnham 13 439.19x
Islington London 12 15.87x
Henley On Thames 10 1010.10x
Lambeth 10 14.70x
St Marylebone London 7 16.80x
Aldershot 5 93.28x
Chelsea London 5 21.27x
Rosliston 3 2500.00x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 2 13.88x
Hastings Holy Trinity 2 206.19x
Westoe 2 15.20x
Wolverhampton 2 9.88x
Maidstone 1 12.61x
Portsea 1 3.19x
Puttenham 1 833.33x
Southwark St George Martyr 1 6.37x
St Bartholomew Great 1 140.85x
St Quivox 1 50.76x
Tranmere 1 15.80x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 7
Alice 4
Jane 3
Eleanor 2
Eliza 2
Ellen 2
Sophia 2
Agnes 1
Anne 1
Charlotte 1
Derenda 1
Elizabeth 1
Elizth. 1
Emily 1
Emma 1
Florence 1
Hannah 1
Louisa 1
Lydia 1
Mable 1
Rhoda 1
Rosine 1
Susan 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
Thomas 5
William 5
Charles 4
James 4
John 4
Arthur 3
Edward 2
George 2
Walter 2
Albert 1
Alfred 1
Cyril 1
Ebenezer 1
Edwin 1
Fredrick 1
Henry 1
Hery 1
Richard 1
Samuel 1

FAQ

Trimmings surname: questions and answers

How common was the Trimmings surname in 1881?

In 1881, 80 people were recorded with the Trimmings surname. That placed it at #22,225 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Trimmings surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 144 in 2016. That gives Trimmings a modern rank of #24,390.

What does the Trimmings surname mean?

A surname potentially derived from the Old English word "trimman" meaning to decorate or adorn.

What does the Trimmings map show?

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