NameCensus.

UK surname

Tubman

An English surname derived from the Middle English "tub" and describing a maker or seller of tubs or barrels.

In the 1881 census there were 137 people recorded with the Tubman surname, ranking it #16,358 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 277, ranked #15,619, up from #16,358 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to St Bees, London parishes and Workington (Workington), Clossocks. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Allerdale, Coventry and Copeland.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Tubman is 297 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 102.2%.

1881 census count

137

Ranked #16,358

Modern count

277

2016, ranked #15,619

Peak year

1999

297 bearers

Map years

8

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Tubman had 137 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #16,358 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 277 in 2016, ranked #15,619.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 217 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Tubman surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Tubman surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Tubman 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 84 #19,067
1861 historical 105 #20,298
1881 historical 137 #16,358
1891 historical 159 #17,636
1901 historical 198 #15,213
1911 historical 217 #14,214
1997 modern 292 #13,765
1998 modern 292 #14,120
1999 modern 297 #14,053
2000 modern 268 #15,018
2001 modern 269 #14,776
2002 modern 277 #14,764
2003 modern 267 #14,950
2004 modern 267 #15,038
2005 modern 282 #14,368
2006 modern 278 #14,623
2007 modern 269 #15,123
2008 modern 281 #14,782
2009 modern 286 #14,910
2010 modern 296 #14,877
2011 modern 291 #14,903
2012 modern 290 #14,838
2013 modern 285 #15,313
2014 modern 283 #15,495
2015 modern 277 #15,622
2016 modern 277 #15,619

Geography

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Where Tubmans are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around St Bees, London parishes, Workington (Workington), Clossocks, Long Benton and Easington. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Allerdale, Coventry, Copeland and Barrow-in-Furness. 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 St Bees Cumberland
2 London parishes London 3
3 Workington (Workington), Clossocks Cumberland
4 Long Benton Northumberland
5 Easington Durham

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Allerdale 008 Allerdale
2 Coventry 039 Coventry
3 Copeland 002 Copeland
4 Copeland 005 Copeland
5 Barrow-in-Furness 001 Barrow-in-Furness

Forenames

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First names often paired with Tubman

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Tubman

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

Spacious Rural Living

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

These predominantly ageing households typically have no resident dependent children. Most are owner-occupiers and live in detached houses in low density residential developments (although renting is more common than in the rest of the Supergroup). White ethnicity predominates. Residents are typically beyond retirement age but those still in work have managerial, professional or skilled trade occupations. White ethnicity and Christian religious affiliation predominate. Neighbourhoods are located throughout rural UK.

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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Skilled Trades and Construction Workers

Within London, Tubman is most associated with areas classed as Skilled Trades and Construction 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

These scattered, peripheral and often low residential density neighbourhoods house more workers in skilled trades and construction. Few households rent social housing and there are few students. Multiple car ownership is higher than the Supergroup average, perhaps because of poorer public transport connectivity. Incidence of mixed or multiple ethnicity is below the Supergroup average, and the absence of individuals identifying as Pakistani or Other Asian groups is also less pronounced. Flatted accommodation is less dominant than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

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

Tubman is most concentrated in decile 1 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.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Tubman 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 Tubman is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 25-30 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

5
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Tubman

The surname Tubman has its origins in England, with the earliest records dating back to the 13th century. The name is believed to be derived from the Old English word "tun," meaning an enclosure or a village, and the word "mann," meaning a person or an individual. This suggests that the name likely referred to someone who lived in or was associated with a particular village or settlement.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Tubman can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which were administrative records compiled during the reign of King Edward I. In these rolls, a person named William Tubman is mentioned as a resident of Hertfordshire.

The name Tubman also appears in several medieval manuscripts and records, including the Subsidy Rolls of 1327, where a John Tubman is listed as a taxpayer in Lincolnshire. Additionally, the name is found in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire, dating back to the 14th century.

In the 16th century, the Tubman surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk, and Essex in eastern England. One notable individual from this period was Thomas Tubman, who was born in Ipswich, Suffolk, around 1540 and served as a member of the local militia.

During the 17th century, the Tubman name spread to other parts of England, including London and the surrounding areas. A prominent figure from this time was Richard Tubman, a merchant and landowner who lived in the village of Hackney, near London, in the late 1600s.

In the 18th century, the Tubman surname continued to be found in various parts of England, with several individuals bearing the name achieving notable positions. One such person was William Tubman, born in 1728 in Northamptonshire, who became a renowned architect and designed several churches and public buildings in the region.

As the centuries progressed, the Tubman name also made its way across the Atlantic Ocean to the American colonies and, later, the United States. One notable American with this surname was Harriet Tubman, the famous abolitionist and political activist who was born into slavery in Maryland around 1822. Tubman played a crucial role in the Underground Railroad, helping to guide numerous enslaved individuals to freedom in the northern states and Canada.

Other notable individuals with the Tubman surname include John Tubman, a British politician who served as a member of Parliament for Southwark in the late 18th century, and Charles Tubman, an English cricketer who played for the Marylebone Cricket Club in the early 19th century.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Tubman families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Tubman 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. Cumberland leads with 47 Tubmans recorded in 1881 and an index of 40.85x.

County Total Index
Cumberland 47 40.85x
Durham 25 6.29x
Lancashire 21 1.32x
Westmorland 13 44.26x
Middlesex 8 0.60x
Surrey 8 1.23x
Staffordshire 6 1.33x
Northumberland 4 2.01x
Cheshire 3 1.02x
Hertfordshire 2 2.17x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Preston Quarter in Cumberland leads with 31 Tubmans recorded in 1881 and an index of 962.73x.

Place Total Index
Preston Quarter 31 962.73x
Haswell 12 421.05x
Houghton Le Spring 10 363.64x
Nether Staveley 9 6000.00x
Battersea 8 16.27x
Cleator 7 146.14x
Whitehaven 7 114.19x
Hawkshead Monk Coniston 4 727.27x
Lapley 4 1176.47x
Little Stanmore 4 1000.00x
Liverpool 4 4.15x
Longbenton 4 47.51x
West Derby 4 8.62x
Hetton Le Hole 3 59.52x
Hugill 3 1666.67x
Macclesfield 3 22.88x
Pennington In Ulverston 3 379.75x
Burton Extra 2 77.22x
Kensington London 2 2.69x
Toxteth Park 2 3.73x
Ware 2 75.76x
Windle 2 22.42x
Crook 1 769.23x
Everton 1 1.98x
Irton With Santon 1 357.14x
St George Hanover 1 5.73x
St Pancras London 1 0.93x
Walton On Hill 1 11.64x
Workington 1 15.17x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 12
Elizabeth 6
Jane 6
Ann 4
Margaret 4
Martha 4
Annie 3
Sarah 3
Ada 2
Agnes 2
Eliza 2
Ellen 2
Emma 2
Alice 1
Betsy 1
Blanche 1
Bridget 1
Dorathy 1
Elizth.Ann 1
Ellinor 1
Fannie 1
Florence 1
Isabella 1
Jessie 1
Laura 1
Louisa 1
Lousia 1
Mgt. 1
Nancy 1
Rabecca 1
Rachael 1
Susanna 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 16
John 9
Thomas 9
Joseph 7
George 3
Isaac 3
Richard 3
Dacre 1
Dacro 1
Daker 1
Gilbert 1
Heslop 1
James 1
Jas. 1
Jonathan 1
Josheph 1
Matthew 1
Mattw. 1
Philip 1
Stephen 1
Thos. 1
Watson 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Tubman surname: questions and answers

How common was the Tubman surname in 1881?

In 1881, 137 people were recorded with the Tubman surname. That placed it at #16,358 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Tubman surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 277 in 2016. That gives Tubman a modern rank of #15,619.

What does the Tubman surname mean?

An English surname derived from the Middle English "tub" and describing a maker or seller of tubs or barrels.

What does the Tubman map show?

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