NameCensus.

UK surname

Tuft

A locational surname derived from a place with hilly or grassy terrain.

In the 1881 census there were 130 people recorded with the Tuft surname, ranking it #16,911 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 211, ranked #18,904, down from #16,911 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Wolverhampton, Mavesyn Ridware and Cannock. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Flintshire, Hounslow and North Warwickshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Tuft is 227 in 2000. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 62.3%.

1881 census count

130

Ranked #16,911

Modern count

211

2016, ranked #18,904

Peak year

2000

227 bearers

Map years

7

1881 to 2016

Key insights

  • Tuft had 130 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #16,911 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 211 in 2016, ranked #18,904.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 190 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Small Town Suburbia.

Tuft surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Tuft surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Tuft 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 99 #17,294
1861 historical 48 #27,896
1881 historical 130 #16,911
1891 historical 131 #20,073
1901 historical 152 #17,916
1911 historical 190 #15,438
1997 modern 209 #17,157
1998 modern 221 #17,021
1999 modern 225 #16,931
2000 modern 227 #16,792
2001 modern 215 #17,159
2002 modern 207 #17,911
2003 modern 202 #18,032
2004 modern 205 #17,935
2005 modern 193 #18,572
2006 modern 205 #18,005
2007 modern 214 #17,688
2008 modern 209 #18,114
2009 modern 212 #18,328
2010 modern 217 #18,443
2011 modern 223 #17,940
2012 modern 218 #18,139
2013 modern 216 #18,543
2014 modern 210 #19,064
2015 modern 206 #19,208
2016 modern 211 #18,904

Geography

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Where Tufts are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Wolverhampton, Mavesyn Ridware, Cannock, West Derby and Liverpool. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Flintshire, Hounslow and North Warwickshire. 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 Wolverhampton Staffordshire
2 Mavesyn Ridware Staffordshire
3 Cannock Staffordshire
4 West Derby Lancashire
5 Liverpool Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Flintshire 010 Flintshire
2 Flintshire 008 Flintshire
3 Flintshire 013 Flintshire
4 Hounslow 001 Hounslow
5 North Warwickshire 002 North Warwickshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Tuft

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Tuft

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

Small Town Suburbia

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group is predominantly comprised of married couples with no resident dependent children, living in areas characterised neither by under-occupancy nor overcrowding throughout the UK in or adjacent to small towns. White ethnic groups and affiliation with Christianity predominates. Housing tends to be predominantly semi-detached or detached and workers are employed principally in managerial and professional occupations, with semi-skilled occupations also in evidence. These areas of the Supergroup are of higher population density.

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, Tuft 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

Tuft is most concentrated in decile 9 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.

9
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Tuft

The surname "Tuft" is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period, possibly as early as the 12th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "tuft," which referred to a clump or thicket of grass or vegetation. This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a descriptive surname to someone who lived near or worked in an area with dense vegetation.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Assize Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1221, which mentions a person named "Willelmus Tuft." The Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1279 also includes a reference to a "Johannes Tuft."

The Tuft name has been linked to various place names throughout England, such as Toft in Cambridgeshire, Toft in Norfolk, and Toft in Lincolnshire. These place names share a similar etymology, deriving from the Old English word "toft," which meant a homestead or a piece of land where a house stood.

In the 14th century, the name appears in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1379, where a "Johannes Tuft" is listed. The Lay Subsidy Rolls of Warwickshire from 1332 also mention a "Willelmus Tufte."

One notable individual who bore the Tuft surname was Sir William Tuft (c. 1615-1686), an English politician and military officer who served as a Member of Parliament for Devizes during the reign of Charles II.

Another prominent figure was Sir Richard Tufton (1613-1663), an English lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Maidstone and held the position of Recorder of Canterbury.

In the literary world, Nicholas Tufton (1578-1631) was an English translator and writer who published works such as "The Encounter of Two Religions" and "The New Pilgrims Progress."

A historical figure of note was John Tufton, 2nd Earl of Thanet (1609-1664), an English nobleman and royalist who fought for King Charles I during the English Civil War.

Finally, Sir John Tufton, 2nd Baronet (c. 1585-1624), was an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Maidstone and held the position of High Sheriff of Kent.

These examples illustrate the long-standing presence of the Tuft surname in English history, spanning various fields and social strata.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Tuft families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Tuft 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. Staffordshire leads with 63 Tufts recorded in 1881 and an index of 14.61x.

County Total Index
Staffordshire 63 14.61x
Lancashire 15 0.99x
Lanarkshire 13 3.15x
Yorkshire 12 0.95x
Derbyshire 8 4.00x
Shropshire 6 5.43x
Surrey 4 0.64x
Kent 3 0.69x
Sussex 3 1.39x
Essex 1 0.40x
Middlesex 1 0.08x
Suffolk 1 0.64x
Warwickshire 1 0.31x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Wolverhampton in Staffordshire leads with 33 Tufts recorded in 1881 and an index of 99.52x.

Place Total Index
Wolverhampton 33 99.52x
Walsall Foreign 11 49.37x
Blackwell 8 816.33x
Brightside Bierlow 8 32.21x
Liverpool 8 8.69x
Everton 7 14.48x
Maryhill 7 86.53x
Mavesyn Ridware 5 2380.95x
Shifnal 5 166.67x
Stoke Upon Trent 5 10.93x
Denaby 4 555.56x
Govan 4 3.91x
Wednesfield 4 62.99x
Cannock 2 26.56x
Guildford St Nicholas 2 181.82x
Minster In Sheppey 2 27.70x
Old Monkland 2 12.20x
South Bersted 2 109.29x
Ashford 1 23.53x
Aston 1 1.13x
Battersea 1 2.13x
Broadwater 1 20.24x
Chelmarsh 1 476.19x
Cheslyn Hay 1 126.58x
Clapham 1 6.26x
East Ham 1 21.37x
Fulham London 1 5.40x
Longdon 1 166.67x
Tettenhall 1 37.88x
Wrentham 1 232.56x

Top female names

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

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 8
Thomas 7
James 6
George 5
William 5
Joseph 4
Matthew 3
Edward 2
Francis 2
Mathew 2
Arthur 1
Benjamin 1
Charles 1
Edmund 1
Elijah 1
Fredrick 1
Harry 1
Henry 1
Infant 1
Jobe 1
Jos. 1
Richard 1
Saul 1
Simeon 1
Stephen 1
Willm. 1

FAQ

Tuft surname: questions and answers

How common was the Tuft surname in 1881?

In 1881, 130 people were recorded with the Tuft surname. That placed it at #16,911 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Tuft surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 211 in 2016. That gives Tuft a modern rank of #18,904.

What does the Tuft surname mean?

A locational surname derived from a place with hilly or grassy terrain.

What does the Tuft map show?

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