NameCensus.

UK surname

Tulk

A surname derived from the Scandinavian word "tulk" meaning interpreter or translator.

In the 1881 census there were 183 people recorded with the Tulk surname, ranking it #13,596 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 181, ranked #20,955, down from #13,596 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Stalbridge, Kings Norton and Sherborne. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include North Dorset, Uttlesford and Eastleigh.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Tulk is 340 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has stayed broadly stable by 1.1%.

1881 census count

183

Ranked #13,596

Modern count

181

2016, ranked #20,955

Peak year

1911

340 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Tulk had 183 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #13,596 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 181 in 2016, ranked #20,955.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 340 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Tulk surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Tulk surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Tulk 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 143 #13,343
1861 historical 144 #15,817
1881 historical 183 #13,596
1891 historical 153 #18,078
1901 historical 255 #12,965
1911 historical 340 #10,490
1997 modern 197 #17,792
1998 modern 212 #17,479
1999 modern 199 #18,293
2000 modern 192 #18,683
2001 modern 188 #18,652
2002 modern 191 #18,817
2003 modern 178 #19,489
2004 modern 180 #19,424
2005 modern 181 #19,334
2006 modern 181 #19,466
2007 modern 181 #19,680
2008 modern 179 #20,015
2009 modern 183 #20,135
2010 modern 183 #20,586
2011 modern 187 #20,132
2012 modern 174 #21,065
2013 modern 179 #21,028
2014 modern 183 #20,880
2015 modern 182 #20,856
2016 modern 181 #20,955

Geography

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Where Tulks are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Stalbridge, Kings Norton, Sherborne, Portsmouth, Portsea and St Matthew Bethnal Green. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to North Dorset, Uttlesford, Eastleigh, South Somerset and Forest Heath. 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 Stalbridge Dorset
2 Kings Norton Worcestershire
3 Sherborne Dorset
4 Portsmouth, Portsea Hampshire
5 St Matthew Bethnal Green London (East Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 North Dorset 005 North Dorset
2 Uttlesford 004 Uttlesford
3 Eastleigh 009 Eastleigh
4 South Somerset 004 South Somerset
5 Forest Heath 006 Forest Heath

Forenames

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First names often paired with Tulk

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Tulk

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

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Tulk surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Tulk 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 comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Tulk 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

Tulk 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

Tulk falls in decile 7 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.

7
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Tulk

The surname Tulk originated in England, with records dating back to the early 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "tulc," meaning an interpreter or a spokesman. This suggests that the name may have been used to identify individuals who worked as interpreters or translators.

One of the earliest known references to the name Tulk can be found in the Assize Rolls of Somerset, dated 1268, which mentions a person named William Tulk. The name also appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex from 1296, where a John Tulk is recorded.

In the 14th century, the surname Tulk began to appear in various regions of England, including Norfolk, Suffolk, and Lincolnshire. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list a Richard Tulk in Norfolk, while the Poll Tax Returns of 1379 mention a John Tulk in Suffolk.

The surname Tulk is also associated with several place names in England, such as Tulloch in Moray, Scotland, and Tullok in Aberdeenshire, which may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the name over time.

Notable individuals with the surname Tulk throughout history include:

1. Sir Thomas Tulk (c. 1510 - c. 1580), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Tregony in Cornwall.

2. Henry Tulk (1580 - 1658), an English merchant and colonist who settled in Virginia, becoming one of the first permanent English settlers in North America.

3. John Tulk (1654 - 1725), an English Quaker minister and author, known for his work "The Life and Opinions of John Tulk."

4. Alfred Augustus Tulk (1801 - 1876), a British diplomat and writer who served as the British Resident at Muscat in the 1840s.

5. Thomas Tulk (1776 - 1849), an English businessman and philanthropist who founded the Tulk Charity in London, which provided education and relief to the poor.

As the centuries passed, the surname Tulk spread throughout various parts of the British Isles and eventually to other parts of the world through migration and exploration.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Tulk families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Tulk 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 50 Tulks recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.80x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 50 2.80x
Dorset 49 41.83x
Somerset 19 6.61x
Worcestershire 17 7.29x
Kent 12 1.97x
Glamorgan 8 2.57x
Surrey 7 0.80x
Warwickshire 7 1.56x
Sussex 4 1.33x
Wiltshire 4 2.53x
Hampshire 3 0.82x
Essex 1 0.28x
Gloucestershire 1 0.29x
Staffordshire 1 0.17x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Bethnal Green London in Middlesex leads with 31 Tulks recorded in 1881 and an index of 39.98x.

Place Total Index
Bethnal Green London 31 39.98x
Marnhull 17 2000.00x
Stalbridge 13 1171.17x
Sherborne 11 318.84x
Kings Norton 9 43.06x
Milton In Gravesend 9 98.58x
Milborne Port 8 695.65x
Yardley 8 134.23x
Yetminster 8 1818.18x
Aston 6 4.84x
Finchley 6 87.72x
Hackney London 5 5.00x
South Petherton 5 337.84x
Wells St Cuthbert Out 5 216.45x
Brighton 4 6.59x
Cardiff St John 4 39.41x
Penderry 4 727.27x
Chertsey 3 53.38x
Portsea 3 4.18x
Wardour 3 652.17x
St George Bloomsbury 2 19.53x
Tonbridge 2 9.10x
Twickenham 2 26.14x
Bermondsey 1 1.88x
Birmingham 1 0.67x
Caterham 1 26.04x
Clerkenwell London 1 2.37x
Deptford St Paul 1 2.13x
Kingswinford 1 4.57x
Lambeth 1 0.64x
Maldon St Peter 1 55.56x
Penge 1 8.77x
Sedghill 1 833.33x
St Andrew Holborn 1 16.53x
St Clement Danes 1 34.60x
St Marylebone London 1 1.05x
Taunton St Mary 1 18.98x
Tewkesbury 1 32.05x

Top female names

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

Name Count
John 10
Alfred 8
Thomas 8
William 8
Arthur 6
Charles 5
Walter 4
Edwin 3
Elias 3
Fredk. 3
George 3
Henry 3
Samuel 3
Albert 2
Augustus 2
Frank 2
James 2
Joseph 2
Robert 2
Clarence 1
David 1
Edward 1
Ernest 1
Frederick 1
Gideon 1
Heber 1
Herbert 1
Hy.T. 1
Joshua 1
Lawrence 1
Richard 1
Sidney 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Tulk surname: questions and answers

How common was the Tulk surname in 1881?

In 1881, 183 people were recorded with the Tulk surname. That placed it at #13,596 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Tulk surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 181 in 2016. That gives Tulk a modern rank of #20,955.

What does the Tulk surname mean?

A surname derived from the Scandinavian word "tulk" meaning interpreter or translator.

What does the Tulk map show?

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