NameCensus.

UK surname

Tull

Derived from the Old English "Tulla," referring to a short or stocky person.

In the 1881 census there were 722 people recorded with the Tull surname, ranking it #5,047 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 899, ranked #6,308, down from #5,047 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Minster, London parishes and Alton. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Windsor and Maidenhead and Milton Keynes.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Tull is 1,053 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 24.5%.

1881 census count

722

Ranked #5,047

Modern count

899

2016, ranked #6,308

Peak year

1911

1,053 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Tull had 722 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #5,047 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 899 in 2016, ranked #6,308.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,053 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Tull surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Tull surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Tull 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 529 #4,745
1861 historical 404 #6,354
1881 historical 722 #5,047
1891 historical 714 #5,514
1901 historical 993 #4,797
1911 historical 1,053 #4,374
1997 modern 1,021 #5,393
1998 modern 1,045 #5,464
1999 modern 1,052 #5,472
2000 modern 1,030 #5,554
2001 modern 1,004 #5,565
2002 modern 1,028 #5,576
2003 modern 983 #5,669
2004 modern 958 #5,810
2005 modern 952 #5,770
2006 modern 941 #5,839
2007 modern 950 #5,852
2008 modern 958 #5,839
2009 modern 962 #5,952
2010 modern 975 #5,990
2011 modern 955 #6,054
2012 modern 902 #6,239
2013 modern 937 #6,161
2014 modern 928 #6,240
2015 modern 913 #6,265
2016 modern 899 #6,308

Geography

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Where Tulls are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Minster, London parishes, Alton, Portsmouth, Portsea and Reading St Giles, Shinfield (East and West Side, Hartley Dammer), Sonning (Early),. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Windsor and Maidenhead and Milton Keynes. 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 Minster Kent
2 London parishes London 3
3 Alton Hampshire
4 Portsmouth, Portsea Hampshire
5 Reading St Giles, Shinfield (East and West Side, Hartley Dammer), Sonning (Early), Berkshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Windsor and Maidenhead 008 Windsor and Maidenhead
2 Windsor and Maidenhead 003 Windsor and Maidenhead
3 Windsor and Maidenhead 005 Windsor and Maidenhead
4 Windsor and Maidenhead 007 Windsor and Maidenhead
5 Milton Keynes 001 Milton Keynes

Forenames

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First names often paired with Tull

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Tull

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Tull, 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 Tull surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Tull 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

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Tull 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

Tull is most concentrated in decile 10 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.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Tull falls in decile 5 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.

5
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Tull

The surname Tull is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "toll" or "tol," meaning a payment or tax. It is believed to have originated in the Middle Ages, when the name referred to a tax collector or toll keeper responsible for collecting tolls or fees on roads, bridges, or at market entrances.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Tull date back to the late 12th century. It appears in various medieval records, such as the Pipe Rolls and the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire, where individuals with the name Tull or variations like Tolle and Tulle are mentioned.

One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Tull was Simon Tull, who lived in Yorkshire, England, in the late 13th century. He is mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of 1297 as a resident of the village of Rotherham.

In the 14th century, the surname Tull is found in various locations across England, including Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, and Somerset. The Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1334 record a John Tull residing in the village of Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire.

During the Tudor period, the name Tull became associated with prominent individuals, such as Sir Thomas Tull, who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1638. Another notable figure was Jethro Tull (1674-1741), an English agricultural pioneer and inventor, known for developing improved methods of sowing seeds and cultivating crops.

In the 18th century, the Tull family established themselves as landowners and farmers in several counties, including Northamptonshire and Berkshire. One notable member was Henry Tull (1719-1794), a successful farmer and writer on agricultural topics, who published "The Horse-Hoing Husbandry" in 1733.

The 19th century saw the emergence of several prominent figures with the surname Tull, including Sir Francis Tull (1809-1879), a British military officer and colonial administrator who served as Governor of Saint Christopher and Nevis, and Edward Tull (1888-1918), a professional footballer and the first British-born Black officer in the British Army, who was killed in action during World War I.

Throughout history, the surname Tull has been associated with various occupations, including tax collectors, farmers, landowners, military officers, and administrators, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and roles of those who bore this name.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Tull families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Tull 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. Hampshire leads with 177 Tulls recorded in 1881 and an index of 12.28x.

County Total Index
Hampshire 177 12.28x
Berkshire 131 24.81x
Surrey 110 3.21x
Middlesex 102 1.45x
Kent 43 1.79x
Wiltshire 36 5.79x
Sussex 27 2.28x
Essex 21 1.51x
Yorkshire 14 0.20x
Devon 11 0.75x
Lancashire 8 0.10x
Durham 7 0.33x
Staffordshire 7 0.29x
Midlothian 5 0.53x
Inverness-shire 4 1.90x
Oxfordshire 3 0.69x
Royal Navy 3 3.58x
Hertfordshire 2 0.41x
Gloucestershire 1 0.07x
Herefordshire 1 0.35x
Kincardineshire 1 1.17x
Lanarkshire 1 0.04x
Norfolk 1 0.09x
Northamptonshire 1 0.15x
Northumberland 1 0.10x
Nottinghamshire 1 0.11x
Pembrokeshire 1 0.45x
Suffolk 1 0.12x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Reading St Giles in Berkshire leads with 37 Tulls recorded in 1881 and an index of 71.44x.

Place Total Index
Reading St Giles 37 71.44x
Portsea 24 8.49x
Rotherhithe 22 25.32x
Reading St Lawrence 19 168.29x
Alton 18 165.59x
Fareham 17 98.15x
Lambeth 17 2.77x
Minster In Sheppey 16 40.24x
Great Bedwin 14 316.74x
Newington 13 5.00x
Chelsea London 12 5.66x
West Ham 12 3.91x
Camberwell 11 2.45x
Greatham 11 1594.20x
Bucklebury 10 363.64x
Southwark St George Martyr 10 7.07x
Bradford On Avon 9 45.20x
Leeds 9 2.29x
Millbrook 9 24.79x
Tadley 9 367.35x
Tottenham 9 8.03x
Bishops Waltham 8 133.33x
Brighton 8 3.34x
Ealing 8 12.73x
Hove 8 15.38x
Hurley 8 291.97x
Liss 8 273.04x
Micheldever 8 318.73x
St Pancras London 8 1.41x
Clewer 7 32.36x
East Ham 7 27.16x
Empshott 7 1794.87x
Hawkley 7 958.90x
Mile End Old Town 7 6.31x
St John Winchester 7 231.02x
St Marylebone London 7 1.86x
Battersea 6 2.32x
Bermondsey 6 2.87x
Droxford 6 109.09x
Exton 6 869.57x
Hurst 6 86.83x
Islington London 6 0.88x
Kingston On Thames 6 7.29x
Preston 6 28.97x
Reading St Mary 6 14.19x
Sheet 6 384.62x
Silchester 6 526.32x
St George In East 6 12.54x
Tilehurst 6 56.23x
Burton Upon Trent 5 9.00x
Greenwich 5 4.47x
Hornsey 5 5.62x
Liverpool 5 0.99x
Midgham 5 694.44x
Monken Hadley 5 177.94x
Plymstock 5 65.19x
Putney 5 15.60x
South Leith 5 4.72x
St George Hanover 5 5.45x
Stranton 5 7.10x
Wimbledon 5 12.99x
Alverstoke 4 7.67x
Andover 4 29.37x
Hammersmith London 4 2.31x
Inverness 4 7.57x
New Windsor 4 22.54x
Newbury 4 23.65x
Plymouth St Andrew 4 3.55x
Purton 4 72.33x
Ulcombe 4 253.16x
Woolwich 4 4.51x
Burnley 3 4.27x
Carisbrooke 3 14.99x
Clapham 3 3.41x
Clerkenwell London 3 1.81x
Fulham London 3 2.94x
Pamber 3 179.64x
Royal Navy 3 4.19x
Southcoates 3 7.75x
Swindon 3 6.22x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 30
Elizabeth 28
Sarah 18
Ann 17
Louisa 13
Alice 12
Ellen 12
Caroline 10
Emma 10
Eliza 9
Annie 8
Ada 7
Emily 7
Jane 7
Martha 7
Hannah 6
Lucy 6
Harriett 5
Edith 4
Eleanor 4
Florence 4
Maria 4
Matilda 4
Agnes 3
Anne 3
Catherine 3
Charlotte 3
Clara 3
Elizth. 3
Harriet 3
Kate 3
Mabel 3
Minnie 3
Rose 3
Susan 3
Amelia 2
Annette 2
Esther 2
Euphernia 2
Fanny 2
Helen 2
Hester 2
Isabel 2
Julia 2
Laura 2
Luisa 2
Margaret 2
Nellie 2
Phoebe 2
Rachel 2

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 49
Thomas 35
John 29
George 26
Charles 19
Henry 16
Alfred 15
Frederick 15
James 15
Joseph 12
Albert 11
Arthur 9
Walter 9
Frank 7
Harry 7
Edward 5
Edwin 5
Ernest 5
Herbert 5
David 4
Robert 4
Michael 3
Wm. 3
Daniel 2
Ebenezer 2
Eli 2
Fredk. 2
Hy. 2
Isaac 2
Jesse 2
Philip 2
Stephen 2
Thos. 2
Benjamin 1
Benjimin 1
Earnest 1
Fred 1
Fredk.C. 1
Fredk.J. 1
Haydn 1
Henery 1
Jessie 1
Joshua 1
Katherine 1
Lewis 1
Mark 1
Noah 1
Oakford 1
Percy 1
Wm.Henry 1

FAQ

Tull surname: questions and answers

How common was the Tull surname in 1881?

In 1881, 722 people were recorded with the Tull surname. That placed it at #5,047 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Tull surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 899 in 2016. That gives Tull a modern rank of #6,308.

What does the Tull surname mean?

Derived from the Old English "Tulla," referring to a short or stocky person.

What does the Tull map show?

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