NameCensus.

UK surname

Tully

Derived from the Irish Ó Taithligh, meaning "descendant of Taithleach," a personal name suggesting a peaceful or quiet person.

In the 1881 census there were 1,613 people recorded with the Tully surname, ranking it #2,646 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 3,407, ranked #1,999, up from #2,646 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Gateshead and Edinburgh. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Tunbridge Wells, Northumberland and Mendip.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Tully is 3,469 in 2002. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 111.2%.

1881 census count

1,613

Ranked #2,646

Modern count

3,407

2016, ranked #1,999

Peak year

2002

3,469 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Tully had 1,613 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #2,646 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 3,407 in 2016, ranked #1,999.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 2,087 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Tully surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Tully surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Tully 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 958 #2,896
1861 historical 950 #2,918
1881 historical 1,613 #2,646
1891 historical 1,603 #2,779
1901 historical 2,087 #2,570
1911 historical 1,683 #2,909
1997 modern 3,357 #1,923
1998 modern 3,418 #1,956
1999 modern 3,419 #1,983
2000 modern 3,444 #1,963
2001 modern 3,369 #1,961
2002 modern 3,469 #1,953
2003 modern 3,350 #1,975
2004 modern 3,355 #1,973
2005 modern 3,311 #1,969
2006 modern 3,318 #1,969
2007 modern 3,325 #1,988
2008 modern 3,350 #1,996
2009 modern 3,395 #2,018
2010 modern 3,467 #2,011
2011 modern 3,441 #2,001
2012 modern 3,330 #2,026
2013 modern 3,427 #2,000
2014 modern 3,456 #1,999
2015 modern 3,419 #1,998
2016 modern 3,407 #1,999

Geography

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Where Tullys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Gateshead, Edinburgh, Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry and Brighton. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Tunbridge Wells, Northumberland and Mendip. 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 London parishes London 3
2 Gateshead Durham
3 Edinburgh Edinburgh
4 Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry Forfar
5 Brighton Sussex

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Tunbridge Wells 001 Tunbridge Wells
2 Northumberland 007 Northumberland
3 Northumberland 003 Northumberland
4 Northumberland 019 Northumberland
5 Mendip 009 Mendip

Forenames

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First names often paired with Tully

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Tully

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

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Tully surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Tully household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Tully is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. 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

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Tully 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

Tully 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 Tully 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 - Irish

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

Meaning and origin of Tully

The surname Tully is of Anglo-Norman origin, derived from the Old French word "tuellit" or "tuillit," meaning a tile or brick maker. It is believed to have originated in the 11th century when many Norman families settled in England following the Norman Conquest of 1066.

The name Tully is thought to have first appeared in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landowners and tenants commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. This early record suggests that the name was initially associated with individuals who worked as tile or brick makers, a valuable trade during the construction of Norman castles and churches.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Tully surname can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1195, where a certain William Tuillit is mentioned. This spelling variation highlights the name's evolution over time, reflecting the changes in pronunciation and written forms.

The Tully name has also been linked to various place names throughout England, such as Tullylease in Gloucestershire and Tullytown in Buckinghamshire. These place names likely derived from individuals bearing the Tully surname who settled or owned land in those areas.

Prominent figures with the Tully surname include Sir Thomas Tully (c. 1620-1676), an English lawyer and politician who served as the Recorder of Gloucester and represented the city in Parliament during the 17th century. Another notable bearer of the name was John Tully (1638-1701), an Irish Catholic priest and historian who wrote extensively on the history of Ireland.

Other historical figures with the Tully surname include Richard Tully (1535-1608), an English Catholic priest and martyr who was executed during the Elizabethan era for his religious beliefs, and John Tully (1813-1864), an American politician who served as the 12th Governor of Kansas from 1861 to 1863.

In more recent times, the Tully surname has been associated with various prominent individuals, such as Jim Tully (1886-1947), an American writer and journalist known for his novels and memoirs depicting life in the American Midwest, and Tom Tully (1908-1982), an American character actor who appeared in numerous films and television shows throughout his career.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Tully families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Tully 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. Lancashire leads with 202 Tullys recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.09x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 202 1.09x
Northumberland 202 8.68x
Middlesex 147 0.94x
Durham 131 2.81x
Sussex 114 4.32x
Devon 109 3.35x
Midlothian 86 4.10x
Lanarkshire 81 1.60x
Surrey 72 0.94x
Roxburghshire 64 22.58x
Kent 56 1.05x
Angus 34 2.35x
Staffordshire 34 0.64x
West Lothian 32 13.58x
Yorkshire 31 0.20x
Cheshire 25 0.72x
Derbyshire 17 0.69x
Berwickshire 13 6.86x
Hampshire 13 0.41x
Morayshire 13 5.35x
Somerset 13 0.52x
Leicestershire 12 0.69x
Wigtownshire 12 5.78x
Gloucestershire 9 0.29x
Oxfordshire 9 0.93x
Cumberland 8 0.59x
Stirlingshire 7 1.21x
Wiltshire 7 0.51x
Essex 5 0.16x
Berkshire 4 0.34x
Cornwall 4 0.23x
Denbighshire 4 0.68x
Renfrewshire 4 0.33x
Herefordshire 3 0.47x
Lincolnshire 3 0.12x
Perthshire 3 0.43x
Hertfordshire 2 0.19x
Norfolk 2 0.08x
Nottinghamshire 2 0.09x
Sutherland 2 1.66x
Warwickshire 2 0.05x
Westmorland 2 0.58x
Aberdeenshire 1 0.07x
Argyllshire 1 0.23x
Banffshire 1 0.31x
Caernarfonshire 1 0.16x
Dunbartonshire 1 0.24x
Glamorgan 1 0.04x
Peeblesshire 1 1.36x
Royal Navy 1 0.54x
Selkirkshire 1 0.71x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Brighton in Sussex leads with 53 Tullys recorded in 1881 and an index of 9.96x.

Place Total Index
Brighton 53 9.96x
Liverpool 52 4.61x
Westoe 46 17.43x
Capel 29 966.67x
St Pancras London 27 2.14x
Dundee 26 4.80x
Govan 23 1.84x
Lambeth 22 1.61x
Churston Ferrers 21 614.04x
South Leith 20 8.48x
Tynemouth 20 16.04x
Barony 19 1.48x
Battersea 18 3.13x
Warrington 17 7.72x
Glasgow 16 1.78x
Mile End Old Town 16 6.48x
Earsdon 15 79.20x
Tormoham 15 10.88x
Toxteth Park 15 2.39x
Humbleton 14 2028.99x
Kelso 14 49.58x
Monkwearmouth 14 31.42x
Abercorn 13 278.37x
Lamesley 13 51.88x
Newcastle Under Lyme 13 13.91x
Stoke Gabriel 13 377.91x
Brixham 12 31.80x
Bromley London 12 3.49x
Fulwell 12 425.53x
Leicester St Margaret 12 2.84x
Edinburgh Old Church 11 65.36x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 11 1.30x
Oldham 11 1.84x
Paddington London 11 1.91x
Pendleton In Salford 11 4.97x
Walsall Foreign 11 4.03x
Bellie 10 90.99x
Carshalton 10 34.28x
Dalkeith 10 24.18x
East Thickley 10 105.93x
Eccleston In Prescot 10 10.73x
Ford 10 117.51x
Long Houghton 10 416.67x
West Derby 10 1.84x
Balcombe 9 191.08x
Bishopwearmouth 9 2.25x
Bootle Cum Linacre 9 6.10x
Islington London 9 0.59x
Paignton 9 36.32x
Portsea 9 1.43x
Ross 9 2195.12x
Torbrian 9 825.69x
Amble 8 75.54x
Clerkenwell London 8 2.17x
Jedburgh 8 28.80x
Mid Calder 8 88.11x
Morebattle 8 147.60x
Preston 8 1.61x
Slaugham 8 93.79x
Sprouston 8 145.45x
St George Hanover 8 3.92x
Troughend 8 583.94x
Uphall 8 30.88x
Wallsend 8 10.84x
Walsall Borough 8 19.51x
Whitburn 8 23.50x
Worth 8 41.78x
Baydon 7 437.50x
Dewsbury 7 4.40x
East Grinstead 7 18.75x
Edinburgh New North 7 38.38x
Felton 7 192.31x
Hackney London 7 0.80x
Liff Benvie 7 3.18x
Litchurch 7 7.10x
Morpeth 7 25.58x
Shettleston 7 15.45x
Ulgham 7 180.88x
Falkirk 6 4.44x
Lydeard St Lawrence 6 212.01x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 99
Elizabeth 43
Margaret 32
Ann 27
Jane 26
Sarah 26
Ellen 22
Annie 19
Eliza 14
Isabella 12
Emma 11
Catherine 10
Hannah 10
Kate 10
Bridget 9
Alice 8
Emily 8
Martha 8
Caroline 7
Dorothy 7
Louisa 7
Fanny 6
Maria 6
Agnes 5
Bessie 5
Eleanor 5
Florence 5
Harriett 5
Jemima 5
Ada 4
Amelia 4
Anne 4
Esther 4
Lizzie 4
Barbara 3
Charlotte 3
Edith 3
Elizth. 3
Helen 3
Sophia 3
Susan 3
Amy 2
Cathrine 2
Clara 2
Laura 2
Louise 2
Margt. 2
Rachael 2
Rosa 2
Winifred 2

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 105
William 63
Thomas 58
James 56
George 37
Robert 30
Charles 21
Patrick 20
Henry 19
Michael 17
Andrew 12
Joseph 11
Edward 10
Walter 9
Alfred 7
Albert 6
Edwin 6
Frederick 6
Peter 6
Francis 5
Harry 5
Richard 5
Samuel 5
Arthur 4
Frank 4
Gilbert 4
Ernest 3
Luke 3
Mark 3
Martin 3
Owen 3
Philip 3
Ralph 3
Willam 3
Alexander 2
Allan 2
Bernard 2
Bristow 2
Collingwood 2
Cornelius 2
Edmund 2
Fred 2
Gerald 2
Herbert 2
Isaac 2
Leonard 2
Wm. 2
Benjamin 1
Dominic 1
Earnest 1

FAQ

Tully surname: questions and answers

How common was the Tully surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,613 people were recorded with the Tully surname. That placed it at #2,646 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Tully surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 3,407 in 2016. That gives Tully a modern rank of #1,999.

What does the Tully surname mean?

Derived from the Irish Ó Taithligh, meaning "descendant of Taithleach," a personal name suggesting a peaceful or quiet person.

What does the Tully map show?

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