NameCensus.

UK surname

Tunbridge

In the 1881 census there were 483 people recorded with the Tunbridge surname, ranking it #6,948 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 493, ranked #10,082, down from #6,948 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Braintree, London parishes and Dover St James, Dover St Mary. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include East Lindsey, Maldon and Havant.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Tunbridge is 662 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has stayed broadly stable by 2.1%.

1881 census count

483

Ranked #6,948

Modern count

493

2016, ranked #10,082

Peak year

1911

662 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Tunbridge had 483 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #6,948 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 493 in 2016, ranked #10,082.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 662 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Tunbridge surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Tunbridge surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Tunbridge 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 299 #7,675
1861 historical 351 #7,278
1881 historical 483 #6,948
1891 historical 570 #6,671
1901 historical 629 #6,809
1911 historical 662 #6,345
1997 modern 505 #9,232
1998 modern 531 #9,164
1999 modern 522 #9,348
2000 modern 544 #9,031
2001 modern 530 #9,055
2002 modern 556 #8,909
2003 modern 547 #8,872
2004 modern 534 #9,057
2005 modern 520 #9,187
2006 modern 507 #9,386
2007 modern 496 #9,626
2008 modern 501 #9,618
2009 modern 511 #9,685
2010 modern 537 #9,543
2011 modern 524 #9,625
2012 modern 513 #9,684
2013 modern 514 #9,824
2014 modern 515 #9,872
2015 modern 502 #9,972
2016 modern 493 #10,082

Geography

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Where Tunbridges are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Braintree, London parishes, Dover St James, Dover St Mary and Romney, New. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to East Lindsey, Maldon, Havant and Waltham Forest. 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 Braintree Essex
2 London parishes London 1
3 London parishes London 3
4 Dover St James, Dover St Mary Kent
5 Romney, New Kent

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 East Lindsey 003 East Lindsey
2 Maldon 008 Maldon
3 Havant 008 Havant
4 Waltham Forest 026 Waltham Forest
5 East Lindsey 004 East Lindsey

Forenames

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First names often paired with Tunbridge

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Tunbridge

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

Ageing Communities

Nationally, the Tunbridge surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Ageing Communities, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Tunbridge household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many residents are of normal retirement age or above and live in communal establishments, and there are few dependent children. The dominant property type is a mix of retirement flats and detached houses. Those in work are likely to be employed in managerial and professional occupations, and many residents are educated to degree level. Levels of owner occupation are high, but the private rental sector is also present. Rural locations predominate.

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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Tunbridge is most associated with areas classed as Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. 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 concentrated in suburban areas, these terraced and semi-detached developments are less overcrowded than the Supergroup average, and resident households are more likely to own two or more cars. There are fewer residents aged 25-44, and a larger share of residents employed in administrative and secretarial occupations. Residents are more likely to have been born in the UK, less likely to have been born in the EU or Africa, and much less likely to self-identify as Bangladeshi.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Tunbridge 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

Tunbridge falls in decile 9 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

9
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

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Tunbridge families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Tunbridge 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. Essex leads with 127 Tunbridges recorded in 1881 and an index of 13.35x.

County Total Index
Essex 127 13.35x
Kent 113 6.87x
Middlesex 68 1.41x
Surrey 44 1.87x
Staffordshire 19 1.17x
Suffolk 18 3.07x
Hampshire 16 1.62x
Leicestershire 13 2.43x
Sussex 13 1.60x
Berkshire 12 3.32x
Norfolk 12 1.62x
Channel Islands 10 7.00x
Glamorgan 9 1.07x
Lancashire 8 0.14x
Hertfordshire 4 1.20x
Devon 3 0.30x
Cornwall 1 0.18x
Dorset 1 0.32x
Lincolnshire 1 0.13x
Oxfordshire 1 0.34x
Royal Navy 1 1.74x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Broomfield in Essex leads with 19 Tunbridges recorded in 1881 and an index of 1275.17x.

Place Total Index
Broomfield 19 1275.17x
Folkestone 14 43.90x
New Romney 14 828.40x
Braintree 13 152.22x
Islington London 13 2.78x
Belgrave 12 99.50x
Burnham 12 341.88x
Gravesend 12 86.21x
Great Yarmouth 12 19.55x
Hammersmith London 12 10.11x
Chatham 11 24.32x
Poplar London 11 12.09x
Bocking 10 174.83x
Bury St Edmunds St Mary 10 90.74x
Camberwell 10 3.25x
Charlton 10 91.58x
Southwark St George Martyr 10 10.31x
St Peter Port 10 37.85x
Portsea 9 4.65x
Swansea Town 9 13.08x
Castle Church 8 81.80x
Chelmsford 8 49.02x
Great Burstead 8 231.21x
Hornchurch 8 171.67x
Reading St Mary 8 27.61x
Alkham 6 631.58x
Broughton In Salford 6 11.48x
Dover St Mary Virgin 6 37.71x
East Ham 6 33.99x
Lambeth 6 1.43x
Littlebourne 6 480.00x
White Notley 6 789.47x
Battersea 5 2.82x
Great Waltham 5 129.20x
Hackney London 5 1.85x
Hastings St Mary 5 24.73x
Hessett 5 704.23x
Newington 5 2.81x
Ramsgate 5 18.63x
Stisted 5 406.50x
West Bromwich 5 5.37x
Bexhill 4 98.77x
Canterbury St Mildred 4 102.56x
Chigwell 4 44.54x
Clerkenwell London 4 3.52x
Eastbourne 4 10.70x
Hurley 4 212.77x
Lydd 4 113.64x
Mile End Old Town 4 5.26x
Millbrook 4 16.08x
Rotherhithe 4 6.72x
Saffron Walden 4 39.80x
Westminster St 4 22.51x
Ashford 3 18.74x
Plymouth Charles The 3 6.79x
St Pancras London 3 0.77x
Tamworth 3 34.48x
Bromley London 2 1.89x
Buckland In Dover 2 36.70x
Canterbury St Paul 2 67.80x
Caverswall 2 23.64x
Colchester St Mary At 2 59.35x
Colchester St Nicholas 2 232.56x
Croydon 2 1.53x
Dover St James 2 27.74x
Dymchurch 2 219.78x
Freshwater 2 44.35x
Harrow 2 27.14x
Harwick St Nicholas 2 133.33x
Kensington London 2 0.75x
Paddington London 2 1.13x
Pattiswick 2 357.14x
Plumstead 2 3.65x
Putney 2 9.11x
Romford 2 13.30x
St Albans St Peter 2 17.84x
St Lawrence 2 17.70x
St Marylebone London 2 0.78x
Vange 2 769.23x
River 1 96.15x

Top female names

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

Name Count
William 31
Charles 18
James 17
George 16
Thomas 16
John 14
Henry 11
Walter 8
Frederick 7
Ernest 6
Richard 6
Albert 5
Edward 5
Arthur 4
Harry 4
Herbert 4
Alfred 3
Wm. 3
Edwin 2
Francis 2
Geo. 2
Joseph 2
Norby 2
Robert 2
Samuel 2
Sidney 2
Sydney 2
Benjaman 1
Edwd. 1
Edwd.J. 1
Frances 1
Frank 1
Fred 1
Fred. 1
Fred.Adam 1
Fredrick 1
Gerald 1
Godfrey 1
Isaac 1
J.H. 1
J.Vincent 1
Jeremiah 1
Jno. 1
Lenard 1
Leslie 1
Oliver 1
Richd 1
Richd. 1
Stephen 1
Tho. 1

FAQ

Tunbridge surname: questions and answers

How common was the Tunbridge surname in 1881?

In 1881, 483 people were recorded with the Tunbridge surname. That placed it at #6,948 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Tunbridge surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 493 in 2016. That gives Tunbridge a modern rank of #10,082.

What does the Tunbridge map show?

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