NameCensus.

UK surname

Turbitt

A variant spelling of a surname derived from a nickname for a small or restless person.

In the 1881 census there were 59 people recorded with the Turbitt surname, ranking it #25,281 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 188, ranked #20,417, up from #25,281 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, Blantyre and Ryton. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Coventry, Bradford and Pentland.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Turbitt is 198 in 2013. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 218.6%.

1881 census count

59

Ranked #25,281

Modern count

188

2016, ranked #20,417

Peak year

2013

198 bearers

Map years

4

1911 to 2016

Key insights

  • Turbitt had 59 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #25,281 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 188 in 2016, ranked #20,417.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 106 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Turbitt surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Turbitt surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Turbitt 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 29 #28,082
1861 historical 35 #29,571
1881 historical 59 #25,281
1891 historical 82 #26,494
1901 historical 85 #24,636
1911 historical 106 #21,948
1997 modern 175 #19,161
1998 modern 184 #19,037
1999 modern 183 #19,248
2000 modern 181 #19,360
2001 modern 178 #19,288
2002 modern 183 #19,354
2003 modern 185 #18,999
2004 modern 178 #19,603
2005 modern 172 #19,908
2006 modern 172 #20,073
2007 modern 172 #20,321
2008 modern 187 #19,465
2009 modern 188 #19,797
2010 modern 183 #20,586
2011 modern 182 #20,495
2012 modern 196 #19,463
2013 modern 198 #19,657
2014 modern 197 #19,903
2015 modern 197 #19,774
2016 modern 188 #20,417

Geography

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Where Turbitts are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, Blantyre, Ryton, Banbury and Coventry Holy Trinity (incl. Radford), Coventry St Michael, Wyken. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Coventry, Bradford, Pentland and Birmingham. 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 Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside Durham
2 Blantyre Lanark
3 Ryton Durham
4 Banbury Oxfordshire
5 Coventry Holy Trinity (incl. Radford), Coventry St Michael, Wyken Warwickshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Coventry 036 Coventry
2 Bradford 006 Bradford
3 Coventry 001 Coventry
4 Pentland Midlothian
5 Birmingham 028 Birmingham

Forenames

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First names often paired with Turbitt

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Turbitt

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

Spacious Rural Living

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

These predominantly ageing households typically have no resident dependent children. Most are owner-occupiers and live in detached houses in low density residential developments (although renting is more common than in the rest of the Supergroup). White ethnicity predominates. Residents are typically beyond retirement age but those still in work have managerial, professional or skilled trade occupations. White ethnicity and Christian religious affiliation predominate. Neighbourhoods are located throughout rural UK.

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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins

Within London, Turbitt is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins, 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

Scattered across London’s Inner and Outer suburbs, residents of these neighbourhoods are typically housed in the social rented sector. Although terraced and semi-detached houses predominate, more residents live in flats than elsewhere in the Supergroup. Neighbourhoods are more ethnically diverse than the Supergroup average. Those identifying as of Bangladeshi, Pakistani and some Black ethnicities are more prevalent. Europeans born in a overseas non-EU countries make up more of the lower proportion of residents identifying as White. Few residents are very old (85+). Employment in distribution, hotels and restaurants is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

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

Turbitt is most concentrated in decile 1 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.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Turbitt 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 Turbitt 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.

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Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - Irish

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

Meaning and origin of Turbitt

The surname Turbitt has its origins in England, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "torr," meaning a rocky hill or tor, and the word "bitt," which means a small piece or bit. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near a small rocky hill or outcrop.

The earliest recorded instances of the name Turbitt can be found in various historical records and manuscripts from the 13th and 14th centuries. One notable example is the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, which mention a certain Roger Turbitt as a landowner in the area.

In the 15th century, the name appears in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire, where a John Turbitt is mentioned as a tenant farmer in 1459. This suggests that the name had spread to different regions of England by this time.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Turbitt was William Turbitt, who was born around 1520 in Nottinghamshire. He was a yeoman farmer and is mentioned in several local records from the mid-16th century.

Another notable figure was Robert Turbitt, who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He was a merchant and landowner in the city of York, and his name appears in various legal documents and property records from that period.

In the 18th century, the surname Turbitt can be found in the parish records of several villages in Derbyshire, indicating that the name had established a presence in that region. One such individual was John Turbitt, who was born in 1745 in the village of Ashbourne and worked as a blacksmith.

The 19th century saw the Turbitt surname spread across various parts of England, with notable individuals including William Turbitt, a coal miner from Durham who lived from 1815 to 1892, and Mary Turbitt, a schoolteacher from Lancashire who was born in 1839.

While the Turbitt surname is not among the most common in England, it has a rich history spanning several centuries and can be found in various historical records and documents from different regions of the country.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Turbitt families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Turbitt 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. Durham leads with 30 Turbitts recorded in 1881 and an index of 19.14x.

County Total Index
Durham 30 19.14x
Oxfordshire 11 33.81x
Warwickshire 5 3.76x
Lancashire 3 0.48x
Norfolk 2 2.47x
Devon 1 0.91x
Herefordshire 1 4.63x
Northumberland 1 1.28x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Whickham in Durham leads with 14 Turbitts recorded in 1881 and an index of 972.22x.

Place Total Index
Whickham 14 972.22x
Winlaton 8 533.33x
Banbury 7 1076.92x
Stella 7 5384.62x
Coventry Holy Trinity 3 75.57x
Liverpool 3 7.90x
Edgbaston 2 48.54x
Middleton 2 1250.00x
Neithrop 2 183.49x
Oxford St Clement 2 243.90x
Exeter St David 1 106.38x
Gateshead 1 8.53x
Jesmond 1 90.91x
Linton In Bromyard 1 1111.11x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 8
Ann 7
Elizabeth 6
Isabella 3
Betsy 1
Eleanor 1
Emley 1
Wilhamina 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
Thomas 4
James 3
Robert 3
William 3
David 2
John 2
Albert 1
Alfred 1
Charles 1
Edwin 1
Frederick 1
Greener 1
Isaac 1
Joseph 1
Reuben 1

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Turbitt households.

FAQ

Turbitt surname: questions and answers

How common was the Turbitt surname in 1881?

In 1881, 59 people were recorded with the Turbitt surname. That placed it at #25,281 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Turbitt surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 188 in 2016. That gives Turbitt a modern rank of #20,417.

What does the Turbitt surname mean?

A variant spelling of a surname derived from a nickname for a small or restless person.

What does the Turbitt map show?

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