NameCensus.

UK surname

Turnbull

A Scottish and Northern English occupational surname referring to a person who operated a spinning lathe.

In the 1881 census there were 12,629 people recorded with the Turnbull surname, ranking it #330 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 16,210, ranked #385, down from #330 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, Hawick and Wilton and Govan Combination. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Hawick Central, Northumberland and Hawick West End.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Turnbull is 16,517 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 28.4%.

1881 census count

12,629

Ranked #330

Modern count

16,210

2016, ranked #385

Peak year

2010

16,517 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Turnbull had 12,629 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #330 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 16,210 in 2016, ranked #385.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 15,063 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Turnbull surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Turnbull surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Turnbull 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 8,214 #337
1861 historical 8,134 #338
1881 historical 12,629 #330
1891 historical 12,352 #360
1901 historical 15,063 #349
1911 historical 9,635 #510
1997 modern 15,625 #386
1998 modern 16,165 #391
1999 modern 16,326 #389
2000 modern 16,382 #386
2001 modern 15,942 #386
2002 modern 16,319 #385
2003 modern 15,958 #385
2004 modern 15,974 #382
2005 modern 15,664 #385
2006 modern 15,726 #382
2007 modern 15,742 #386
2008 modern 15,890 #384
2009 modern 16,160 #388
2010 modern 16,517 #387
2011 modern 16,293 #386
2012 modern 15,853 #388
2013 modern 16,301 #387
2014 modern 16,394 #388
2015 modern 16,285 #386
2016 modern 16,210 #385

Geography

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Where Turnbulls are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, Hawick and Wilton, Govan Combination, Gateshead and Edinburgh. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Hawick Central, Northumberland, Hawick West End and County Durham. 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 Hawick and Wilton Roxburgh
3 Govan Combination Lanark
4 Gateshead Durham
5 Edinburgh Edinburgh

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Hawick Central Scottish Borders
2 Northumberland 003 Northumberland
3 Hawick West End Scottish Borders
4 Northumberland 010 Northumberland
5 County Durham 024 County Durham

Forenames

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First names often paired with Turnbull

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Turnbull

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Turnbull, 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 Turnbull surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Turnbull 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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Skilled Trades and Construction Workers

Within London, Turnbull is most associated with areas classed as Skilled Trades and Construction 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

These scattered, peripheral and often low residential density neighbourhoods house more workers in skilled trades and construction. Few households rent social housing and there are few students. Multiple car ownership is higher than the Supergroup average, perhaps because of poorer public transport connectivity. Incidence of mixed or multiple ethnicity is below the Supergroup average, and the absence of individuals identifying as Pakistani or Other Asian groups is also less pronounced. Flatted accommodation is less dominant than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

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

Turnbull 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

Turnbull 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 Turnbull 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 Turnbull, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Turnbull

The surname Turnbull originated in Scotland in the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English words "turn" meaning a circular defensive structure, and "bul" meaning a stream or rivulet. The name likely referred to someone who lived near a circular defensive structure by a stream.

The earliest recorded spelling of the name is found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which list those who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England after his conquest of parts of Scotland. The rolls mention one Walter Turnebull from Roxburghshire.

The Turnbulls were a prominent border clan in the Scottish-English border region. They held lands in Roxburghshire and Selkirkshire, particularly around the area of Rule Water. The family's stronghold was Barnhill Castle near Hawick.

In the 14th century, the Turnbulls were involved in many border skirmishes and feuds with other clans like the Douglases and the Scotts. One notable member was William Turnbull, who was killed in a raid by the Douglas clan in 1417.

During the 16th century, the Turnbulls were considered one of the most notorious reiving (raiding) families on the borders. Their exploits were recorded in the ballad "The Sang of the Outlaw Murray" and in Sir Walter Scott's novel "The Monastery".

Notable Turnbulls throughout history include George Turnbull (1616-1657), an English clergyman and religious writer; William Turnbull (1679-1743), a Scottish mathematician and physician; and Robert Turnbull (1909-1998), a British journalist and author known for his coverage of World War II.

Other famous individuals with the surname include Malcolm Turnbull (born 1954), the former Prime Minister of Australia; Watt Key Turnbull (1904-1992), a Scottish-American architect; and Grace Turnbull (1880-1976), an American academic and suffragist.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Turnbull families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Turnbull 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 2,706 Turnbulls recorded in 1881 and an index of 7.39x.

County Total Index
Durham 2,706 7.39x
Northumberland 2,175 11.87x
Roxburghshire 1,170 52.46x
Lanarkshire 911 2.29x
Midlothian 715 4.33x
Yorkshire 510 0.42x
Lancashire 492 0.34x
Middlesex 424 0.34x
Cumberland 306 2.89x
Stirlingshire 283 6.23x
Angus 255 2.24x
Selkirkshire 246 22.08x
Fife 232 3.18x
Berwickshire 166 11.13x
Kent 163 0.39x
Ayrshire 159 1.73x
East Lothian 143 8.77x
Surrey 130 0.22x
Perthshire 124 2.24x
Renfrewshire 124 1.30x
Dunbartonshire 117 3.54x
Dumfriesshire 106 3.90x
Essex 70 0.29x
Cheshire 69 0.25x
Gloucestershire 62 0.26x
Hampshire 54 0.21x
West Lothian 53 2.86x
Aberdeenshire 42 0.37x
Lincolnshire 42 0.21x
Ross-shire 35 1.04x
Clackmannanshire 34 3.34x
Peeblesshire 34 5.87x
Isle of Man 33 1.44x
Devon 32 0.12x
Staffordshire 26 0.06x
Wiltshire 26 0.24x
Argyllshire 25 0.73x
Warwickshire 25 0.08x
Wigtownshire 25 1.53x
Glamorgan 22 0.10x
Leicestershire 21 0.15x
Derbyshire 20 0.10x
Shropshire 18 0.17x
Sussex 18 0.09x
Dorset 17 0.21x
Buteshire 16 2.14x
Inverness-shire 15 0.41x
Nottinghamshire 14 0.08x
Hertfordshire 13 0.15x
Westmorland 13 0.48x
Morayshire 9 0.47x
Berkshire 8 0.09x
Herefordshire 8 0.16x
Sutherland 8 0.84x
Worcestershire 8 0.05x
Royal Navy 7 0.48x
Kirkcudbrightshire 6 0.34x
Montgomeryshire 6 0.21x
Bedfordshire 5 0.08x
Channel Islands 4 0.11x
Norfolk 4 0.02x
Northamptonshire 4 0.03x
Anglesey 3 0.14x
Caernarfonshire 2 0.04x
Cambridgeshire 2 0.03x
Carmarthenshire 2 0.04x
Monmouthshire 2 0.02x
Flintshire 1 0.03x
Kincardineshire 1 0.07x
Nairnshire 1 0.27x
Shetland 1 0.08x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Barony in Lanarkshire leads with 336 Turnbulls recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.33x.

Place Total Index
Barony 336 3.33x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 314 4.73x
Gateshead 267 9.73x
Hawick 264 52.89x
Govan 259 2.63x
Wilton 198 80.91x
Bishopwearmouth 180 5.72x
Westoe 149 7.17x
Jedburgh 148 67.71x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 139 12.70x
Glasgow 138 1.95x
Tynemouth 117 11.92x
Elswick 116 7.93x
Newcastle On Tyne St 106 11.16x
South Leith 106 5.71x
Stranton 98 7.95x
Dundee 97 2.28x
Westgate 95 8.37x
Selkirk 94 29.95x
St Pancras London 88 0.89x
Falkirk 81 7.62x
Bedlington 80 13.08x
Chirton 75 18.09x
Darlington 70 4.95x
Tanfield 69 15.84x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 68 4.29x
Cowpen 67 15.88x
Longbenton 67 8.63x
Houghton Le Spring 64 25.27x
Kelso 64 28.80x
Stockton On Tees 64 3.62x
Kilmarnock 61 5.56x
St Ninians 58 12.88x
Melrose 55 28.52x
Cavers 54 96.84x
Liff Benvie 54 3.12x
Wallsend 53 9.12x
Whickham 53 15.72x
Byker 51 5.63x
Galashiels 49 11.90x
Manchester 48 0.73x
St Marylebone London 48 0.73x
Melrose 47 16.76x
Monkwearmouth Shore 47 6.57x
Southwick 46 13.26x
Brandon Byshottles 44 9.59x
Alnwick 42 13.33x
Berwick Upon Tweed 42 10.82x
Bonhill 41 7.72x
Castleton 41 42.79x
Crook Billy Row 41 8.74x
Duddingston 41 12.38x
Larbert 41 15.10x
Seaham 41 30.70x
Heworth 40 5.54x
Lambeth 39 0.36x
Ancrum 38 65.71x
Leeds 38 0.55x
Hartlepool 37 7.11x
Kensington London 35 0.51x
Newbottle 35 17.50x
Yarrow 35 129.53x
Haswell 34 12.95x
Hetton Le Hole 34 7.32x
Corbridge 33 49.18x
Elvet 32 12.10x
Liverpool 32 0.36x
Roxburgh 32 74.94x
Scarborough 32 2.89x
Deptford St Paul 31 0.96x
Middlesbrough 31 1.95x
Pelton 31 17.79x
Benfieldside 30 12.45x
Chilton 30 26.24x
Dawdon 30 6.66x
Ford 30 44.79x
Haddington 30 12.46x
Rushen 30 19.40x
Stanhope 30 7.93x
West Ham 30 0.56x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 563
Elizabeth 400
Jane 334
Margaret 268
Isabella 188
Sarah 185
Ann 163
Hannah 110
Annie 97
Ellen 76
Alice 73
Catherine 58
Dorothy 47
Eleanor 46
Eliza 45
Agnes 41
Emily 38
Emma 35
Frances 32
Anne 29
Edith 29
Maria 27
Martha 27
Margt. 24
Ada 23
Barbara 23
Jessie 22
Harriet 21
Janet 21
Louisa 21
Charlotte 17
Clara 17
Kate 16
Margret 16
Esther 15
Elizth. 14
Helen 14
Rebecca 14
Fanny 13
Susannah 13
Amelia 12
Grace 12
Florence 11
Isabel 11
Maggie 11
Rachel 11
Susan 10
Anna 9
Ethel 9
Georgina 9

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 619
William 466
Thomas 339
James 321
Robert 293
George 271
Joseph 137
Charles 70
Edward 67
Henry 65
Walter 53
Richard 48
Andrew 40
David 39
Arthur 36
Matthew 29
Wm. 29
Ralph 27
Thos. 26
Adam 25
Robt. 24
Frederick 22
Alexander 21
Alfred 21
Harry 19
Samuel 19
Gilbert 16
Stephen 16
Christopher 15
Anthony 13
Geo. 13
Isaac 13
Peter 13
Jacob 12
Michael 12
Ernest 10
Albert 9
Mathew 9
Archibald 8
Edwin 8
Francis 8
Lancelot 8
Tom 8
Fred 7
Fredk. 7
Jas. 7
Cuthbert 6
Hugh 6
Percy 6
Luke 5

FAQ

Turnbull surname: questions and answers

How common was the Turnbull surname in 1881?

In 1881, 12,629 people were recorded with the Turnbull surname. That placed it at #330 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Turnbull surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 16,210 in 2016. That gives Turnbull a modern rank of #385.

What does the Turnbull surname mean?

A Scottish and Northern English occupational surname referring to a person who operated a spinning lathe.

What does the Turnbull map show?

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