NameCensus.

UK surname

Turnock

A surname derived from the Old English words "tyrn" and "ac," meaning someone who lived near an oak tree.

In the 1881 census there were 444 people recorded with the Turnock surname, ranking it #7,385 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 749, ranked #7,298, up from #7,385 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Prestbury, Stockport and Wolstanton. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Cheshire East, Newcastle-under-Lyme and West Devon.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Turnock is 792 in 2004. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 68.7%.

1881 census count

444

Ranked #7,385

Modern count

749

2016, ranked #7,298

Peak year

2004

792 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Turnock had 444 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #7,385 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 749 in 2016, ranked #7,298.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 674 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Turnock surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Turnock surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Turnock 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 302 #7,606
1861 historical 214 #11,365
1881 historical 444 #7,385
1891 historical 527 #7,112
1901 historical 579 #7,261
1911 historical 674 #6,264
1997 modern 631 #7,854
1998 modern 763 #7,006
1999 modern 783 #6,918
2000 modern 788 #6,857
2001 modern 763 #6,900
2002 modern 788 #6,856
2003 modern 784 #6,764
2004 modern 792 #6,733
2005 modern 753 #6,935
2006 modern 740 #7,061
2007 modern 733 #7,186
2008 modern 735 #7,219
2009 modern 748 #7,272
2010 modern 781 #7,160
2011 modern 779 #7,098
2012 modern 752 #7,209
2013 modern 779 #7,127
2014 modern 780 #7,148
2015 modern 777 #7,103
2016 modern 749 #7,298

Geography

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Where Turnocks are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Prestbury, Stockport, Wolstanton, Astbury and Leek. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Cheshire East, Newcastle-under-Lyme, West Devon, Staffordshire Moorlands and South Somerset. 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 Prestbury Cheshire
2 Stockport Cheshire
3 Wolstanton Staffordshire
4 Astbury Cheshire
5 Leek Staffordshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Cheshire East 020 Cheshire East
2 Newcastle-under-Lyme 005 Newcastle-under-Lyme
3 West Devon 005 West Devon
4 Staffordshire Moorlands 001 Staffordshire Moorlands
5 South Somerset 019 South Somerset

Forenames

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First names often paired with Turnock

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Turnock

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Turnock, 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 Turnock surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Turnock 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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Turnock is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support 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

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

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

Turnock is most concentrated in decile 4 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

4
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Turnock falls in decile 7 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.

7
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Turnock is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 25-30 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

5
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Turnock

The surname Turnock originated in England, with its earliest records dating back to the late 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "tun" meaning a village or settlement, and "oc" meaning an oak tree, suggesting that the name referred to someone who lived near an oak tree or in a settlement named after an oak tree.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1195, which mention a person named Richard de Turnoc. The name also appears in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, where it is spelled as "Turnouk."

During the Middle Ages, the name was primarily concentrated in the counties of Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, and Yorkshire, where several places had names similar to Turnock, such as Turnholme and Turnham. This suggests that the name may have originated from a specific location or settlement that no longer exists.

Notable historical figures bearing the Turnock surname include John Turnock (c. 1530-1603), an English churchman who served as the Bishop of Peterborough from 1589 to 1603. Another prominent individual was William Turnock (1643-1686), a British mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the field of navigation.

In the 17th century, the name appears in various parish records, such as the baptism record of Elizabeth Turnock in Grantham, Lincolnshire, in 1626. The Turnock family also had a presence in Yorkshire, with the marriage of Robert Turnock and Elizabeth Dickinson recorded in Rotherham in 1671.

During the 18th century, the name continued to be found in various parts of England, with individuals like John Turnock (1721-1794), a notable merchant and landowner from Gloucestershire, and James Turnock (1755-1828), a clergyman and academic from Yorkshire, making their mark in history.

Another historical figure of note is Thomas Turnock (1812-1887), a British engineer and inventor who played a significant role in the development of early locomotive engines during the Industrial Revolution.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Turnock families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Turnock 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. Staffordshire leads with 188 Turnocks recorded in 1881 and an index of 12.98x.

County Total Index
Staffordshire 188 12.98x
Cheshire 132 13.93x
Lancashire 46 0.90x
Northamptonshire 19 4.71x
Middlesex 14 0.33x
Yorkshire 11 0.26x
Surrey 7 0.33x
Shropshire 5 1.35x
Oxfordshire 4 1.51x
Suffolk 4 0.77x
Warwickshire 4 0.37x
Leicestershire 2 0.42x
Buckinghamshire 1 0.39x
Derbyshire 1 0.15x
Devon 1 0.11x
Gloucestershire 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. Audley Talk O Th Hill in Staffordshire leads with 45 Turnocks recorded in 1881 and an index of 1724.14x.

Place Total Index
Audley Talk O Th Hill 45 1724.14x
Stoke Upon Trent 39 25.38x
Congleton 20 122.17x
Leek Lowe 19 98.55x
Newbold Astbury 18 1592.92x
Macclesfield 14 33.25x
Poynton 14 438.87x
Biddulph 13 159.12x
Daventry 12 210.16x
Yeardsley Cum Whaley 10 534.76x
Checkley Cum Wrinehill 9 3600.00x
Oldham 9 5.48x
Wolstanton Oldcott 9 171.43x
Cannock 8 31.65x
Manchester 8 3.49x
Norton In Moors 8 104.30x
Egham 7 54.52x
Heaton 7 1458.33x
Hurdsfield 7 120.07x
Newton In Makerfield 7 44.87x
Northampton Priory St 7 28.90x
Saddleworth 7 21.34x
Stockport 7 14.36x
Beswick 6 46.08x
Colwich 6 174.42x
Hackney London 6 2.49x
Harborne 6 12.92x
Rugeley 6 57.69x
Rusholme 6 44.18x
Sutton In Macclesfield 6 61.04x
Audley 5 34.89x
Kensington London 5 2.10x
Pownall Fee 5 117.92x
Wrockwardine 5 61.35x
Chipping Norton 4 65.25x
Dukinfield 4 9.14x
Handforth 4 370.37x
Ipswich St Margaret 4 22.55x
Walsall Borough 4 35.56x
Aston 3 1.01x
Friern Barnet 3 31.75x
Sandbach 3 37.13x
Upper Hallam 3 81.08x
West Derby 3 2.01x
Wincle 3 714.29x
Wolstanton Knutton 3 33.90x
Ardwick 2 4.35x
Burntwood Edial 2 21.62x
Disley Stanley 2 40.98x
Hulme 2 1.88x
Loughborough 2 9.26x
Rudyard 2 1818.18x
Wolstanton 2 4.55x
Adlington 1 20.96x
Altrincham 1 6.04x
Aylesbury 1 8.70x
Bramhall 1 25.51x
Bredbury 1 18.25x
Brinnington 1 11.30x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 1 1.26x
Buglawton 1 43.86x
Cheddleton 1 33.00x
Dilhorne 1 41.49x
Harpurhey 1 14.14x
Hartington Upper 1 31.15x
Ilfracombe 1 10.87x
Leek Frith 1 82.64x
Milverton 1 31.55x
Mottram 1 23.31x
Salford 1 0.67x
Salt Enson 1 158.73x
Thornaby 1 6.29x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 36
Sarah 24
Elizabeth 21
Emma 11
Ellen 10
Ann 9
Hannah 9
Eliza 8
Jane 7
Annie 6
Charlotte 6
Harriet 5
Margaret 5
Maria 5
Martha 5
Agnes 3
Emily 3
Caroline 2
Henrietta 2
May 2
Anne 1
Beatrice 1
Bessie 1
Bettie 1
C. 1
Catherine 1
Edith 1
Elisebeth 1
Elizh. 1
Elizh.A. 1
Emme 1
Evelyn 1
Florence 1
Frances 1
Francess 1
Francis 1
Gertrude 1
Isabella 1
Jemima 1
Jimima 1
Kate 1
Lidia 1
Lizzie 1
Louisa 1
Louise 1
Lucina 1
Lucy 1
Lydia 1
Matilda 1
Selina 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 29
William 25
Thomas 19
James 15
Joseph 15
George 11
Henry 10
Charles 9
Samuel 7
Robert 6
Arthur 5
Benjamin 4
Edward 4
Hugh 4
Wm. 4
Albert 3
David 3
Enoch 3
Walter 3
Frederick 2
Harry 2
Jonathan 2
Ralph 2
Richard 2
Bertram 1
Danl. 1
Dennis 1
E. 1
Edwin 1
Elijah 1
Ernest 1
Ezra 1
Fred 1
Fredrick 1
Geo. 1
Halvery 1
Harrold 1
Infant 1
Jacob 1
Jas. 1
Jas.Robt. 1
Jesse 1
Jim 1
Jno. 1
Leigh 1
Micheal 1
Noah 1
Reginald 1
Sidney 1
Thos. 1

FAQ

Turnock surname: questions and answers

How common was the Turnock surname in 1881?

In 1881, 444 people were recorded with the Turnock surname. That placed it at #7,385 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Turnock surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 749 in 2016. That gives Turnock a modern rank of #7,298.

What does the Turnock surname mean?

A surname derived from the Old English words "tyrn" and "ac," meaning someone who lived near an oak tree.

What does the Turnock map show?

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