NameCensus.

UK surname

Turtle

A surname derived from the reptile, possibly indicating a sluggish or slow-moving nature.

In the 1881 census there were 583 people recorded with the Turtle surname, ranking it #5,986 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 598, ranked #8,735, down from #5,986 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Newchurch and Gainsborough, Paddocks. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Rhins North, City of London and Liverpool.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Turtle is 829 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has stayed broadly stable by 2.6%.

1881 census count

583

Ranked #5,986

Modern count

598

2016, ranked #8,735

Peak year

1901

829 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Turtle had 583 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #5,986 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 598 in 2016, ranked #8,735.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 829 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Turtle surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Turtle surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Turtle 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 368 #6,459
1861 historical 367 #6,963
1881 historical 583 #5,986
1891 historical 600 #6,384
1901 historical 829 #5,463
1911 historical 808 #5,438
1997 modern 636 #7,798
1998 modern 650 #7,904
1999 modern 643 #8,034
2000 modern 655 #7,893
2001 modern 637 #7,904
2002 modern 636 #8,107
2003 modern 609 #8,234
2004 modern 607 #8,281
2005 modern 596 #8,313
2006 modern 597 #8,314
2007 modern 587 #8,505
2008 modern 597 #8,452
2009 modern 600 #8,598
2010 modern 608 #8,700
2011 modern 603 #8,660
2012 modern 575 #8,877
2013 modern 576 #9,006
2014 modern 593 #8,884
2015 modern 591 #8,828
2016 modern 598 #8,735

Geography

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Where Turtles are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Newchurch, Gainsborough, Paddocks and Manchester. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Rhins North, City of London, Liverpool, Kingston upon Hull and King's Lynn and West Norfolk. 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 1
2 Newchurch Hampshire
3 London parishes London 3
4 Gainsborough, Paddocks Lincolnshire
5 Manchester Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Rhins North Dumfries and Galloway
2 City of London 001 City of London
3 Liverpool 014 Liverpool
4 Kingston upon Hull 021 Kingston upon Hull, City of
5 King's Lynn and West Norfolk 012 King's Lynn and West Norfolk

Forenames

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First names often paired with Turtle

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Turtle

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

Skilled Trades and Construction Workers

Within London, Turtle 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

Turtle 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

Turtle falls in decile 10 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.

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Turtle

The surname "Turtle" is believed to have originated in England, likely during the late medieval period or the early modern era. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "turtle," which was used to refer to the reptile we know today as the turtle.

This surname may have initially been a descriptive nickname given to someone who exhibited characteristics reminiscent of a turtle, such as being slow-moving or having a tendency to retreat into their shell. Alternatively, it could have been an occupational name for someone who caught or traded in turtles.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname "Turtle" can be found in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Taunton, Somerset, where a man named John Turtle was listed as a resident in the late 16th century.

In the 17th century, the name appears in various historical documents, including the records of the East India Company, where a merchant named Richard Turtle is mentioned as having traded in spices and other goods from the East Indies.

A notable figure with the surname "Turtle" was Sir William Turtle (1615-1677), an English politician and Member of Parliament for the borough of Weymouth and Melcombe Regis during the reign of Charles II.

Another individual of note was Thomas Turtle (1705-1783), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the Seven Years' War and the American Revolutionary War.

In the 19th century, the surname "Turtle" can be found in various census records and parish registers across England. One such person was Samuel Turtle (1819-1901), a prominent industrialist and textile manufacturer from Lancashire.

As the name "Turtle" is relatively uncommon, it is worth mentioning a few other individuals who bore this surname throughout history, such as William Turtle (1822-1892), a British architect who designed several notable buildings in London, and Emily Turtle (1876-1958), a pioneering female journalist and suffragette.

While the surname "Turtle" may have originated as a descriptive nickname or occupational name, it has since evolved into a distinctive family name with a rich history spanning several centuries in England.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Turtle families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Turtle 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. Middlesex leads with 69 Turtles recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.21x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 69 1.21x
Lancashire 68 1.01x
Kent 63 3.25x
Hampshire 49 4.20x
Yorkshire 46 0.82x
Wiltshire 36 7.16x
Nottinghamshire 29 3.78x
Lincolnshire 28 3.08x
Surrey 26 0.94x
Cheshire 23 1.83x
Essex 23 2.05x
Gloucestershire 15 1.34x
Oxfordshire 14 3.99x
Glamorgan 13 1.31x
Durham 12 0.71x
Suffolk 11 1.59x
Hertfordshire 10 2.55x
Berkshire 8 1.87x
Westmorland 7 5.60x
Lanarkshire 6 0.33x
Dorset 5 1.34x
Buckinghamshire 3 0.87x
Leicestershire 3 0.48x
Northamptonshire 3 0.56x
Somerset 3 0.33x
Cambridgeshire 2 0.56x
Norfolk 2 0.23x
Bedfordshire 1 0.34x
Cumberland 1 0.20x
Renfrewshire 1 0.23x
Royal Navy 1 1.48x
Sussex 1 0.10x
Warwickshire 1 0.07x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Ryde in Hampshire leads with 30 Turtles recorded in 1881 and an index of 119.81x.

Place Total Index
Ryde 30 119.81x
Hulme 17 12.07x
Cheltenham 14 16.27x
Everton 14 6.51x
Lambeth 13 2.62x
Oxford St Giles 13 77.57x
Swansea Town 13 16.01x
Brightside Bierlow 12 10.86x
Crayford 12 141.68x
Gainsborough 12 55.97x
Chatham 11 20.61x
Greenwich 11 12.15x
Tranmere 11 23.84x
Great Somerford 10 934.58x
Hackney London 10 3.14x
Millbrook 10 34.06x
Bishop Stortford 9 68.75x
Bradford 9 6.60x
St George Hanover 9 12.12x
Felixstow 8 473.37x
Leeds 8 2.51x
Reading St Giles 7 16.71x
Salford 7 3.53x
St Lawrence 7 52.47x
Woodborough 7 404.62x
Woodford 7 55.07x
Cadder 6 44.18x
Newark Upon Trent 6 21.78x
Plumstead 6 9.28x
Preston Richard 6 521.74x
Rodbourne Cheney 6 154.64x
Southwick 6 37.45x
Battersea 5 2.39x
Brinkworth 5 221.24x
Chelsea London 5 2.92x
East Wickham 5 217.39x
Ecclesall Bierlow 5 4.36x
Flixton 5 144.51x
South Shields 5 33.18x
St Giles In Fields 5 25.50x
St Pancras London 5 1.09x
Birkenhead 4 4.00x
Bromley London 4 3.20x
Limehouse London 4 6.41x
Monks Coppenhall 4 8.44x
Poole St James 4 28.53x
South Common Lincoln 4 851.06x
Spitalfields London 4 9.35x
St Botolph Aldgate 4 51.55x
Wanborough 4 232.56x
Woolwich 4 5.58x
Bootle Cum Linacre 3 5.60x
Bottesford 3 115.83x
Bradfield 3 13.81x
Bradford On Avon 3 18.63x
Camberwell 3 0.83x
Carisbrooke 3 18.54x
Colchester St Peter 3 66.82x
Crowland 3 52.63x
Latchford 3 35.97x
Liverpool 3 0.73x
Lyncombe Widcombe 3 12.52x
Ordsall 3 51.11x
Pemberton 3 11.15x
Peterborough 3 7.75x
Purton 3 66.96x
Scawby 3 99.67x
St Anne Soho London 3 9.24x
Sutton On Trent 3 159.57x
Ashmansworth 2 487.80x
Braintree 2 19.84x
Deptford St Paul 2 1.34x
Fobbing 2 240.96x
Fulham London 2 2.42x
Kensington London 2 0.63x
Newton Upon Trent 2 327.87x
Preston 2 1.11x
Southwell 2 35.84x
Swindon 2 5.13x
Twickenham 2 8.20x

Top female names

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

Name Count
William 39
John 32
George 24
Charles 15
Edward 13
Frederick 13
Henry 13
James 13
Thomas 12
Joseph 11
Alfred 9
Arthur 8
Fredk. 7
Robert 6
Walter 6
Harry 4
Wm. 4
Daniel 3
Edwin 3
Frank 3
Albert 2
Chas. 2
Ernest 2
Fred 2
Herbert 2
Samuel 2
Benj. 1
Chas.T. 1
David 1
F. 1
Frances 1
Frederic 1
Geo.A. 1
Godfrey 1
Harold 1
Jack 1
Jas. 1
Josiah 1
Lewis 1
Louis 1
Mark 1
Martin 1
Meshach 1
Percy 1
Rayner 1
Richard 1
Richd. 1
Robt. 1
Roland 1
Wm.F. 1

FAQ

Turtle surname: questions and answers

How common was the Turtle surname in 1881?

In 1881, 583 people were recorded with the Turtle surname. That placed it at #5,986 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Turtle surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 598 in 2016. That gives Turtle a modern rank of #8,735.

What does the Turtle surname mean?

A surname derived from the reptile, possibly indicating a sluggish or slow-moving nature.

What does the Turtle map show?

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