2000
#37,043
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 567
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.21
Very Rare Last name
Tish
A surname likely derived from the word "tithes", referring to someone who collected church tithes or taxes.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 695 Americans carry the last name Tish. That puts it at #39,225 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.20 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 493,172 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tish surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
695
1 in 493,172
Census rank
#39,225
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
606
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 606 bearers of the surname Tish in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.20 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 39225th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tish, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.8%) and Hispanic (1.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tish
The surname Tish originated in Germany during the 13th century as a derivative of the Germanic personal name Tidico. It evolved from the Old High German word "thiud," meaning "people" or "nation." This name was originally found in regions like Bavaria and Saxony, where it was often associated with families or individuals who held positions of authority within their communities.
One of the earliest known records of the name Tish can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, dated around 1275. This manuscript mentions a certain "Conradus Tisch," who is believed to have been a landowner or nobleman in the region.
In the 14th century, the Tish surname began to spread across other parts of Germany, with various spellings such as Tisch, Tische, and Tischen appearing in local records and documents. One notable example is the mention of a "Hans Tischen" in the Stadtbuch of Nuremberg, a city chronicle from 1387.
During the 16th century, the Tish surname gained prominence in several German states, including Prussia and Hesse. One famous bearer of this name was Johann Tisch, a Lutheran theologian and professor born in Hesse in 1536. His writings and teachings significantly influenced the development of Protestant theology in the region.
In the 17th century, the Tish surname also found its way to other parts of Europe, including the Netherlands and England. One notable figure from this period was Willem Tisch, a Dutch merchant and shipowner born in Amsterdam in 1623. He played a pivotal role in the establishment of trade routes between the Netherlands and the East Indies.
Another distinguished individual with the Tish surname was Johann Tisch, a German composer and organist born in Saxony in 1665. His works, which included numerous organ compositions and chorales, were widely celebrated during his lifetime and contributed significantly to the development of Baroque music.
As the centuries progressed, the Tish surname continued to spread across various regions, with different branches of the family establishing themselves in various parts of Europe and beyond. Despite its German origins, the name has since become more widely dispersed, with individuals bearing this surname found in many parts of the world today.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tish
Among Census respondents with the surname Tish, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.8%) and Hispanic (1.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Tish bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Tish surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.4% · 566
- Two or more races1.8% · 11
- Hispanic or Latino1.5% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.5% · 9
- Black or African American1.0% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tish
Tish appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#42,378
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 512
-55 bearers (-9.7%)
Per 100,000 0.17
Rank movement Down 5,335 places
2020
#39,225
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 606
+94 bearers (+18.4%)
Per 100,000 0.20
Rank movement Up 3,153 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #37,043 | 567 | 0.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #42,378 | 512 | 0.17 | -55 bearers (-9.7%) | Down 5,335 places |
| 2020 | #39,225 | 606 | 0.20 | +94 bearers (+18.4%) | Up 3,153 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Tish surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #42,378 | #39,225 | 7.4% |
| Count | 512 | 606 | 18.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.17 | 0.20 | 19.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tish bearers went from 512 to 606 (+18.4% change). The surname moved up 3,153 positions in the national ranking, going from #42,378 to #39,225.
FAQ
Tish surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tish?
Name Census estimates that about 695 living Americans carry the surname Tish. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 493,172 residents.
How common is Tish?
Tish ranks #39,225 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.20 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 606 people with the surname Tish. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (695), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.2 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.20 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Tish.
Has Tish become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tish went from 512 recorded bearers to 606. That is an increase of 94 (+18.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #42,378 to #39,225.
What does the Census say about the background of Tish?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tish, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.8%) and Hispanic (1.5%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Tish in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.4% (566 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tish appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.4%), Two or More Races (1.8%), Hispanic (1.5%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Tish (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Tish mean?
A surname likely derived from the word "tithes", referring to someone who collected church tithes or taxes. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Tish (0.20 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Tish?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.