Tedman
A masculine name of Old English origin meaning "prosperous guardian."
Name Census estimates that about 23 living Americans carry the first name Tedman. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Tedman today is around 52 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tedman births was 1961 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tedman. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Tedman. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
23
~ 1 in 14,902,363 Americans
Peak year
1961
7 babies that year
Average age
52
years old
1988 SSA rank
#8,380
Tracked since 1961
Popularity
Tedman: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Tedman from the 1960s through to the 1980s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 14 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1960s peak, Tedman remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Tedman by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Tedman during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Tedman
The given name Tedman is believed to have originated in England during the Middle Ages. It is a combination of the Old English words "Tēod" meaning "people" and "mann" meaning "man." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who was a leader or prominent member of a community.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Tedman can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which served as a census and survey of land ownership in medieval England. The record mentions a landowner named Tedman who held estates in the county of Shropshire.
In the 12th century, a Benedictine monk named Tedman was known for his scholarly work at the monastery of St. Albans in Hertfordshire. He is credited with writing several treatises on theological subjects and contributing to the literary tradition of his time.
During the 13th century, a knight named Sir Tedman de Wyvill was a prominent figure in the court of King Henry III. He is mentioned in historical records for his participation in various military campaigns and his role in the administration of the kingdom.
In the late 15th century, a merchant and alderman named Tedman Smyth was a notable figure in the city of Bristol. He was involved in the lucrative wool trade and served as a civic leader, contributing to the city's economic and political affairs.
Another historical figure bearing the name Tedman was a Puritan minister named Tedman Beacham, who lived in the 17th century. He was active in the religious and intellectual circles of his time, publishing several sermons and theological works that reflected the Puritan values of the era.
These examples illustrate the presence of the name Tedman throughout different periods of English history, often associated with individuals who held positions of influence or contributed to the cultural and intellectual life of their respective communities.
People
Tedman + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tedman as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with T
Other first names starting with T with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Tedman: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tedman?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 23 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tedman going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 14,902,363 US residents.
Is Tedman a common name?
We classify Tedman as "Very Rare". It ranks above 42.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 25 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tedman most popular?
The single biggest year for Tedman was 1961, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tedman is about 52 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Tedman in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Tedman a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Tedman in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Tedman still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Tedman in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Tedman can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How common is the name Tedman?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans are named Tedman at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.