Tiler
A masculine name originally referring to one who worked with tiles.
Name Census estimates that about 338 living Americans carry the first name Tiler. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 82.9% of registrations being male. The average person named Tiler today is around 27 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tiler births was 1999 (27 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tiler. 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.
People living today
338
~ 1 in 1,014,066 Americans
Peak year
1999
27 babies that year
Average age
27
years old
2013 SSA rank
#13,863
Tracked since 1990
Gender
Gender distribution for Tiler
Tiler leans heavily male at 82.9% of total registrations, but 59 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Tiler as a male name
- Ranked #13,863 in 2013
- 5 male births in 2013
- Peak: 2000 (24 births)
Tiler as a female name
- Ranked #18,966 in 2005
- 5 female births in 2005
- Peak: 1993 (8 births)
Popularity
Tiler: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Tiler from the 1990s through to the 2010s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 188 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Tiler 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 Tiler 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 Tiler
The name Tiler originated from the Old English word "tigel", which means "tile". This word was derived from the Latin word "tegula", which also means "tile". The name Tiler first emerged in England during the Middle Ages, referring to someone who made or laid tiles for a living.
During the medieval period, tiles were commonly used for roofing and flooring in churches, castles, and other important buildings. As a result, the tile-making and tile-laying trades were highly valued and respected professions. The name Tiler became associated with skilled craftsmen who worked with these materials.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Tiler can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appears in various spellings, such as "Tilere" and "Teghelare", indicating the presence of tile-makers and tile-layers among the population at that time.
Throughout the centuries, the name Tiler has been borne by numerous individuals, some of whom have achieved notable recognition. One such individual was John Tiler, a 14th-century English poet and author of the allegorical poem "The Ploughman's Tale". This work, which satirized the corruption of the church and society, was included in some early manuscripts of Geoffrey Chaucer's "The Canterbury Tales".
Another notable bearer of the name was Sir Samuel Tiler (1641-1720), an English merchant and politician who served as the Lord Mayor of London from 1706 to 1707. He was a prominent figure in the City of London and played a significant role in the reconstruction efforts after the Great Fire of London in 1666.
In the United States, one of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Tiler was John Tiler (1750-1828), a farmer and soldier from Virginia who fought in the American Revolutionary War. He served under General George Washington and participated in several major battles, including the Siege of Yorktown.
During the 19th century, the name Tiler gained further prominence with the rise of the Masonic fraternity. In Freemasonry, the term "Tiler" refers to an officer responsible for guarding the entrance to the lodge and ensuring the privacy and security of Masonic meetings. This position was often held by individuals with the surname Tiler, further cementing the name's association with this organization.
One of the most famous Tilers in Masonic history was William Tiler (1808-1879), an American author and Masonic scholar who wrote extensively on the history and symbolism of Freemasonry. His works, including "The Masonic Record" and "The History of Free Masonry", were widely influential and helped to shape the understanding of Masonic traditions.
While the name Tiler has its roots in the medieval tile-making and tile-laying trades, it has since transcended its original occupational meaning and become a unique and distinctive given name in its own right. The legacy of this name continues to be carried forward by individuals from diverse backgrounds and cultures around the world.
People
Tiler + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tiler 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
Tiler: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tiler?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 338 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tiler 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 1,014,066 US residents.
Is Tiler a common name?
We classify Tiler as "Very Rare". It ranks above 80.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 345 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tiler most popular?
The single biggest year for Tiler was 1999, when 27 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tiler is about 27 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Tiler a male name?
Yes, 82.9% of people registered as Tiler 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.
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.