Tison
Of English origin, meaning "one who sets fire to something".
Name Census estimates that about 218 living Americans carry the first name Tison. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Tison today is around 18 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tison births was 2008 (16 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tison. 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
218
~ 1 in 1,572,268 Americans
Peak year
2008
16 babies that year
Average age
18
years old
2024 SSA rank
#12,165
Tracked since 1987
Census
Tison in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 255 people with the first name Tison, which placed it at #32,783 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#32,783
National first-name rank
People counted
255
255 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
46.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tison
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Tison is White at 46.3%. The next largest groups are Black (27.1%) and Hispanic (9.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Tison 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 name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Tison at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White46.3% · 118
- Black or African American27.1% · 69
- Hispanic or Latino9.8% · 25
- Two or more races8.2% · 21
- Asian and Pacific Islander7.5% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 3
Popularity
Tison: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Tison from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 95 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Tison 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 Tison 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 Tison
The name Tison finds its origins in the Old French language, tracing back to the 12th century. Derived from the word "tison," which means "firebrand" or "burning log," it was initially used as a descriptive surname or nickname given to individuals associated with the trade of charcoal-making or woodcutting.
As a given name, Tison first gained prominence during the Middle Ages in France and neighboring regions. It was particularly popular among families involved in forestry or related occupations, as the name carried a symbolic connection to fire and the preservation of warmth.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Tison can be found in the 13th-century text "Chroniques de Saint-Denis," which mentions a knight named Tison de Vaucouleurs who fought alongside King Louis IX during the Seventh Crusade in the late 1240s.
Throughout the centuries, several notable individuals have borne the name Tison. In the 14th century, Tison de Normanville was a French nobleman and military commander who played a crucial role in the Hundred Years' War against England. His exploits were documented in contemporary chronicles, solidifying the name's association with courage and valor.
During the Renaissance period, Tison Brahé (1501-1565) was a Danish astronomer and mathematician renowned for his contributions to the study of comets and planetary movements. His work laid the foundation for the subsequent discoveries of Johannes Kepler and Galileo Galilei.
In the realm of literature, Tison Smollett (1721-1771) was a Scottish novelist and playwright best known for his satirical works, including "The Expedition of Humphry Clinker" and "The Adventures of Roderick Random." His witty and biting commentary on 18th-century British society earned him a place among the prominent authors of his time.
Another notable figure was Tison Nuttall (1786-1859), an English botanist and zoologist who made significant contributions to the study of North American flora and fauna. His extensive travels and meticulous observations resulted in the discovery and documentation of numerous plant and animal species, earning him recognition in the scientific community.
While the name Tison has maintained a presence throughout history, it has been less commonly used in recent times, particularly in English-speaking regions. However, its rich heritage and evocative associations with fire, strength, and endurance continue to make it a unique and intriguing choice for parents seeking a name with historical depth and cultural significance.
People
Tison + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tison 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
Tison: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tison?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 218 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tison 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 1,572,268 US residents.
Is Tison a common name?
We classify Tison as "Very Rare". It ranks above 75.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 221 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tison most popular?
The single biggest year for Tison was 2008, when 16 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tison is about 18 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Tison in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 255 people with the name Tison, or 0.08 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #32,783 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Tison in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Tison?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Tison leans strongly male. 228 people counted with this name were male (93.1%), compared with 17 female bearers (6.9%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Tison?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Tison is White at 46.3%. The next largest groups are Black (27.1%) and Hispanic (9.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Tison most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Tison in the 2020 Census, accounting for 46.3% (118 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Tison in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Tison a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Tison 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 Tison still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Tison 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 Tison 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.
How many people have the name Tison?
If you just want to know how many people share the name Tison, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.