Tryon
English habitational name from any of numerous places so named, derived from Middle English "tre" meaning "tree".
Name Census estimates that about 31 living Americans carry the first name Tryon. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Tryon today is around 48 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tryon births was 1970 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tryon. 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 Tryon. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
31
~ 1 in 11,056,592 Americans
Peak year
1970
7 babies that year
Average age
48
years old
2008 SSA rank
#12,433
Tracked since 1967
Census
Tryon in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 141 people with the first name Tryon, which placed it at #46,868 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
#46,868
National first-name rank
People counted
141
141 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
48.9% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tryon
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Tryon is White at 48.9%. The next largest groups are Black (34.8%) and Two or More Races (7.1%). 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 Tryon 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 Tryon at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White48.9% · 69
- Black or African American34.8% · 49
- Two or more races7.1% · 10
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.5% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.1% · 3
Popularity
Tryon: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Tryon from the 1960s through to the 2000s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 23 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Tryon 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 Tryon 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 Tryon
The given name Tryon has its origins in medieval France, derived from the Old French word "trié", meaning "chosen" or "elect". This name likely emerged during the 12th or 13th century, when names with religious connotations were popular among the Christian populations of Europe.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Tryon can be found in the 13th-century "Chronicles of Froissart", where a knight named Tryon de Montfort is mentioned as participating in the Hundred Years' War between England and France. It's believed that this name was initially bestowed upon individuals who were considered chosen or favored by God.
In the 15th century, a notable figure named Tryon de la Marche was a French nobleman and military commander who fought alongside Joan of Arc during the Siege of Orléans in 1429. His bravery and loyalty to the French cause earned him recognition and cemented the name's association with valor and honor.
During the 16th century, the name Tryon gained popularity among Protestant communities, particularly in regions like England and the Netherlands. One of the most famous bearers of this name was Tryon Edwards (1809-1894), an American theologian, author, and educator who wrote extensively on moral philosophy and religious topics.
Another notable figure was Sir Tryon Raleigh (1568-1619), an English explorer and adventurer who accompanied Sir Walter Raleigh on his expeditions to the New World. He played a crucial role in establishing the first English settlements in Virginia and was later knighted for his contributions.
In the 18th century, Tryon Everett (1740-1795) was a prominent American Revolutionary War soldier and politician who served as a delegate to the Continental Congress. His unwavering commitment to the cause of American independence solidified the name's association with patriotism and leadership.
Throughout history, the given name Tryon has been associated with qualities such as strength, courage, and devotion, often borne by individuals who made significant contributions to their respective fields or causes.
People
Tryon + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tryon 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
Tryon: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tryon?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 31 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tryon 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 11,056,592 US residents.
Is Tryon a common name?
We classify Tryon as "Very Rare". It ranks above 47% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 34 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tryon most popular?
The single biggest year for Tryon was 1970, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tryon is about 48 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Tryon in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 141 people with the name Tryon, or 0.05 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #46,868 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 Tryon 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 Tryon?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Tryon appears almost entirely male. Of the 137 people counted with this name, 99.3% were male and only a very small share were female. 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 Tryon?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Tryon is White at 48.9%. The next largest groups are Black (34.8%) and Two or More Races (7.1%). 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 Tryon most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Tryon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 48.9% (69 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 Tryon in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Tryon a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Tryon 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 Tryon still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Tryon 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 Tryon 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 are named Tryon?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.