2010
#160,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Taneyhill
A locational surname referring to a person from a place called Taneyhill.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Taneyhill. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Taneyhill 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
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Taneyhill in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Taneyhill, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.4%. The next largest groups are Black (1.8%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Taneyhill
The surname Taneyhill originated in the Scottish Lowlands during the Middle Ages. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "tani" meaning tawny or brown and "hyll" meaning hill, suggesting the name referred to someone who lived near a brown-colored hill.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, where a Robert de Tanyhyll is listed as swearing fealty to King Edward I of England. This suggests the name was already established in Scotland by the late 13th century.
Another early reference can be found in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from 1366, which mention a John de Taneyhill as a landowner in the county of Ayrshire. This indicates the Taneyhill family held lands and status in that region during the 14th century.
In the 15th century, the name appears in various spellings such as Tanehill, Tanneyhill, and Tanyhill. A notable bearer from this period was Sir William Tanehill (c. 1420-1492), a Scottish knight who fought alongside King James III at the Battle of Sauchieburn in 1488.
During the 16th century, the Taneyhill surname spread to other parts of Scotland, with records showing individuals of that name residing in areas like Fife and Aberdeenshire. One prominent figure was Robert Taneyhill (1535-1601), a merchant and burgess of Edinburgh who served as a magistrate in the city.
By the 17th century, some Taneyhill families had relocated to Ireland, particularly in counties like Antrim and Down. A well-known bearer from this period was Captain John Taneyhill (1640-1712), an Irish military officer who fought in the Williamite War in Ireland and later settled in Pennsylvania.
Other notable individuals with the Taneyhill surname throughout history include Andrew Taneyhill (1785-1856), a Scottish-born American businessman and politician who served as the first mayor of Baltimore, Maryland, and Wilbur Taneyhill (1865-1935), an American engineer and inventor who patented several improvements to steam engines and boilers.
While the Taneyhill surname has Scottish origins, it has since spread to various parts of the world, particularly through migration to North America and other English-speaking countries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Taneyhill
Among Census respondents with the surname Taneyhill, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.4%. The next largest groups are Black (1.8%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Taneyhill 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 Taneyhill surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.4% · 108
- Black or African American1.8% · 2
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Taneyhill
Taneyhill appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
+12 bearers (+12.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 13,021 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #160,975 | 100 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | +12 bearers (+12.0%) | Up 13,021 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 Taneyhill 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 | #160,975 | #147,954 | 8.1% |
| Count | 100 | 112 | 12.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 24.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Taneyhill bearers went from 100 to 112 (+12.0% change). The surname moved up 13,021 positions in the national ranking, going from #160,975 to #147,954.
FAQ
Taneyhill surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Taneyhill?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Taneyhill. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Taneyhill?
Taneyhill ranks #147,954 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 112 people with the surname Taneyhill. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Taneyhill.
Has Taneyhill become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Taneyhill went from 100 recorded bearers to 112. That is an increase of 12 (+12.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #160,975 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Taneyhill?
Among Census respondents with the surname Taneyhill, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.4%. The next largest groups are Black (1.8%) and Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Taneyhill in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.4% (108 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Taneyhill appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.4%), Black (1.8%), Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Taneyhill (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 Taneyhill mean?
A locational surname referring to a person from a place called Taneyhill. 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 Taneyhill (0.04 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 Taneyhill?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.