2000
#13,466
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,073
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.77
Rare Last name
Tannehill
Derived from a place name meaning "hill frequented by hawks" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,181 Americans carry the last name Tannehill. That puts it at #14,931 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.64 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 157,155 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tannehill 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
2.2K
1 in 157,155
Census rank
#14,931
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,902 bearers of the surname Tannehill in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.64 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14931st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tannehill, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.7%. The next largest groups are Black (6.5%) and Two or More Races (6.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tannehill
The surname Tannehill has its origins in Scotland, where it first emerged in the 14th century. It is derived from the Gaelic words "tana" meaning "thin" or "lean," and "choill" meaning "wood" or "forest." Thus, the name likely referred to someone who lived near a sparse or thin wooded area.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name can be found in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from the year 1384, which mention a person named John Tannochyll. This spelling variation highlights the name's evolution over time.
The Tannehill family is believed to have originated in the county of Ayrshire, specifically in the parish of Dundonald. This region was once part of the ancient Kingdom of Strathclyde, and the name may have originated there before spreading to other parts of Scotland.
In the 16th century, the Tannehill name appeared in various records, including the Register of the Great Seal of Scotland, which documented land grants and other legal transactions. One notable figure from this era was Robert Tannehill, who was granted lands in Ayrshire in 1560.
As the Tannehill family grew and dispersed throughout Scotland, variations of the name emerged, such as Tannochhill, Tannochil, and Tannochill. These variations reflect the regional dialects and spelling conventions of the time.
One of the most famous Tannehills in history was Sir John Tannehill (1646-1704), a Scottish merchant and financier who played a significant role in the establishment of the Bank of Scotland. He was also involved in the ill-fated Darien Scheme, an attempt to establish a Scottish colony in Panama.
Another notable figure was James Tannehill (1770-1847), a Scottish-American poet and teacher who emigrated to Pennsylvania in the late 18th century. He is remembered for his collection of poems titled "The Solitary Bard," which celebrated the natural beauty of the American landscape.
In the 19th century, the Tannehill family continued to expand, with members settling in various parts of the United Kingdom and North America. One prominent individual was Wilkins Tannehill (1787-1858), a Methodist minister and author from Tennessee, who wrote extensively on theological and moral topics.
The Tannehill name also gained recognition in the realm of sports, with Ryan Tannehill (born 1988), an American football quarterback who has played for the Miami Dolphins and Tennessee Titans in the National Football League (NFL).
Overall, the surname Tannehill has a rich history rooted in Scotland, with a meaning tied to the natural landscape. Its journey through the centuries has seen variations in spelling and geographic dispersal, with notable individuals leaving their mark in various fields, from finance and literature to religion and sports.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tannehill
Among Census respondents with the surname Tannehill, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.7%. The next largest groups are Black (6.5%) and Two or More Races (6.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Tannehill 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 Tannehill surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.7% · 1,516
- Black or African American6.5% · 123
- Two or more races6.2% · 118
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 86
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.6% · 50
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tannehill
Tannehill appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#14,238
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,106
+33 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 0.71
Rank movement Down 772 places
2020
#14,931
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,902
-204 bearers (-9.7%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Down 693 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,466 | 2,073 | 0.77 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,238 | 2,106 | 0.71 | +33 bearers (+1.6%) | Down 772 places |
| 2020 | #14,931 | 1,902 | 0.64 | -204 bearers (-9.7%) | Down 693 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 Tannehill 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 | #14,238 | #14,931 | -4.9% |
| Count | 2,106 | 1,902 | -9.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.71 | 0.64 | -10.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tannehill bearers went from 2,106 to 1,902 (-9.7% change). The surname moved down 693 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,238 to #14,931.
FAQ
Tannehill surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tannehill?
Name Census estimates that about 2,181 living Americans carry the surname Tannehill. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 157,155 residents.
How common is Tannehill?
Tannehill ranks #14,931 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.64 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,902 people with the surname Tannehill. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,181), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.64 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.64 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Tannehill.
Has Tannehill become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tannehill went from 2,106 recorded bearers to 1,902. That is a decrease of 204 (-9.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,238 to #14,931.
What does the Census say about the background of Tannehill?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tannehill, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.7%. The next largest groups are Black (6.5%) and Two or More Races (6.2%). 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 Tannehill in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.7% (1,516 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tannehill appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.7%), Black (6.5%), Two or More Races (6.2%). 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 Tannehill (2000, 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 Tannehill mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "hill frequented by hawks" in Old English. 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 Tannehill (0.64 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 people have the last name Tannehill?
If you just want to know how many people are called Tannehill, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.