2010
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Tawwater
A topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a stream or rivulet.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Tawwater. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tawwater 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Tawwater in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tawwater, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tawwater
The surname TAWWATER has its origins in England, originating during the medieval period. It is a locational name derived from a place called Tawwater, which was likely a settlement or village near a body of water. The name may have evolved from the Old English words "taw" meaning "to dress" or "prepare" and "water," indicating a location where leather or hides were treated using water.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from the year 1212, where it appears as "Thawewatre." This suggests that the name was already established in the region by the early 13th century.
The TAWWATER surname is linked to several historical figures, including Richard Tawwater, a prominent merchant from Bristol who was active in the late 15th century. Another notable bearer of the name was John Tawwater, a yeoman farmer from Worcestershire who lived in the early 16th century and was mentioned in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1524.
In the 17th century, the TAWWATER name appeared in various parish records across England. One such record is from the village of Ashton-under-Hill in Gloucestershire, where a William Tawwater was recorded as a resident in 1642.
Among the notable individuals with the TAWWATER surname was Thomas Tawwater, a renowned clockmaker from London who was active in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. His clocks were highly prized and can be found in museums and private collections today.
Another noteworthy figure was Elizabeth Tawwater, a pioneering female author from Oxfordshire, born in 1712. She published a collection of poems titled "Verses on Various Occasions" in 1744, which was one of the earliest published works by an English woman writer.
The TAWWATER surname has also been associated with several place names, such as Tawwater Farm in Gloucestershire and Tawwater Lane in Worcestershire, further reinforcing its locational origins.
While the TAWWATER name may not be as common today as it once was, its rich history and connections to various regions and individuals across England make it a fascinating surname to explore.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tawwater
Among Census respondents with the surname Tawwater, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Tawwater 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 Tawwater surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.6% · 99
- Hispanic or Latino5.1% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native4.3% · 5
- Two or more races3.4% · 4
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tawwater
Tawwater 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
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+16 bearers (+15.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 15,442 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #159,712 | 101 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | +16 bearers (+15.8%) | Up 15,442 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 Tawwater 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 | #159,712 | #144,270 | 9.7% |
| Count | 101 | 117 | 15.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 30.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tawwater bearers went from 101 to 117 (+15.8% change). The surname moved up 15,442 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #144,270.
FAQ
Tawwater surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tawwater?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Tawwater. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Tawwater?
Tawwater ranks #144,270 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 117 people with the surname Tawwater. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), 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 Tawwater.
Has Tawwater become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tawwater went from 101 recorded bearers to 117. That is an increase of 16 (+15.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Tawwater?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tawwater, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (4.3%). 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 Tawwater in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.6% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tawwater appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.6%), Hispanic (5.1%), American Indian/Alaska Native (4.3%). 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 Tawwater (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 Tawwater mean?
A topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a stream or rivulet. 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 Tawwater (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 people have the last name Tawwater?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Tawwater is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.