Find out how popular the last name Tecumseh is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Tecumseh.

Tecumseh, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Tecumseh surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tecumseh in America

Tecumseh is the 133048th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tecumseh surname appeared 127 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Tecumseh.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tecumseh to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Tecumseh

The surname Tecumseh originates from the Shawnee Native American tribe and is believed to have been derived from the Shawnee language, although its exact meaning is uncertain. Some sources suggest it may have meant "shooting star" or "panther across the sky."

The name is closely associated with the legendary Shawnee leader Tecumseh, who lived from around 1768 to 1813. Tecumseh was a prominent figure in the Tecumseh's War and the War of 1812, leading a confederation of Native American tribes against the United States.

While the surname Tecumseh may have been used by members of the Shawnee tribe historically, it is not widely documented in early records, likely due to the limited written records of Native American cultures at the time.

One of the earliest known individuals to bear the surname Tecumseh was the Shawnee leader himself, Tecumseh (circa 1768-1813), who played a pivotal role in the resistance against American expansion into Native American lands in the early 19th century.

Another notable figure with the surname Tecumseh was his younger brother, Tenskwatawa (circa 1775-1836), also known as the Shawnee Prophet, who was a spiritual leader and played a significant role in the Native American resistance movement alongside his brother.

In the 20th century, the surname Tecumseh gained recognition through individuals like Tecumseh D. Tyndall (1899-1972), an American athlete and Olympic medalist in the decathlon in the 1924 Paris Olympics.

Additionally, Tecumseh W. Shore (1881-1954) was a American baseball player who played in the major leagues from 1906 to 1918, primarily for the Cleveland Naps (now known as the Cleveland Guardians).

Another notable individual was Tecumseh W. Sparks (1860-1938), a U.S. Army officer who served in the Spanish-American War and the Philippine-American War, and later became a brigadier general.

While the surname Tecumseh is relatively uncommon, it has been carried forward by individuals of Native American descent, as well as those who may have adopted or been given the name in recognition of the legendary Shawnee leader and his significance in Native American history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tecumseh

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Tecumseh.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Tecumseh was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Tecumseh has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Tecumseh was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Tecumseh, please contact us.

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