2000
#6,095
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,191
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.92
Rare Last name
Tedder
An English occupational surname referring to a tedder, a person who teds, or turns over, cut grass to dry it for hay.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,734 Americans carry the last name Tedder. That puts it at #6,528 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.67 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 59,776 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tedder 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Tedder with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.7K
1 in 59,776
Census rank
#6,528
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,000 bearers of the surname Tedder in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.67 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6528th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tedder, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.3%. The next largest groups are Black (5.9%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tedder
The surname TEDDER is of English origin, emerging in the late medieval period around the 14th century. It is believed to be an occupational name, derived from the Old English word "teder," meaning a gatherer or binder of straw or hay. This occupation was likely related to farming and agricultural activities prevalent in rural areas.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire, where a certain William le Tedere was mentioned in 1279. This document served as a census of landowners and their holdings during the reign of King Edward I.
Another early reference to the name appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327, which listed individuals liable for taxes. Here, a John Teddere is recorded, indicating the presence of the surname in the West Midlands region of England.
The TEDDER surname is also found in various parish records and church registers from the 16th century onwards. For example, the baptism of John Tedder was recorded in Wootton Wawen, Warwickshire, in 1585, while the marriage of Thomas Tedder and Alice Hooke took place in Sutton Coldfield, Warwickshire, in 1619.
In terms of notable individuals bearing the surname, one of the earliest was Sir John Tedder (c. 1500 - 1574), who served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1571. He played a significant role in the city's governance and was a prominent merchant and member of the Worshipful Company of Skinners.
Another notable figure was John Tedder (1685 - 1767), an English clergyman and scholar who served as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge from 1748 to 1749. He was also a fellow of St. John's College, Cambridge, and wrote several works on theology and philosophy.
In the 19th century, Arthur William Tedder (1819 - 1892) was a prominent English naturalist and ornithologist. He made significant contributions to the study of birds and their habitats, and his work was widely published in scientific journals of the time.
One of the most famous individuals with the surname TEDDER was Marshal of the Royal Air Force Lord Arthur William Tedder (1890 - 1967). He was a highly decorated British air force officer who played a crucial role in the Allied victory during World War II, serving as the Deputy Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force under General Dwight D. Eisenhower.
In the 20th century, Richard Tedder (1924 - 2016) was a British actor and director known for his work in television and theater. He had a long and successful career, appearing in various productions by the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre.
While the surname TEDDER has its roots in medieval England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including North America, Australia, and New Zealand, carried by individuals and families who emigrated from Britain over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tedder
Among Census respondents with the surname Tedder, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.3%. The next largest groups are Black (5.9%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Tedder 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 Tedder surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.3% · 4,266
- Black or African American5.9% · 295
- Two or more races4.7% · 237
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 150
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 31
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 21
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tedder
Tedder 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
#6,217
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,500
+309 bearers (+6.0%)
Per 100,000 1.86
Rank movement Down 122 places
2020
#6,528
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,000
-500 bearers (-9.1%)
Per 100,000 1.67
Rank movement Down 311 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,095 | 5,191 | 1.92 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,217 | 5,500 | 1.86 | +309 bearers (+6.0%) | Down 122 places |
| 2020 | #6,528 | 5,000 | 1.67 | -500 bearers (-9.1%) | Down 311 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 Tedder 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 | #6,217 | #6,528 | -5.0% |
| Count | 5,500 | 5,000 | -9.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.86 | 1.67 | -10.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tedder bearers went from 5,500 to 5,000 (-9.1% change). The surname moved down 311 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,217 to #6,528.
FAQ
Tedder surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tedder?
Name Census estimates that about 5,734 living Americans carry the surname Tedder. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 59,776 residents.
How common is Tedder?
Tedder ranks #6,528 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.67 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,000 people with the surname Tedder. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,734), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.67 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.67 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Tedder.
Has Tedder become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tedder went from 5,500 recorded bearers to 5,000. That is a decrease of 500 (-9.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,217 to #6,528.
What does the Census say about the background of Tedder?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tedder, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.3%. The next largest groups are Black (5.9%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Tedder in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.3% (4,266 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tedder appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.3%), Black (5.9%), Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Tedder (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 Tedder mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a tedder, a person who teds, or turns over, cut grass to dry it for hay. 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 Tedder (1.67 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 Tedder?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.