2000
#10,074
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,950
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.09
Rare Last name
Teets
Derived from a nickname for a cheerful person, from Middle Low German "teet" meaning "sprout, blossom."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,046 Americans carry the last name Teets. That puts it at #11,354 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.89 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 112,526 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Teets 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
3.0K
1 in 112,526
Census rank
#11,354
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,656 bearers of the surname Teets in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.89 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11354th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Teets, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Teets
The surname Teets is believed to have originated in England, possibly deriving from the Old English word "tit," which referred to a small bird or a small child. This connection suggests that the name may have initially been a nickname or descriptive name for someone with a small stature or childlike appearance.
In its earliest recorded forms, the name appeared as "Tit" or "Tyte" in various medieval records. One of the earliest documented examples is found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, which mentions a person named "Willelmus Tyte." The Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327 also lists a "Johannes Tyte."
As the name evolved, it took on various spellings, such as "Teet," "Teete," and "Teets." The spelling variation was common during this period, as standardized spelling conventions were not yet widely adopted.
One notable early bearer of the name was John Teets, a merchant and alderman in the city of Norwich, England, who lived in the late 14th century. Records indicate that he was involved in trade with the Netherlands and played a role in civic affairs.
Another early example is found in the Chancery Proceedings of the 15th century, which mention a dispute involving a "Thomas Teets" from the county of Essex.
In the 16th century, the name appears to have spread to other parts of England. The Lay Subsidy Rolls of Warwickshire from 1524-1525 list a "Robertus Teets" from the town of Stratford-upon-Avon, the birthplace of William Shakespeare.
During the 17th century, the name Teets began appearing in various parish records and other documents across England. For instance, the parish registers of St. Mary's Church in Beverley, Yorkshire, record the baptism of a child named "John Teets" in 1635.
Another notable figure was Sir George Teets, a wealthy landowner and Member of Parliament for the borough of Gatton in Surrey during the latter half of the 17th century. He was born in 1640 and died in 1712.
As the centuries progressed, the name Teets continued to be found in various regions of England, with some bearers of the name eventually migrating to other parts of the British Empire and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Teets
Among Census respondents with the surname Teets, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Teets 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 Teets surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.0% · 2,443
- Two or more races3.6% · 96
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 68
- Black or African American0.7% · 19
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Teets
Teets 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
#10,422
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,089
+139 bearers (+4.7%)
Per 100,000 1.05
Rank movement Down 348 places
2020
#11,354
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,656
-433 bearers (-14.0%)
Per 100,000 0.89
Rank movement Down 932 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,074 | 2,950 | 1.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,422 | 3,089 | 1.05 | +139 bearers (+4.7%) | Down 348 places |
| 2020 | #11,354 | 2,656 | 0.89 | -433 bearers (-14.0%) | Down 932 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 Teets 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 | #10,422 | #11,354 | -8.9% |
| Count | 3,089 | 2,656 | -14.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.05 | 0.89 | -15.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Teets bearers went from 3,089 to 2,656 (-14.0% change). The surname moved down 932 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,422 to #11,354.
FAQ
Teets surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Teets?
Name Census estimates that about 3,046 living Americans carry the surname Teets. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 112,526 residents.
How common is Teets?
Teets ranks #11,354 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.89 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 2,656 people with the surname Teets. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,046), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.89 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.89 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 Teets.
Has Teets become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Teets went from 3,089 recorded bearers to 2,656. That is a decrease of 433 (-14.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,422 to #11,354.
What does the Census say about the background of Teets?
Among Census respondents with the surname Teets, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Teets in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (2,443 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Teets appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.0%), Two or More Races (3.6%), Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Teets (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 Teets mean?
Derived from a nickname for a cheerful person, from Middle Low German "teet" meaning "sprout, blossom." 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 Teets (0.89 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 Teets?
You can see how many people are called Teets on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.