2000
#13,567
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,053
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.76
Rare Last name
Tefft
Derived from a Middle English word meaning "tough" or "hardy," likely referring to a stubborn or resolute person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,228 Americans carry the last name Tefft. That puts it at #14,684 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.65 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 153,839 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tefft 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 153,839
Census rank
#14,684
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,943 bearers of the surname Tefft in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.65 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14684th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tefft, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tefft
The surname Tefft is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "toft," which referred to a homestead or a parcel of land adjacent to a house. The name likely emerged in the medieval period, possibly as early as the 11th century.
The earliest recorded instances of the Tefft surname can be traced back to the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk in East Anglia, England. It is believed that the name was initially used as a descriptive term for individuals who lived on or near a homestead or a small village.
In the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landholdings in England compiled in 1086, there are several references to places with names derived from the word "toft," such as Toftrees and Tofthouse. However, the specific surname Tefft is not mentioned in this historical document.
One of the earliest recorded bearers of the Tefft surname was William Tefft, who lived in Norfolk, England, in the late 13th century. Another notable individual was John Tefft, born around 1420 in Suffolk, who was a prominent landowner and served as a local magistrate.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname Tefft began to spread beyond East Anglia, with families bearing the name settling in other parts of England, such as Gloucestershire and Wiltshire. In the 17th century, a branch of the Tefft family emigrated to the American colonies, establishing roots in Rhode Island and Massachusetts.
Among the notable individuals with the surname Tefft throughout history are:
1. Thomas Tefft (1610-1675), one of the earliest settlers in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, and a prominent figure in the colonial government.
2. Benjamin Tefft (1725-1789), a farmer and landowner in Smithfield, Rhode Island, who served in the American Revolutionary War.
3. Josiah Tefft (1778-1843), a Baptist minister and educator in New York, who founded the Hamilton Literary and Theological Institution (now Colgate University).
4. Mary Tefft (1822-1895), an American educator and activist who campaigned for women's rights and the abolition of slavery.
5. Wilbur Fisk Tefft (1852-1934), a prominent businessman and philanthropist in Kansas City, Missouri, who contributed to the development of the city's infrastructure and cultural institutions.
While the Tefft surname has its roots in England, it has since spread to various parts of the world, with families bearing the name found in countries such as the United States, Canada, and Australia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tefft
Among Census respondents with the surname Tefft, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Tefft 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 Tefft surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.6% · 1,779
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 76
- Two or more races3.3% · 65
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 10
- Black or African American0.4% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tefft
Tefft 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
#14,478
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,062
+9 bearers (+0.4%)
Per 100,000 0.70
Rank movement Down 911 places
2020
#14,684
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,943
-119 bearers (-5.8%)
Per 100,000 0.65
Rank movement Down 206 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,567 | 2,053 | 0.76 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,478 | 2,062 | 0.70 | +9 bearers (+0.4%) | Down 911 places |
| 2020 | #14,684 | 1,943 | 0.65 | -119 bearers (-5.8%) | Down 206 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 Tefft 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 | #14,478 | #14,684 | -1.4% |
| Count | 2,062 | 1,943 | -5.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.70 | 0.65 | -7.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tefft bearers went from 2,062 to 1,943 (-5.8% change). The surname moved down 206 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,478 to #14,684.
FAQ
Tefft surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tefft?
Name Census estimates that about 2,228 living Americans carry the surname Tefft. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 153,839 residents.
How common is Tefft?
Tefft ranks #14,684 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.65 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 1,943 people with the surname Tefft. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,228), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.65 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.65 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 Tefft.
Has Tefft become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tefft went from 2,062 recorded bearers to 1,943. That is a decrease of 119 (-5.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,478 to #14,684.
What does the Census say about the background of Tefft?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tefft, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Tefft in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.6% (1,779 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tefft appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.6%), Hispanic (3.9%), Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Tefft (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 Tefft mean?
Derived from a Middle English word meaning "tough" or "hardy," likely referring to a stubborn or resolute person. 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 Tefft (0.65 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 common is the surname Tefft?
Want to know how common the surname Tefft is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.