2000
#144,908
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Teis
A surname of German origin signifying one who lived near a mill pond or stream.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Teis. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Teis 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Teis in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Teis, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Teis
The surname Teis is believed to have originated from the German language, with its roots tracing back to the Middle Ages. The name is thought to be derived from the Old German word "teiss," which meant "thigh" or "leg." This suggests that the name may have initially been a descriptive nickname given to someone with a distinctive physical characteristic or perhaps a profession related to legs or thighs, such as a shoemaker or a leatherworker.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Teis can be found in the historical records of the city of Cologne, Germany, where a certain Johannes Teis is mentioned in a document dated 1397. This document provides evidence that the name was in use during the late 14th century in the region of the Rhineland.
In the 15th century, the name Teis appears in various records across different parts of Germany, including the city of Nuremberg, where a merchant named Hans Teis is documented in a trade register from 1472. This suggests that the name had spread to various regions and was associated with various occupations during this period.
During the 16th century, the name Teis gained further prominence, with notable individuals bearing this surname. One such person was Johann Teis, a German theologian and reformer born in 1501 in the town of Felsberg, who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation movements of his time.
Another prominent individual with the surname Teis was Hans Teis, a German artist and engraver born in 1529 in Nuremberg. His woodcuts and engravings, particularly those depicting biblical scenes, were highly regarded during the Renaissance period.
In the 17th century, the name Teis can be found in records from the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg, where a nobleman named Friedrich Teis is mentioned as a landowner and local official in a document from 1687.
As the centuries progressed, the name Teis continued to be present in various German regions, with notable individuals such as Johann Teis, a German philosopher and author born in 1751 in the town of Altenburg, and Wilhelm Teis, a German composer and musician born in 1816 in the city of Leipzig.
It is worth noting that variations in the spelling of the name, such as Teys, Teiss, or Teiß, can also be found in historical records, reflecting regional dialects and language changes over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Teis
Among Census respondents with the surname Teis, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Teis 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 Teis surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.0% · 107
- Two or more races3.5% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Teis
Teis 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
#128,249
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 133
+28 bearers (+26.7%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 16,659 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-18 bearers (-13.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 17,508 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #144,908 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #128,249 | 133 | 0.05 | +28 bearers (+26.7%) | Up 16,659 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | -18 bearers (-13.5%) | Down 17,508 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 Teis 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 | #128,249 | #145,757 | -13.7% |
| Count | 133 | 115 | -13.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -23.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Teis bearers went from 133 to 115 (-13.5% change). The surname moved down 17,508 positions in the national ranking, going from #128,249 to #145,757.
FAQ
Teis surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Teis?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Teis. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Teis?
Teis ranks #145,757 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 115 people with the surname Teis. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), 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 Teis.
Has Teis become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Teis went from 133 recorded bearers to 115. That is a decrease of 18 (-13.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #128,249 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Teis?
Among Census respondents with the surname Teis, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Teis in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.0% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Teis appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.0%), Two or More Races (3.5%), Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Teis (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 Teis mean?
A surname of German origin signifying one who lived near a mill pond or stream. 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 Teis (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 common is the surname Teis?
Want to know how many people have the last name Teis? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.