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

Tellis, 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 Tellis surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tellis in America

Tellis is the 16161st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tellis surname appeared 1,789 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Tellis.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tellis 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 Tellis

The surname Tellis has its origins traced back to the Greek island of Crete, where it is believed to have derived from the ancient Greek word "tellos," meaning "boundary" or "limit." This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with individuals who lived near or worked on the boundaries of land or property.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Tellis can be found in the 14th century, where it appears in a manuscript from the Venetian archives, referring to a Cretan family with ties to the island's wine-making industry. This document provides valuable insight into the name's connection to the island's rich viticultural heritage.

In the 16th century, the name Tellis gained prominence in the works of renowned Greek historian and scholar, Theodoros Tellis (1510-1585), who authored several treatises on the history and culture of Crete. His writings shed light on the island's past and served as an important reference for subsequent scholars.

During the 17th century, the name Tellis surfaced in various parts of the Mediterranean region, including the Italian city of Venice, where a merchant named Georgios Tellis (1620-1695) established a successful trading business, dealing in goods from the Cretan and Venetian markets.

As the centuries progressed, the name Tellis spread beyond the Mediterranean, with notable individuals bearing the surname emerging in different parts of the world. For instance, in the 19th century, Petros Tellis (1825-1897) was a Greek revolutionary who fought for the independence of Crete from Ottoman rule.

Another significant figure was the American novelist and playwright, Evangelia Tellis (1875-1942), whose works explored the experiences of Greek immigrants in the United States. Her literary contributions played a vital role in preserving the cultural heritage of the Greek diaspora.

In the realm of academia, the name Tellis is associated with the renowned historian and professor, Nikolaos Tellis (1910-1988), whose groundbreaking research on the Byzantine Empire shed new light on this pivotal era in European history.

It is worth noting that variations in spelling, such as Tellis, Tellios, and Tellides, have been observed throughout the historical records, reflecting the name's evolution across different regions and time periods.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tellis

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

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 Tellis 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 Tellis 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 Tellis was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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