2000
#78,838
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 225
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.08
Rare Last name
Tenant
An English surname derived from the Old French word "tenant" meaning an occupant or holder of land under a feudal system.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,472 Americans carry the last name Tenant. That puts it at #8,126 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.30 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 76,645 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tenant 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 Tenant with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.5K
1 in 76,645
Census rank
#8,126
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,900 bearers of the surname Tenant in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.30 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8126th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tenant, the largest self-reported group is White at 47.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (22.7%) and Black (19.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tenant
The surname Tenant is an occupational name derived from the Old French word 'tenaunt', meaning 'one who holds land or property from a superior'. It originated in medieval England and France during the feudal system, when land was held by tenants who paid rent or service to their lord.
The name can be traced back to the 12th century in England, with early recordings such as William le Tenaunt in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1166. It is also found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which recorded landholders and tenants across England after the Norman Conquest.
In France, the name was recorded as Tenant or Tenand, with variations like Tenart and Tenan. One of the earliest known bearers was Renaud Tenant, a member of the French nobility in the 12th century.
As the surname spread across Europe, it took on different spellings and variations. In Germany, it became Tenante or Tenanter, while in the Netherlands, it was spelled as Tenanten or Tenantius.
Notable historical figures with the surname Tenant include Sir Thomas Tenant (1523-1589), an English lawyer and Member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. In Scotland, there was James Tenant (1771-1849), a prominent lawyer and author of legal texts.
Other notable Tenants include John Tenant (1670-1728), an English mathematician and astronomer, and William Tenant (1777-1859), a Scottish minister and writer known for his historical works on the Scottish Covenanters.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, many Tenant families emigrated from Europe to the Americas, particularly to the British colonies. This led to the establishment of the surname in North America and other parts of the New World.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tenant
Among Census respondents with the surname Tenant, the largest self-reported group is White at 47.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (22.7%) and Black (19.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Tenant 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 Tenant surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White47.8% · 1,863
- Hispanic or Latino22.7% · 886
- Black or African American19.7% · 768
- Asian and Pacific Islander7.1% · 277
- Two or more races2.4% · 95
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tenant
Tenant 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
#85,659
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 218
-7 bearers (-3.1%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 6,821 places
2020
#8,126
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,900
+3,682 bearers (+1689.0%)
Per 100,000 1.30
Rank movement Up 77,533 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #78,838 | 225 | 0.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #85,659 | 218 | 0.07 | -7 bearers (-3.1%) | Down 6,821 places |
| 2020 | #8,126 | 3,900 | 1.30 | +3,682 bearers (+1689.0%) | Up 77,533 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 Tenant 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 | #85,659 | #8,126 | 90.5% |
| Count | 218 | 3,900 | 1689.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 1.30 | 1764.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tenant bearers went from 218 to 3,900 (+1689.0% change). The surname moved up 77,533 positions in the national ranking, going from #85,659 to #8,126.
FAQ
Tenant surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tenant?
Name Census estimates that about 4,472 living Americans carry the surname Tenant. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 76,645 residents.
How common is Tenant?
Tenant ranks #8,126 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.30 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 3,900 people with the surname Tenant. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,472), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.3 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.30 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 Tenant.
Has Tenant become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tenant went from 218 recorded bearers to 3,900. That is an increase of 3,682 (+1689.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #85,659 to #8,126.
What does the Census say about the background of Tenant?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tenant, the largest self-reported group is White at 47.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (22.7%) and Black (19.7%). 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 Tenant in the 2020 Census, accounting for 47.8% (1,863 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tenant appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (47.8%), Hispanic (22.7%), Black (19.7%). 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 Tenant (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 Tenant mean?
An English surname derived from the Old French word "tenant" meaning an occupant or holder of land under a feudal system. 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 Tenant (1.30 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 share the surname Tenant?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.