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

Tenn, 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 Tenn surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tenn in America

Tenn is the 49914th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tenn surname appeared 420 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Tenn.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tenn 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 Tenn

The surname Tenn is of English origin, with roots tracing back to the late medieval period. It is believed to have originated as a locational name, derived from various place names in England that contained the Old English word "denn," meaning a pasture or a wooded valley.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Tenn surname can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1195, which mention a person named Walter de Denne. This suggests that the name may have originated in areas like Gloucestershire or neighboring counties where similar place names existed.

In the Hundred Rolls of 1273, there are references to individuals with the surnames Attedene and de la Dene, which are likely variations of the same locational name. These records provide valuable insights into the evolution of the surname over time.

The Domesday Book, the famous survey commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the Tenn surname. However, it does mention several places with names containing the element "denn," such as Dene in Hampshire and Dennes in Suffolk, further supporting the locational origin of the name.

One notable historical figure with the surname Tenn was John Tenn, a English merchant and Member of Parliament for Westbury in the late 16th century (born around 1540, died circa 1610). Another was William Tenn, a renowned English printer and publisher who lived in the early 17th century (born around 1585, died 1648).

In the 18th century, there was a Thomas Tenn (1721-1795), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Master of Pembroke College, Cambridge. A century later, George Tenn (1819-1894) was a prominent English architect known for his work on several churches and public buildings in the Victorian era.

One of the most notable individuals with the Tenn surname was Sir James Tenn (1875-1955), a British civil engineer and industrialist who played a significant role in the development of the automotive industry in the early 20th century, working closely with companies like Rolls-Royce and Bentley.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tenn

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

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

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

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