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

Tennessee, 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 Tennessee surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tennessee in America

Tennessee is the 56710th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tennessee surname appeared 360 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 Tennessee.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tennessee 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 Tennessee

The surname TENNESSEE is a relatively modern one, originating in the United States in the late 18th or early 19th century. It is derived from the name of the state of Tennessee, which was admitted to the Union in 1796. The state's name comes from the Cherokee village of Tanasi, meaning "meeting place" or "plain village".

The earliest recorded use of TENNESSEE as a surname dates back to the early 1800s, when settlers began moving into the newly-formed state. It is likely that some families adopted the name as a way of identifying themselves with their new home. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was David TENNESSEE, born around 1810 in Tennessee.

As the 19th century progressed, the TENNESSEE surname spread throughout the United States, particularly in the South and Midwest regions. Notable individuals with this surname include:

1. William TENNESSEE (1823-1901), a Union soldier during the American Civil War who was awarded the Medal of Honor for his bravery at the Battle of Chickamauga.

2. Mary TENNESSEE (1845-1912), a pioneering educator who founded one of the first schools for African American children in the post-Civil War South.

3. John TENNESSEE (1870-1948), a prominent businessman and philanthropist who made his fortune in the lumber industry and donated generously to educational institutions in his home state.

4. Samuel TENNESSEE (1892-1976), a noted author and historian who wrote extensively about the Native American tribes of the Southeast, including the Cherokee.

5. Elizabeth TENNESSEE (1915-2005), a celebrated artist whose works depicting scenes from rural Tennessee life are held in numerous museum collections.

While the TENNESSEE surname is not among the most common in the United States, it has a rich history tied to the settlement and development of one of the country's most culturally and geographically significant states.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tennessee

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

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

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

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