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

Tennille, 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 Tennille surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tennille in America

Tennille is the 76768th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tennille surname appeared 250 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 Tennille.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tennille 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 Tennille

The surname Tennille originates from France, and is believed to have first appeared in the early 12th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old French word "tenaille," which refers to a type of defensive wall or fortification with indentations, resembling pincers or tongs.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Tennille can be found in the Cartulaire de l'abbaye de Saint-Père de Chartres, a medieval manuscript from the late 12th century, which mentions a certain "Robertus de Tenailles." This suggests that the name may have originated in the region around Chartres, in northern France.

In the 13th century, the name appears in various records from the area around Normandy, such as the Livre des Bourgeois de Rouen (Book of the Burghers of Rouen), where a "Guillaume Tenaille" is mentioned. This indicates that the name had spread to other parts of northern France by this time.

The Tennille surname is also associated with several place names in France, such as the town of Tennilles in the department of Eure-et-Loir, and the hamlet of Tenailles in the department of Manche. These place names likely derive from the same root as the surname, reflecting the defensive fortifications or structures found in those locations.

One notable bearer of the Tennille surname was Jean de Tennille, a French military engineer and architect who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He is known for his work on the fortifications of several cities, including Calais and Amiens.

Another individual of historical significance with the Tennille surname was Marie-Anne de Tennille (1602-1683), a French noblewoman and lady-in-waiting to Queen Marie de' Medici. She was a prominent figure at the court of King Louis XIII.

In the 17th century, the Tennille name also appears in records from the Netherlands, suggesting that some members of the family may have migrated there from France. For example, a certain Pieter Tennille is mentioned in the archives of the city of Leiden in the late 1600s.

Moving into the 18th century, the Tennille surname surfaces in various military records from the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. One such individual was Jean-Baptiste Tennille (1765-1831), a French cavalry officer who served under Napoleon and was awarded the Legion of Honor.

In the 19th century, the name gained some prominence in the United States, likely due to French immigrants bearing the surname. One notable American with the Tennille name was Lewis Tennille (1809-1877), a politician and lawyer from Tennessee who served as a judge and member of the state legislature.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tennille

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

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

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

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