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

Tennyson, 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 Tennyson surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tennyson in America

Tennyson is the 8060th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tennyson surname appeared 4,110 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 Tennyson.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tennyson 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 Tennyson

The surname Tennyson has its origins in England, where it first emerged in the 12th century. It is a locational name derived from the place name Tennyson, which itself comes from the Old English words "tenny" meaning "the tene" and "tun" meaning "farm or enclosure." The surname therefore originally referred to someone who hailed from the farm or settlement known as Tennyson.

The earliest recorded instance of the surname Tennyson dates back to the 13th century. In the Hundred Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1273, there is mention of a Robert de Tennysun. This indicates that the name was already established in that region by the 13th century.

One of the most famous individuals to bear the surname Tennyson was Alfred Tennyson (1809-1892), the renowned English poet who served as Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom from 1850 until his death. His works, such as "In Memoriam A.H.H." and "Idylls of the King," have had a lasting impact on English literature.

Another notable Tennyson was Lionel Tennyson (1809-1892), the younger brother of Alfred Tennyson. He was a respected clergyman and author in his own right, publishing several works on religious subjects.

In the 16th century, there was a Richard Tennyson (c. 1550-1615), who served as the High Sheriff of Lincolnshire in 1597. This suggests that the Tennyson family had achieved a certain level of prominence in that region by that time.

The surname Tennyson has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Tennyson's Close in Lincolnshire, which is believed to be named after the family's ancestral home.

Other notable individuals bearing the surname Tennyson include Charles Tennyson (1808-1879), an English clergyman and writer who was the younger brother of Alfred Tennyson, and Hallam Tennyson (1920-2005), a British politician and writer who served as the 2nd Baron Tennyson and was a direct descendant of the poet Alfred Tennyson.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tennyson

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

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

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

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