2000
#7,654
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,008
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.49
Rare Last name
Tennyson
A patronymic surname derived from the given name Dennis, meaning "follower of Dionysus" or "god of wine."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,496 Americans carry the last name Tennyson. That puts it at #8,093 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.31 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 76,235 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tennyson 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 Tennyson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.5K
1 in 76,235
Census rank
#8,093
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,921 bearers of the surname Tennyson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.31 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8093rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tennyson, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.9%. The next largest groups are Black (18.6%) and Hispanic (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tennyson
Among Census respondents with the surname Tennyson, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.9%. The next largest groups are Black (18.6%) and Hispanic (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Tennyson 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 Tennyson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White70.9% · 2,781
- Black or African American18.6% · 731
- Hispanic or Latino4.7% · 184
- Two or more races3.9% · 154
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 39
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 32
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tennyson
Tennyson 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
#8,060
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,110
+102 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 1.39
Rank movement Down 406 places
2020
#8,093
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,921
-189 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 1.31
Rank movement Down 33 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,654 | 4,008 | 1.49 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,060 | 4,110 | 1.39 | +102 bearers (+2.5%) | Down 406 places |
| 2020 | #8,093 | 3,921 | 1.31 | -189 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 33 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 Tennyson 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 | #8,060 | #8,093 | -0.4% |
| Count | 4,110 | 3,921 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.39 | 1.31 | -5.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tennyson bearers went from 4,110 to 3,921 (-4.6% change). The surname moved down 33 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,060 to #8,093.
FAQ
Tennyson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tennyson?
Name Census estimates that about 4,496 living Americans carry the surname Tennyson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 76,235 residents.
How common is Tennyson?
Tennyson ranks #8,093 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.31 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 3,921 people with the surname Tennyson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,496), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.31 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.31 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 Tennyson.
Has Tennyson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tennyson went from 4,110 recorded bearers to 3,921. That is a decrease of 189 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,060 to #8,093.
What does the Census say about the background of Tennyson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tennyson, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.9%. The next largest groups are Black (18.6%) and Hispanic (4.7%). 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 Tennyson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 70.9% (2,781 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tennyson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (70.9%), Black (18.6%), Hispanic (4.7%). 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 Tennyson (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 Tennyson mean?
A patronymic surname derived from the given name Dennis, meaning "follower of Dionysus" or "god of wine." 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 Tennyson (1.31 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 Tennyson?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.