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

Tenzin, 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 Tenzin surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tenzin in America

Tenzin is the 84463rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tenzin surname appeared 222 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 Tenzin.

The history of the last name Tenzin

The surname TENZIN is of Tibetan origin and has its roots in the Buddhist tradition. It is derived from the Tibetan word "tenpa," which means "holder of the doctrine" or "upholder of the teachings." The name is closely associated with the Tibetan Buddhist monastic system and the lineage of Dalai Lamas.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name TENZIN can be traced back to the 14th century. Drakpa Gyaltsen, who later became known as the First Dalai Lama, was born in the village of Amdo in 1391 with the name Gedun Druppa. He was given the monastic name Drakpa Gyaltsen, which translates to "Holder of the Doctrine, Ocean of Compassion."

The name TENZIN gained prominence during the 17th century when the Fifth Dalai Lama, Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso (1617-1682), established the Ganden Phodrang government in Tibet. The Dalai Lamas were considered the spiritual and temporal leaders of Tibet, and the name TENZIN became closely associated with this lineage.

One of the most famous individuals with the surname TENZIN is the current 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, who was born in 1935 in Amdo, Tibet. He was recognized as the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama at a young age and assumed his spiritual and political responsibilities after fleeing to India during the Tibetan uprising against Chinese occupation in 1959.

Another notable figure with the surname TENZIN is Tenzin Deleg Rinpoche (1950-2015), a prominent Tibetan Buddhist lama and political prisoner. He was imprisoned by Chinese authorities for his advocacy of Tibetan independence and spent over two decades in prison before his release in 2015.

Tenzin Palmo (born 1943) is a Tibetan Buddhist nun and author who is known for her work in promoting the education and empowerment of women in the Buddhist tradition. She is the founder of the Dongyu Gatsal Ling Nunnery in Himachal Pradesh, India.

Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche (born 1961) is a renowned Tibetan Buddhist teacher and author who has written extensively on the Bon Buddhist tradition and practices such as dream yoga and sleep yoga. He is the founder of the Ligmincha Institute and has students worldwide.

Tenzin Choegyal (1920-2007) was a Tibetan political leader and the youngest brother of the 14th Dalai Lama. He played a significant role in the Tibetan resistance movement against Chinese occupation and served as the representative of the Tibetan government-in-exile in various countries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tenzin

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

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 Tenzin 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.

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!