2000
#26,125
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 881
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.33
Rare Last name
Teo
A surname originating from a contracted form of the Greek name Theodore.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,515 Americans carry the last name Teo. That puts it at #13,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.73 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 136,284 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Teo 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 Teo with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.5K
1 in 136,284
Census rank
#13,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,193 bearers of the surname Teo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.73 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Teo, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 49.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (25.1%) and White (14.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Teo
The surname TEO originated in Italy during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Latin name Theodorus, which means "gift of God." The name was initially spelled as Teo or Theo, and it was common among early Christian communities in Italy.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name TEO can be found in the Codice Diplomatico Longobardo, a collection of documents from the Lombard period in Italy (568-774 AD). In this collection, a man named Teo is mentioned as a landowner in the region of Tuscany.
During the Renaissance period, the name TEO became more widespread in Italy. In the 14th century, a Florentine scholar named Teo Borgognoni (1292-1369) was known for his contributions to the study of canon law and theology.
In the 16th century, a wealthy merchant family from Venice, the Teo family, gained prominence. One of its members, Andrea Teo (1508-1572), was a successful trader and philanthropist who funded the construction of several churches and hospitals in Venice.
Another notable bearer of the surname TEO was Giacomo Teo (1605-1672), an Italian painter from Bologna. He was known for his religious paintings and frescoes adorning various churches in Italy.
In the 18th century, a Spanish military officer named Tomás Teo (1724-1789) played a significant role in the Spanish conquest of the Philippines. He was appointed as the governor of the island of Mindanao and was instrumental in establishing Spanish control over the region.
The surname TEO also found its way to other parts of Europe. In the 19th century, a German philosopher named Friedrich Teo (1821-1891) gained recognition for his work on ethics and the philosophy of religion.
While the surname TEO has its roots in Italy, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through immigration and cultural exchange. However, its origins and historical significance remain closely tied to the Italian peninsula and its rich cultural heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Teo
Among Census respondents with the surname Teo, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 49.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (25.1%) and White (14.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Teo 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 Teo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander49.9% · 1,094
- Hispanic or Latino25.1% · 551
- White14.0% · 306
- Two or more races6.3% · 139
- Black or African American3.9% · 85
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Teo
Teo 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
#18,007
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,550
+669 bearers (+75.9%)
Per 100,000 0.53
Rank movement Up 8,118 places
2020
#13,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,193
+643 bearers (+41.5%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Up 4,698 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #26,125 | 881 | 0.33 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #18,007 | 1,550 | 0.53 | +669 bearers (+75.9%) | Up 8,118 places |
| 2020 | #13,309 | 2,193 | 0.73 | +643 bearers (+41.5%) | Up 4,698 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 Teo 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 | #18,007 | #13,309 | 26.1% |
| Count | 1,550 | 2,193 | 41.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.53 | 0.73 | 38.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Teo bearers went from 1,550 to 2,193 (+41.5% change). The surname moved up 4,698 positions in the national ranking, going from #18,007 to #13,309.
FAQ
Teo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Teo?
Name Census estimates that about 2,515 living Americans carry the surname Teo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 136,284 residents.
How common is Teo?
Teo ranks #13,309 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.73 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 2,193 people with the surname Teo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,515), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.73 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.73 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 Teo.
Has Teo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Teo went from 1,550 recorded bearers to 2,193. That is an increase of 643 (+41.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #18,007 to #13,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Teo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Teo, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 49.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (25.1%) and White (14.0%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Teo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 49.9% (1,094 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Teo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (49.9%), Hispanic (25.1%), White (14.0%). 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 Teo (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 Teo mean?
A surname originating from a contracted form of the Greek name Theodore. 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 Teo (0.73 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 Americans have the surname Teo?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.