2000
#5,727
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,549
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.06
Rare Last name
Terrill
Derived from a French place name meaning "stubble field," likely referring to someone who lived near or owned such a field.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,031 Americans carry the last name Terrill. That puts it at #6,238 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.76 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 56,832 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Terrill 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 Terrill with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.0K
1 in 56,832
Census rank
#6,238
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,259 bearers of the surname Terrill in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.76 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6238th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Terrill, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Terrill
The surname Terrill has its origins in England, dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old French word "tertre," meaning a small hill or mound. This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with individuals who lived near or on a hill or elevated ground.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of land and property ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror, there is a mention of a place called "Terryll" in Somerset, which could be an early spelling variation of the surname.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Terrill can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273, where a person named William Terrill was listed as a landowner. This indicates that the surname was already established and in use during this time period.
In the 14th century, a John Terrill was documented as a member of the parliament in Derbyshire, England, suggesting that the family had gained some prominence and social standing.
During the 16th century, the surname Terrill was found in various records, including those of Thomas Terrill (1520-1580), who was a wealthy merchant and landowner in Gloucestershire, and his son, John Terrill (1550-1615), who served as a Member of Parliament for the same county.
In the 17th century, a notable figure was Sir Samuel Terrill (1615-1676), an English judge and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Stockbridge and later became a justice of the King's Bench.
Another prominent individual with the surname Terrill was Rev. Edward Terrill (1696-1762), an English clergyman and author who published several religious works and served as the rector of various parishes in Hampshire and Wiltshire.
In the 19th century, one of the most famous individuals with the surname Terrill was William Terrill (1834-1862), a Union Army brigadier general during the American Civil War who was killed in action at the Battle of Perryville.
While the surname Terrill has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including North America, Australia, and New Zealand, where individuals with this surname can be found today.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Terrill
Among Census respondents with the surname Terrill, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Terrill 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 Terrill surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.5% · 4,603
- Two or more races4.3% · 227
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 193
- Black or African American2.7% · 144
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 54
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 38
Timeline
Historical Census data for Terrill
Terrill 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
#6,075
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,641
+92 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 1.91
Rank movement Down 348 places
2020
#6,238
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,259
-382 bearers (-6.8%)
Per 100,000 1.76
Rank movement Down 163 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,727 | 5,549 | 2.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,075 | 5,641 | 1.91 | +92 bearers (+1.7%) | Down 348 places |
| 2020 | #6,238 | 5,259 | 1.76 | -382 bearers (-6.8%) | Down 163 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 Terrill 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 | #6,075 | #6,238 | -2.7% |
| Count | 5,641 | 5,259 | -6.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.91 | 1.76 | -7.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Terrill bearers went from 5,641 to 5,259 (-6.8% change). The surname moved down 163 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,075 to #6,238.
FAQ
Terrill surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Terrill?
Name Census estimates that about 6,031 living Americans carry the surname Terrill. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 56,832 residents.
How common is Terrill?
Terrill ranks #6,238 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.76 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,259 people with the surname Terrill. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,031), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.76 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.76 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Terrill.
Has Terrill become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Terrill went from 5,641 recorded bearers to 5,259. That is a decrease of 382 (-6.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,075 to #6,238.
What does the Census say about the background of Terrill?
Among Census respondents with the surname Terrill, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Terrill in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.5% (4,603 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Terrill appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.5%), Two or More Races (4.3%), Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Terrill (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 Terrill mean?
Derived from a French place name meaning "stubble field," likely referring to someone who lived near or owned such a field. 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 Terrill (1.76 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 Terrill?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.