2000
#141,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Terzyan
An Armenian surname meaning son of a tailor or weaver.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Terzyan. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Terzyan 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.
Bearers in the US
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Terzyan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Terzyan, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Terzyan
The surname Terzyan has its origins in Armenia, and it first appeared in the historical records of the region during the 11th century. The name is derived from the Armenian word "tertz," which means "teacher" or "instructor." It is believed that the surname was initially given to individuals who worked as educators or tutors in Armenian communities.
In the early days, the name was often spelled as "Terzian" or "Tertzian," reflecting the variations in pronunciation and spelling that were common in that era. The earliest known record of the name can be found in a medieval Armenian manuscript dating back to the year 1067, where a certain "Vahram Terzian" is mentioned as a renowned scholar and teacher in the city of Ani, which was then the capital of the Bagratid Kingdom of Armenia.
Over the centuries, the Terzyan name has been associated with several notable figures in Armenian history and literature. One of the most prominent was Hovhannes Terzyan, a 17th-century Armenian poet and theologian who authored several influential works on religion and philosophy. Another notable bearer of the name was Khachatur Terzyan, a 19th-century Armenian writer and educator who played a significant role in the development of modern Armenian literature.
In the 13th century, during the Mongol invasions of Armenia, many Terzyan families fled their homeland and settled in various parts of the Byzantine Empire and other regions of the Middle East. This diaspora helped to spread the name across a wider geographical area, and it can be found in historical records from places like Istanbul, Aleppo, and Jerusalem.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Terzyan name outside of Armenia can be found in a 14th-century Ottoman tax register, which lists a certain "Hagop Terzyan" as a resident of the city of Bursa, located in modern-day Turkey. Another notable figure was Petros Terzyan, a 16th-century Armenian merchant and diplomat who served as an envoy for the Ottoman Empire in various European courts.
Throughout the centuries, the Terzyan name has been carried by numerous individuals who have made their mark in various fields, including art, literature, music, and politics. Some examples include Vardges Terzyan, a 19th-century Armenian painter known for his landscapes and portraits; Dikran Terzyan, a 20th-century Armenian composer and conductor; and Hovsep Terzyan, a prominent political figure who played a significant role in the Armenian independence movement of the early 20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Terzyan
Among Census respondents with the surname Terzyan, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Terzyan 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 Terzyan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.2% · 108
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Terzyan
Terzyan 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
#131,379
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
+21 bearers (+19.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 10,409 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-19 bearers (-14.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 18,067 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #141,788 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #131,379 | 129 | 0.04 | +21 bearers (+19.4%) | Up 10,409 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | -19 bearers (-14.7%) | Down 18,067 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 Terzyan 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 | #131,379 | #149,446 | -13.8% |
| Count | 129 | 110 | -14.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Terzyan bearers went from 129 to 110 (-14.7% change). The surname moved down 18,067 positions in the national ranking, going from #131,379 to #149,446.
FAQ
Terzyan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Terzyan?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Terzyan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Terzyan?
Terzyan ranks #149,446 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 110 people with the surname Terzyan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Terzyan.
Has Terzyan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Terzyan went from 129 recorded bearers to 110. That is a decrease of 19 (-14.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #131,379 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Terzyan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Terzyan, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Terzyan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.2% (108 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Terzyan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.2%), Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Terzyan (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 Terzyan mean?
An Armenian surname meaning son of a tailor or weaver. 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 Terzyan (0.04 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 common is the surname Terzyan?
Want to know how many people have the last name Terzyan? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.