Tessier last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Tessier

A French occupational surname referring to a weaver or cloth maker.

Tessier, 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 Tessier surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tessier in America

Tessier is the 7563rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tessier surname appeared 4,394 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Tessier.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tessier to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 7563 7476 1.16%
Count 4,394 4,107 6.75%
Proportion per 100k 1.49 1.52 -1.99%

The history of the last name Tessier

The surname Tessier originates from France and dates back to the early medieval period. It is derived from the Old French word "teissier," which means a weaver or cloth maker. The name is believed to have first appeared in the regions of Normandy and Brittany, where the textile industry was prominent during the Middle Ages.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Tessier can be found in the Domesday Book, a medieval census commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The book mentions a landowner named Robert le Teissier, who held estates in Lincolnshire, England.

In the 13th century, a branch of the Tessier family settled in the village of Tessières, located in the Sarthe department of northwestern France. This place name is likely derived from the surname itself, indicating the family's prominence in the area.

During the 14th and 15th centuries, several notable individuals bearing the name Tessier emerged. One such person was Jean Tessier (c. 1330-1395), a renowned scholar and theologian who served as the rector of the University of Paris and played a significant role in the Western Schism.

Another prominent figure was Gilles Tessier (c. 1480-1550), a French lawyer and jurist who served as the President of the Parlement of Paris, one of the highest judicial positions in the kingdom at the time.

In the 16th century, the Tessier family produced several accomplished artists and writers. One of the most notable was Guillaume Tessier (c. 1520-1590), a poet and humanist who was part of the renowned Pléiade literary group. His contemporaries included prominent figures such as Pierre de Ronsard and Joachim du Bellay.

During the 17th century, the Tessier name gained prominence in the field of medicine. Jean Tessier (1597-1671) was a celebrated French physician and anatomist who made significant contributions to the study of the human body. He was appointed as the personal physician to King Louis XIII and later served as the dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Paris.

Throughout history, the surname Tessier has been associated with various professions, from weavers and artists to scholars and jurists. While its origins can be traced back to the medieval period in France, the name has since spread across the globe, reflecting the diverse journeys and achievements of those who bear it.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tessier

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

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 Tessier was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 91.67% 4,028
Non-Hispanic Black Only 3.48% 153
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.39% 17
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.80% 35
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 1.09% 48
Hispanic Origin 2.57% 113

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.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Tessier has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 91.67% 93.26% -1.72%
Black 3.48% 2.17% 46.37%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.39% 0.24% 47.62%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.80% 0.29% 93.58%
Two or More Races 1.09% 1.39% -24.19%
Hispanic 2.57% 2.65% -3.07%

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Tessier, 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!

"Tessier last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on November 9, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/tessier-surname-popularity/.

"Tessier last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/tessier-surname-popularity/. Accessed 9 November, 2024

Tessier last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/tessier-surname-popularity/.

Search for a name

Search for a first or last name to learn more about its origin, meaning, and more.

Simple as that.