2000
#144,908
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Tessnear
An occupational surname derived from Old English, likely referring to someone who lived near a thicket or undergrowth.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Tessnear. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tessnear 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
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Tessnear in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tessnear, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.9%) and Black (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tessnear
The surname TESSNEAR is believed to have originated from the northern regions of England during the Middle Ages. It is thought to be derived from an Old English phrase meaning "one who lives near the tarn," with "tess" referring to a small mountain lake or pool, and "near" indicating proximity.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where a landowner named Tesse Nere is listed as holding property in the county of Cumberland. This entry suggests that the name may have initially been a descriptive term used to identify individuals based on their location near a specific tarn.
During the 13th century, the name began to appear in various legal documents and charters across northern England. In 1245, a certain Willelmus de Tessnere was mentioned in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield, indicating that the name had gained a more permanent form as a surname by this time.
In the 14th century, the spelling of the name evolved further, with variations such as Tessenere and Tessnaire appearing in records. One notable figure bearing this surname was Roger Tessnear, a merchant from York who was mentioned in the city's guild records in 1372.
As the centuries passed, the TESSNEAR surname gradually spread beyond its northern English origins. In the 16th century, a branch of the family settled in the Scottish Lowlands, where the name was recorded as Tessner or Tesnear.
One of the most prominent individuals with this surname was Sir John Tessnear (1589-1658), an English soldier and landowner who served as a Colonel in the Royalist army during the English Civil War. He was granted estates in Staffordshire for his loyalty to King Charles I.
Another notable figure was William Tessnear (1712-1789), a renowned architect from Yorkshire who designed several churches and country houses in the Georgian style. His most famous work is the parish church of St. Mary's in the village of Tessnearby, which bears a striking resemblance to his surname.
In the 19th century, the TESSNEAR surname also made its way across the Atlantic, with several families settling in various parts of North America. One such individual was Thomas Tessnear (1813-1882), a farmer from Lincolnshire who emigrated to Ontario, Canada, in the 1840s and established a successful agricultural enterprise.
Throughout its long history, the surname TESSNEAR has maintained a strong connection to its geographical roots, reflecting the significance of place names and descriptive terms in the development of English surnames during the Middle Ages.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tessnear
Among Census respondents with the surname Tessnear, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.9%) and Black (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Tessnear 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 Tessnear surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.2% · 93
- Two or more races5.9% · 6
- Black or African American2.0% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tessnear
Tessnear 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
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-3 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 13,524 places
2020
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 3,677 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #144,908 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #158,432 | 102 | 0.03 | -3 bearers (-2.9%) | Down 13,524 places |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Up 3,677 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 Tessnear 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 | #158,432 | #154,755 | 2.3% |
| Count | 102 | 102 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 13.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tessnear bearers went from 102 to 102 (+0.0% change). The surname moved up 3,677 positions in the national ranking, going from #158,432 to #154,755.
FAQ
Tessnear surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tessnear?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Tessnear. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Tessnear?
Tessnear ranks #154,755 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 102 people with the surname Tessnear. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Tessnear.
Has Tessnear become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tessnear went from 102 recorded bearers to 102. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #158,432 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Tessnear?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tessnear, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.9%) and Black (2.0%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Tessnear in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.2% (93 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tessnear appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.2%), Two or More Races (5.9%), Black (2.0%). 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 Tessnear (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 Tessnear mean?
An occupational surname derived from Old English, likely referring to someone who lived near a thicket or undergrowth. 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 Tessnear (0.03 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 Tessnear?
You can see how many people have the surname Tessnear on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.