2000
#7,396
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,154
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.54
Rare Last name
Tester
An occupational surname referring to a person who tasted food and drink for nobility to check for poison.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,666 Americans carry the last name Tester. That puts it at #7,818 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.36 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 73,458 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tester 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 Tester with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.7K
1 in 73,458
Census rank
#7,818
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,069 bearers of the surname Tester in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.36 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7818th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tester, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tester
The surname Tester has its origins in medieval England, tracing back to the 14th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "tæstan," meaning "to test or examine." This suggests that the name was likely an occupational surname given to individuals whose profession involved testing or inspecting goods or materials.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Tester can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273, where a John le Tester is mentioned. This reference indicates that the name was already in use during the 13th century and further supports its occupational origins.
In the 15th century, the surname appears in various records across England, including the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1427, which lists a Thomas Tester. The name also surfaces in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1487, mentioning a William Tester.
During the 16th century, the surname Tester became more widespread, with notable individuals such as John Tester, a clergyman who served as the Archdeacon of Lewes from 1561 to 1573. Another notable figure was Richard Tester, a merchant from London who was born around 1520 and dealt in the wool trade.
The 17th century brought forth several prominent individuals bearing the Tester surname. One such person was Thomas Tester, a renowned mathematician and astronomer who was born in 1608 and made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics. Another notable figure was William Tester, a scholar and author who published works on theology and philosophy in the late 1600s.
In the 18th century, the Tester surname continued to be found in various parts of England, with records showing individuals like John Tester, a landowner and farmer from Warwickshire, born in 1712. Additionally, there was Robert Tester, a merchant and ship owner from Bristol, who was active in the early 1700s.
As the name spread across England, it also found its way to other parts of the British Isles and eventually to North America through immigration. One notable American with the Tester surname was Samuel Tester, a Revolutionary War soldier from Virginia who fought in the Battle of Brandywine in 1777.
Throughout its history, the surname Tester has been associated with various occupations, from clergymen and scholars to merchants and farmers, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and pursuits of those who bore this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tester
Among Census respondents with the surname Tester, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Tester 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 Tester surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.0% · 3,704
- Two or more races4.2% · 172
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 126
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 31
- Black or African American0.5% · 20
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tester
Tester 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
#7,663
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,334
+180 bearers (+4.3%)
Per 100,000 1.47
Rank movement Down 267 places
2020
#7,818
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,069
-265 bearers (-6.1%)
Per 100,000 1.36
Rank movement Down 155 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,396 | 4,154 | 1.54 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,663 | 4,334 | 1.47 | +180 bearers (+4.3%) | Down 267 places |
| 2020 | #7,818 | 4,069 | 1.36 | -265 bearers (-6.1%) | Down 155 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 Tester 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 | #7,663 | #7,818 | -2.0% |
| Count | 4,334 | 4,069 | -6.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.47 | 1.36 | -7.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tester bearers went from 4,334 to 4,069 (-6.1% change). The surname moved down 155 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,663 to #7,818.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Tester
FAQ
Tester surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tester?
Name Census estimates that about 4,666 living Americans carry the surname Tester. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 73,458 residents.
How common is Tester?
Tester ranks #7,818 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.36 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 4,069 people with the surname Tester. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,666), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.36 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.36 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 Tester.
Has Tester become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tester went from 4,334 recorded bearers to 4,069. That is a decrease of 265 (-6.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,663 to #7,818.
What does the Census say about the background of Tester?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tester, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Tester in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.0% (3,704 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tester appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.0%), Two or More Races (4.2%), Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Tester (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 Tester mean?
An occupational surname referring to a person who tasted food and drink for nobility to check for poison. 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 Tester (1.36 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 have the last name Tester?
See how many Americans have the surname Tester on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.