2000
#5,177
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,204
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.30
Rare Last name
Theis
A German and Dutch surname derived from the given name Matthias or Mathias, meaning "gift of Yahweh."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,106 Americans carry the last name Theis. That puts it at #5,436 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 48,234 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Theis 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 Theis with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.1K
1 in 48,234
Census rank
#5,436
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,197 bearers of the surname Theis in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5436th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Theis, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Theis
The surname Theis is of German origin, originating in the regions of Bavaria and Franconia during the medieval period. It is derived from the Germanic personal name "Theudis," which means "ruler of the people." The name was likely introduced into the region by the Visigoths, a Germanic tribe that ruled parts of Europe in the early medieval era.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Theis can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of medieval documents from Bavaria, which mentions a person named "Theudo" in the year 788. The name also appears in the Freisinger Traditionen, a record of property transfers in the Freising region of Bavaria, from the 9th century.
In the 13th century, the name Theis was documented in various legal and administrative records in the town of Nuremberg, a prominent city in Franconia. One notable figure from this time was Johannes Theis, a merchant and member of the town council, who lived around 1260.
During the 15th and 16th centuries, the name Theis gained popularity among the educated and affluent classes in southern Germany. Johann Theis, a renowned humanist scholar and poet, was born in Nuremberg in 1455. Another prominent individual was Georg Theis, a Reformation-era theologian and professor at the University of Wittenberg, who lived from 1488 to 1542.
In the 17th century, the name Theis spread to other parts of Germany and neighboring regions. One notable figure was Johann Friedrich Theis (1618-1688), a German composer and organist who served at the court of the Duke of Saxe-Gotha.
As the Theis family migrated to different parts of Europe and beyond, the name underwent various spelling variations, such as Theiss, Theiss, and Teis. In the 19th century, a prominent American figure with this surname was Lewis Theis (1824-1897), a Union Army officer during the American Civil War.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Theis
Among Census respondents with the surname Theis, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Theis 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 Theis surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.9% · 5,692
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 208
- Two or more races2.8% · 175
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 58
- Black or African American0.7% · 44
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 20
Timeline
Historical Census data for Theis
Theis 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
#5,417
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,425
+221 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 2.18
Rank movement Down 240 places
2020
#5,436
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,197
-228 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 2.07
Rank movement Down 19 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,177 | 6,204 | 2.30 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,417 | 6,425 | 2.18 | +221 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 240 places |
| 2020 | #5,436 | 6,197 | 2.07 | -228 bearers (-3.5%) | Down 19 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 Theis 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 | #5,417 | #5,436 | -0.4% |
| Count | 6,425 | 6,197 | -3.5% |
| Per 100K | 2.18 | 2.07 | -4.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Theis bearers went from 6,425 to 6,197 (-3.5% change). The surname moved down 19 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,417 to #5,436.
FAQ
Theis surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Theis?
Name Census estimates that about 7,106 living Americans carry the surname Theis. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 48,234 residents.
How common is Theis?
Theis ranks #5,436 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.07 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 6,197 people with the surname Theis. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,106), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.07 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 Theis.
Has Theis become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Theis went from 6,425 recorded bearers to 6,197. That is a decrease of 228 (-3.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,417 to #5,436.
What does the Census say about the background of Theis?
Among Census respondents with the surname Theis, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Theis in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.9% (5,692 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Theis appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.9%), Hispanic (3.4%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Theis (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 Theis mean?
A German and Dutch surname derived from the given name Matthias or Mathias, meaning "gift of Yahweh." 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 Theis (2.07 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 Theis?
Want to know how common the surname Theis is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.