2000
#7,360
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,172
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.55
Rare Last name
Theobald
An Old Germanic surname derived from the elements "theud" meaning "people" and "bald" meaning "bold."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,844 Americans carry the last name Theobald. That puts it at #7,580 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.41 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 70,759 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Theobald 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 Theobald with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.8K
1 in 70,759
Census rank
#7,580
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,224 bearers of the surname Theobald in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.41 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7580th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Theobald, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Theobald
The surname Theobald originated from the Germanic personal name Theodbald, composed of the elements theud (people) and bald (bold or brave). It first emerged in the region of Swabia, located in modern-day southwestern Germany, during the 8th century AD.
Theobald was a relatively common name among the Frankish nobility and aristocracy during the Carolingian period. One of the earliest recorded examples is Theobald of Langres, a Frankish nobleman who lived in the late 8th century and served as the Count of Langres.
The surname Theobald can also be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a survey of lands and properties commissioned by William the Conqueror after the Norman conquest of England. It appears as "Tedbaldus" and is listed among landholders in various counties, indicating that the name had spread beyond its Swabian origins.
During the Middle Ages, the name Theobald was particularly popular in England and France. Several prominent individuals bore this surname, including Theobald I, Count of Blois (995-1089), a powerful French nobleman and crusader, and Theobald of Cambridge (1160-1233), an English philosopher and theologian.
In the 13th century, Theobald of Navarre (1201-1270) was an influential figure in the history of France. He served as a powerful nobleman, regent, and later became the Count of Champagne and King of Navarre through his marriage to Queen Blanche of Navarre.
Another notable figure with the surname Theobald was Theobald Wolfe Tone (1763-1798), an Irish revolutionary and leader of the United Irishmen movement, who played a pivotal role in the Irish Rebellion of 1798.
Over time, the surname Theobald underwent various spelling variations, such as Thibault, Thibaut, Tebaldi, and Tebaldo, reflecting regional dialects and linguistic influences. It also gave rise to place names like Theobald's Park in Hertfordshire, England, and Thibault Creek in Louisiana, United States.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Theobald
Among Census respondents with the surname Theobald, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Theobald 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 Theobald surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.1% · 3,934
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 121
- Two or more races2.1% · 87
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 34
- Black or African American0.7% · 31
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Theobald
Theobald 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
#7,720
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,300
+128 bearers (+3.1%)
Per 100,000 1.46
Rank movement Down 360 places
2020
#7,580
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,224
-76 bearers (-1.8%)
Per 100,000 1.41
Rank movement Up 140 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,360 | 4,172 | 1.55 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,720 | 4,300 | 1.46 | +128 bearers (+3.1%) | Down 360 places |
| 2020 | #7,580 | 4,224 | 1.41 | -76 bearers (-1.8%) | Up 140 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 Theobald 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 | #7,720 | #7,580 | 1.8% |
| Count | 4,300 | 4,224 | -1.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.46 | 1.41 | -3.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Theobald bearers went from 4,300 to 4,224 (-1.8% change). The surname moved up 140 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,720 to #7,580.
FAQ
Theobald surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Theobald?
Name Census estimates that about 4,844 living Americans carry the surname Theobald. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 70,759 residents.
How common is Theobald?
Theobald ranks #7,580 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.41 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 4,224 people with the surname Theobald. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,844), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.41 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.41 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 Theobald.
Has Theobald become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Theobald went from 4,300 recorded bearers to 4,224. That is a decrease of 76 (-1.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,720 to #7,580.
What does the Census say about the background of Theobald?
Among Census respondents with the surname Theobald, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Theobald in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.1% (3,934 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Theobald appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.1%), Hispanic (2.9%), Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Theobald (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 Theobald mean?
An Old Germanic surname derived from the elements "theud" meaning "people" and "bald" meaning "bold." 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 Theobald (1.41 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 Theobald?
You can see how many people are called Theobald on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.