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

Tibbitts, 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 Tibbitts surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tibbitts in America

Tibbitts is the 15709th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tibbitts surname appeared 1,857 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 Tibbitts.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tibbitts 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.

The history of the last name Tibbitts

The surname Tibbitts is of English origin and can be traced back to the late 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the medieval given name Tybbot, a diminutive form of the personal name Theobald, which means "bold people" in Old German. The earliest recorded spelling of the surname was Tibbotot, found in the Curia Regis Rolls of Yorkshire in 1194.

Tibbitts is a locational surname, indicating that the original bearers of the name hailed from a place called Tibbotot or Tibotot. This place name is thought to have originated from the Old English words "tibb" meaning a small piece of land and "tot" meaning a look-out place or hill. Therefore, the name likely referred to someone who lived near a small hill or elevated piece of land.

In the 13th century, the surname was recorded as Tybbotot in the Pipe Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273. The spelling variations continued, with Tybotot appearing in the Assize Court Rolls of Staffordshire in 1324 and Tybottis in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1524.

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Richard Tibotot, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1202. Another early reference is found in the Hundred Rolls of Buckinghamshire in 1275, where a John Tybotot is listed.

In the 16th century, the surname was found in various forms, including Tibbett, Tybbit, and Tibbits. A notable figure from this period was William Tibbitts (c. 1535-1591), an English Roman Catholic martyr who was executed for his faith during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

Other historical figures with the surname include Edward Tibbitts (1763-1838), an English engraver and illustrator known for his works on natural history, and Charles Tibbitts (1781-1835), an English landscape painter who exhibited at the Royal Academy.

In the 19th century, George Tibbitts (1822-1892) was a renowned English architect responsible for designing several notable buildings in London, including the Congregational Memorial Hall and the Alexandra Palace. Another notable bearer of the name was James Tibbitts (1836-1912), a British Army officer who served in the Crimean War and the Indian Rebellion of 1857.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tibbitts

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

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 Tibbitts was:

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 Tibbitts has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Tibbitts, please contact us.

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