2000
#15,299
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,763
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.65
Rare Last name
Tibbitts
An English habitational surname derived from a place name, likely referring to a former resident of Tibbitts, Hampshire.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,164 Americans carry the last name Tibbitts. That puts it at #15,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 158,389 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tibbitts 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 Tibbitts with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.2K
1 in 158,389
Census rank
#15,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,887 bearers of the surname Tibbitts in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tibbitts, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tibbitts
Among Census respondents with the surname Tibbitts, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Tibbitts 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 Tibbitts surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.8% · 1,694
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 69
- Two or more races3.4% · 65
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.4% · 45
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tibbitts
Tibbitts 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
#15,709
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,857
+94 bearers (+5.3%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Down 410 places
2020
#15,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,887
+30 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Up 681 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,299 | 1,763 | 0.65 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,709 | 1,857 | 0.63 | +94 bearers (+5.3%) | Down 410 places |
| 2020 | #15,028 | 1,887 | 0.63 | +30 bearers (+1.6%) | Up 681 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 Tibbitts 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 | #15,709 | #15,028 | 4.3% |
| Count | 1,857 | 1,887 | 1.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.63 | 0.63 | 0.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tibbitts bearers went from 1,857 to 1,887 (+1.6% change). The surname moved up 681 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,709 to #15,028.
FAQ
Tibbitts surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tibbitts?
Name Census estimates that about 2,164 living Americans carry the surname Tibbitts. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 158,389 residents.
How common is Tibbitts?
Tibbitts ranks #15,028 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.63 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 1,887 people with the surname Tibbitts. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,164), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.63 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 Tibbitts.
Has Tibbitts become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tibbitts went from 1,857 recorded bearers to 1,887. That is an increase of 30 (+1.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,709 to #15,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Tibbitts?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tibbitts, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Tibbitts in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.8% (1,694 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tibbitts appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.8%), Hispanic (3.7%), Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Tibbitts (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 Tibbitts mean?
An English habitational surname derived from a place name, likely referring to a former resident of Tibbitts, Hampshire. 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 Tibbitts (0.63 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 Tibbitts?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Tibbitts, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.