2000
#11,634
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,474
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.92
Rare Last name
Tichenor
Derived from a place name meaning "at the sign of the raven" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,806 Americans carry the last name Tichenor. That puts it at #12,157 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.82 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 122,151 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tichenor 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.
Bearers in the US
2.8K
1 in 122,151
Census rank
#12,157
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,447 bearers of the surname Tichenor in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.82 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12157th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tichenor, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.9%. The next largest groups are Black (5.4%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tichenor
The surname Tichenor originated in England, with its roots traced back to the 13th century. The name is believed to have derived from the Old English words "ticen" and "ora," which together mean "dweller by the dairy farm." This suggests that the earliest bearers of the name were likely associated with dairy farming or lived near such establishments.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire from 1273, where it appears as "Tychenor." This document was a census-like record compiled during the reign of King Edward I, providing valuable insight into the distribution and variations of surnames in medieval England.
The Tichenor name has also been linked to various place names in England, including the village of Tichborne in Hampshire. Some historical records show variations like "Tychenor" and "Tychener" being used interchangeably with the modern spelling.
In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the Tichenor name was Sir Benjamin Tichenor (1509-1572), a wealthy merchant and alderman in the City of London. His legacy includes the establishment of a charitable foundation that provided education and housing for underprivileged children.
Another prominent individual was Sir Henry Tichenor (1638-1718), a Member of Parliament for the borough of Southwark during the reign of King William III. He was known for his staunch support of the Church of England and his opposition to the Catholic monarchy.
The Tichenor family also had a presence in the American colonies, with records showing individuals like Thomas Tichenor (1638-1701) settling in Virginia in the late 17th century. He and his descendants played a role in the early development of the colony.
In the 19th century, Isaac Tichenor (1754-1838) served as the 8th Governor of Vermont, holding office from 1797 to 1808. He was a prominent figure in the early political landscape of the state and played a key role in its statehood and constitutional conventions.
George Bradford Tichenor (1838-1923) was a celebrated American artist known for his landscape paintings depicting scenes from the Hudson River Valley and the Adirondack Mountains. His works are held in various museum collections across the United States.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tichenor
Among Census respondents with the surname Tichenor, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.9%. The next largest groups are Black (5.4%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Tichenor 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 Tichenor surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.9% · 2,102
- Black or African American5.4% · 132
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 87
- Two or more races3.3% · 81
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 29
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tichenor
Tichenor 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
#12,476
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,488
+14 bearers (+0.6%)
Per 100,000 0.84
Rank movement Down 842 places
2020
#12,157
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,447
-41 bearers (-1.6%)
Per 100,000 0.82
Rank movement Up 319 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,634 | 2,474 | 0.92 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,476 | 2,488 | 0.84 | +14 bearers (+0.6%) | Down 842 places |
| 2020 | #12,157 | 2,447 | 0.82 | -41 bearers (-1.6%) | Up 319 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 Tichenor 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 | #12,476 | #12,157 | 2.6% |
| Count | 2,488 | 2,447 | -1.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.84 | 0.82 | -2.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tichenor bearers went from 2,488 to 2,447 (-1.6% change). The surname moved up 319 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,476 to #12,157.
FAQ
Tichenor surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tichenor?
Name Census estimates that about 2,806 living Americans carry the surname Tichenor. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 122,151 residents.
How common is Tichenor?
Tichenor ranks #12,157 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.82 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 2,447 people with the surname Tichenor. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,806), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.82 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.82 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 Tichenor.
Has Tichenor become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tichenor went from 2,488 recorded bearers to 2,447. That is a decrease of 41 (-1.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,476 to #12,157.
What does the Census say about the background of Tichenor?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tichenor, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.9%. The next largest groups are Black (5.4%) and Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Tichenor in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.9% (2,102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tichenor appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.9%), Black (5.4%), Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Tichenor (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 Tichenor mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "at the sign of the raven" in Old English. 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 Tichenor (0.82 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 share the surname Tichenor?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.