2000
#12,539
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,267
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.84
Rare Last name
Tidd
A surname of English origin, derived from a place name meaning "fox hill."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,476 Americans carry the last name Tidd. That puts it at #13,480 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.72 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 138,431 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tidd 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 Tidd with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.5K
1 in 138,431
Census rank
#13,480
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,159 bearers of the surname Tidd in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.72 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13480th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tidd, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Black (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tidd
The surname Tidd is believed to originate from the Old English word "tyd," meaning "time" or "season." It is thought to have been an occupational name for someone who worked as a timekeeper or someone responsible for keeping track of time during agricultural activities or other tasks that required adherence to specific schedules.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Tidd can be traced back to the 13th century in various parts of England, particularly in the counties of Hertfordshire, Suffolk, and Essex. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Ralph Tydd, who was mentioned in the Feet of Fines records for Hertfordshire in 1260.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as Tyd, Tydd, and Tydde, reflecting the variations in spelling common during that period. One notable example is John Tydd, who was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Suffolk in 1327.
The surname Tidd is also found in several place names across England, including Tydd St. Giles and Tydd St. Mary in Cambridgeshire, which were named after the local Tidd families who were prominent landowners in those areas during the medieval period.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Tidd was William Tidd, who was born around 1450 in Hertfordshire. He was a prominent landowner and served as a member of the local gentry.
Another notable figure was John Tidd, born in 1520 in Suffolk. He was a successful merchant and played a significant role in the local community, serving as a churchwarden and contributing to the construction of the village church.
In the 17th century, Edward Tidd (1638-1712) was a prominent lawyer and legal writer from London. He authored several influential works on English law and legal procedures, contributing significantly to the development of the legal system during that time.
During the 18th century, Samuel Tidd (1742-1810) was a respected clergyman and author from Cambridgeshire. He published several religious works and served as the vicar of Tydd St. Mary, the village from which his surname derived.
In the 19th century, William Tidd (1805-1878) was a renowned architect and surveyor from London. He designed numerous notable buildings, including several churches and public works projects, contributing significantly to the architectural landscape of the city.
These examples illustrate the long history and diverse backgrounds of individuals who bore the surname Tidd throughout the centuries, reflecting its origins as an occupational name and its later association with various locations and notable figures across England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tidd
Among Census respondents with the surname Tidd, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Black (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Tidd 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 Tidd surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 1,991
- Two or more races2.7% · 58
- Black or African American2.2% · 47
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 44
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tidd
Tidd 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
#13,190
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,317
+50 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 0.79
Rank movement Down 651 places
2020
#13,480
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,159
-158 bearers (-6.8%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Down 290 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,539 | 2,267 | 0.84 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,190 | 2,317 | 0.79 | +50 bearers (+2.2%) | Down 651 places |
| 2020 | #13,480 | 2,159 | 0.72 | -158 bearers (-6.8%) | Down 290 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 Tidd 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 | #13,190 | #13,480 | -2.2% |
| Count | 2,317 | 2,159 | -6.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.79 | 0.72 | -8.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tidd bearers went from 2,317 to 2,159 (-6.8% change). The surname moved down 290 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,190 to #13,480.
FAQ
Tidd surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tidd?
Name Census estimates that about 2,476 living Americans carry the surname Tidd. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 138,431 residents.
How common is Tidd?
Tidd ranks #13,480 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.72 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 2,159 people with the surname Tidd. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,476), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.72 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.72 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 Tidd.
Has Tidd become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tidd went from 2,317 recorded bearers to 2,159. That is a decrease of 158 (-6.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,190 to #13,480.
What does the Census say about the background of Tidd?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tidd, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Black (2.2%). 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 Tidd in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (1,991 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tidd appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Two or More Races (2.7%), Black (2.2%). 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 Tidd (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 Tidd mean?
A surname of English origin, derived from a place name meaning "fox hill." 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 Tidd (0.72 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 Tidd?
Find out how common the surname Tidd is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.