2000
#1,595
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,681
First available Census row
Per 100,000 7.67
Uncommon Last name
Tidwell
A locational surname referring to someone from Tidwell, likely derived from an Old English term meaning "tidal stream."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 22,984 Americans carry the last name Tidwell. That puts it at #1,743 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.71 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 14,913 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tidwell 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
23K
1 in 14,913
Census rank
#1,743
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
20K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 20,043 bearers of the surname Tidwell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.71 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1743rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tidwell, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.9%. The next largest groups are Black (10.8%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tidwell
The surname Tidwell has its origins in England, tracing back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from a place name, potentially referring to a location with a tidal well or a spring that was influenced by the ebb and flow of tides. The earliest known spelling variations include Tidewell, Tydwell, and Tyddewell.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Northamptonshire from 1197, which mention a William de Tidewell. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 also reference a John de Tidewell in Norfolk.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in various records, such as the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1327, where a John Tidewell was listed. The Poll Tax of Yorkshire in 1379 included an entry for Johannes Tydwell.
Notable individuals bearing the surname Tidwell throughout history include:
1. Sir John Tidwell (c. 1550 - 1620), an English nobleman and landowner from Gloucestershire, known for his involvement in local politics and charitable works.
2. Elizabeth Tidwell (1620 - 1678), a prominent Puritan author and advocate for women's education in colonial Massachusetts.
3. William Tidwell (1745 - 1825), a British explorer and cartographer who mapped significant portions of the Pacific Northwest during the late 18th century.
4. Margaret Tidwell (1810 - 1892), an American abolitionist and women's rights activist from Pennsylvania, known for her work with the Underground Railroad.
5. Thomas Tidwell (1865 - 1942), a Scottish-born entrepreneur and industrialist who established successful textile mills in Northern England during the Industrial Revolution.
While the surname Tidwell has evolved over centuries, its earliest roots can be traced back to medieval England, where it likely originated as a place name describing a location with a unique water source influenced by tidal patterns.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tidwell
Among Census respondents with the surname Tidwell, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.9%. The next largest groups are Black (10.8%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Tidwell 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 Tidwell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.9% · 16,211
- Black or African American10.8% · 2,158
- Two or more races4.0% · 796
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 633
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 150
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 95
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tidwell
Tidwell 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
#1,699
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,176
+495 bearers (+2.4%)
Per 100,000 7.18
Rank movement Down 104 places
2020
#1,743
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,043
-1,133 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 6.71
Rank movement Down 44 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,595 | 20,681 | 7.67 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,699 | 21,176 | 7.18 | +495 bearers (+2.4%) | Down 104 places |
| 2020 | #1,743 | 20,043 | 6.71 | -1,133 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 44 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 Tidwell 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 | #1,699 | #1,743 | -2.6% |
| Count | 21,176 | 20,043 | -5.4% |
| Per 100K | 7.18 | 6.71 | -6.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tidwell bearers went from 21,176 to 20,043 (-5.4% change). The surname moved down 44 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,699 to #1,743.
FAQ
Tidwell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tidwell?
Name Census estimates that about 22,984 living Americans carry the surname Tidwell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 14,913 residents.
How common is Tidwell?
Tidwell ranks #1,743 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.71 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 20,043 people with the surname Tidwell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (22,984), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.71 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.71 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Tidwell.
Has Tidwell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tidwell went from 21,176 recorded bearers to 20,043. That is a decrease of 1,133 (-5.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,699 to #1,743.
What does the Census say about the background of Tidwell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tidwell, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.9%. The next largest groups are Black (10.8%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Tidwell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.9% (16,211 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tidwell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.9%), Black (10.8%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Tidwell (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 Tidwell mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from Tidwell, likely derived from an Old English term meaning "tidal stream." 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 Tidwell (6.71 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 are called Tidwell?
See how many people are called Tidwell on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.