2000
#32,856
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 658
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.24
Very Rare Last name
Tiegs
A surname derived from a nickname for someone with a small, slender physique.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 799 Americans carry the last name Tiegs. That puts it at #34,899 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.23 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 428,979 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tiegs 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
799
1 in 428,979
Census rank
#34,899
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
697
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 697 bearers of the surname Tiegs in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.23 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 34899th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tiegs, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.7%) and Hispanic (1.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tiegs
The surname TIEGS originates from Germany, specifically the region of Lower Saxony, and can be traced back to the Middle Ages, around the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "tegga," which referred to a young male deer or a young stag.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the TIEGS surname can be found in the Bremisches Urkundenbuch, a collection of historical documents from the city of Bremen, dated around 1290. The name was likely used as a nickname or a descriptive name for someone who was agile, swift, or had traits associated with a young stag.
In the 14th century, the TIEGS surname appeared in various records and documents across Lower Saxony, including the Stadtbücher (city books) of Lüneburg and Celle. These records often contained different spellings, such as Tygges, Tygge, and Tyghen, reflecting the variations in local dialects and scribal practices.
Notable historical figures bearing the TIEGS surname include Johannes Tiegs, a merchant from Lübeck who was mentioned in the city's records in the late 15th century. Another prominent individual was Hans Tiegs, a German poet and playwright who lived in the late 16th century and is known for his works in Low German.
In the 17th century, the TIEGS surname can be found in the records of the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg, particularly in the towns of Celle and Gifhorn. One notable bearer of the name from this period was Hinrich Tiegs, a wealthy landowner and farmer who was mentioned in the Celle Leibgedingsregister (land registry) in 1628.
The 18th century saw the TIEGS surname spread beyond Lower Saxony, with records indicating individuals bearing this name in various parts of northern Germany, such as Hamburg and Mecklenburg. One notable figure was Johann Friedrich Tiegs, a Lutheran theologian and author born in 1723 in Isenhagen, Lower Saxony.
As the TIEGS surname spread across Germany, it also found its way into neighboring countries, including the Netherlands and Denmark. One notable bearer of the name was Christiaan Tiegs, a Dutch painter and engraver who lived from 1756 to 1833 and was known for his landscapes and city views.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tiegs
Among Census respondents with the surname Tiegs, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.7%) and Hispanic (1.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Tiegs 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 Tiegs surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.4% · 672
- Two or more races1.7% · 12
- Hispanic or Latino1.4% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 2
- Black or African American0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tiegs
Tiegs 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
#32,994
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 694
+36 bearers (+5.5%)
Per 100,000 0.24
Rank movement Down 138 places
2020
#34,899
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 697
+3 bearers (+0.4%)
Per 100,000 0.23
Rank movement Down 1,905 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #32,856 | 658 | 0.24 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #32,994 | 694 | 0.24 | +36 bearers (+5.5%) | Down 138 places |
| 2020 | #34,899 | 697 | 0.23 | +3 bearers (+0.4%) | Down 1,905 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 Tiegs 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 | #32,994 | #34,899 | -5.8% |
| Count | 694 | 697 | 0.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.24 | 0.23 | -2.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tiegs bearers went from 694 to 697 (+0.4% change). The surname moved down 1,905 positions in the national ranking, going from #32,994 to #34,899.
FAQ
Tiegs surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tiegs?
Name Census estimates that about 799 living Americans carry the surname Tiegs. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 428,979 residents.
How common is Tiegs?
Tiegs ranks #34,899 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.23 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 697 people with the surname Tiegs. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (799), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.23 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.23 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Tiegs.
Has Tiegs become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tiegs went from 694 recorded bearers to 697. That is an increase of 3 (+0.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #32,994 to #34,899.
What does the Census say about the background of Tiegs?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tiegs, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.7%) and Hispanic (1.4%). 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 Tiegs in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.4% (672 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tiegs appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.4%), Two or More Races (1.7%), Hispanic (1.4%). 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 Tiegs (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 Tiegs mean?
A surname derived from a nickname for someone with a small, slender physique. 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 Tiegs (0.23 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 Americans have the surname Tiegs?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.