2000
#147,095
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Tienhaara
A Finnish surname meaning "fork in the road" or "intersection."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Tienhaara. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tienhaara 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Tienhaara in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tienhaara, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tienhaara
The surname Tienhaara is of Finnish origin, originating in the late 18th or early 19th century. It is derived from the Finnish words "tie" meaning road and "haara" meaning branch or fork, likely referring to a place where a road branched off or forked. The name is relatively rare, even within Finland.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Tienhaara can be found in parish records and census data from the mid-19th century in areas around Turku and Hämeenlinna in southwestern Finland. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Juho Tienhaara, born in 1825 in the village of Kylmäkoski, near Hämeenlinna.
In the late 19th century, the name appears in records from the Ostrobothnia region of western Finland, with a family of Tienhaara farmers living in the parish of Lapua. Jaakko Tienhaara, born in 1871, was a notable figure in this family, serving as a local councilman and community leader.
As the 20th century progressed, the Tienhaara name spread to other parts of Finland, with a few notable individuals emerging. Aino Tienhaara (1894-1972) was a prominent architect and designer, known for her innovative use of wood in construction and furniture design. Her brother, Antti Tienhaara (1897-1958), was a respected linguist and scholar of the Finnish language.
Another notable bearer of the name was Väinö Tienhaara (1908-1984), a successful businessman and entrepreneur who founded the Tienhaara Group, a diversified conglomerate with interests in industries ranging from forestry to construction.
In the early 20th century, a few Tienhaara families emigrated from Finland to North America, with some settling in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and others in parts of Canada. One of the earliest arrivals was Matti Tienhaara, who settled in the mining town of Calumet, Michigan in 1905.
While not a particularly common surname, the name Tienhaara has a long and distinguished history in Finland, reflecting the country's linguistic and cultural heritage. Its unique meaning and geographic associations have contributed to its enduring presence over the past two centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tienhaara
Among Census respondents with the surname Tienhaara, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Tienhaara 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 Tienhaara surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.1% · 105
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.6% · 3
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tienhaara
Tienhaara 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
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
+5 bearers (+4.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,437 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+6 bearers (+5.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,037 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #147,095 | 103 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.9%) | Down 4,437 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.6%) | Up 5,037 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 Tienhaara 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 | #151,532 | #146,495 | 3.3% |
| Count | 108 | 114 | 5.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tienhaara bearers went from 108 to 114 (+5.6% change). The surname moved up 5,037 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #146,495.
FAQ
Tienhaara surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tienhaara?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Tienhaara. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Tienhaara?
Tienhaara ranks #146,495 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 114 people with the surname Tienhaara. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Tienhaara.
Has Tienhaara become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tienhaara went from 108 recorded bearers to 114. That is an increase of 6 (+5.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #151,532 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Tienhaara?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tienhaara, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%). 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 Tienhaara in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.1% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tienhaara appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.1%), Hispanic (3.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%). 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 Tienhaara (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 Tienhaara mean?
A Finnish surname meaning "fork in the road" or "intersection." 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 Tienhaara (0.04 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 Tienhaara?
See how many people have the surname Tienhaara on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.