Tierno last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Tierno is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Tierno.

Meaning of Tierno

A Spanish surname meaning "tender" or "affectionate".

Tierno, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Tierno surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tierno in America

Tierno is the 36788th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tierno surname appeared 607 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Tierno.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tierno to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 36788 35153 4.55%
Count 607 607 0.00%
Proportion per 100k 0.21 0.23 -9.09%

The history of the last name Tierno

The surname Tierno is of Spanish origin, deriving from the Latin word "tener" which means "to hold" or "to possess." It likely emerged during the medieval period in Spain, potentially as a descriptive name for someone who held or possessed land or property.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Tierno name can be traced back to the late 13th century in the region of Andalusia, southern Spain. In a document dated 1287, a certain Juan Tierno is mentioned as a landowner in the town of Seville.

During the 15th century, the Tierno name appeared in several historical records from the Kingdom of Aragon, located in the eastern part of modern-day Spain. Notably, a Pedro Tierno was a prominent merchant and trader who resided in the city of Valencia around 1450.

In the 16th century, the Tierno surname gained greater prominence, with several notable individuals bearing the name. One such person was Diego Tierno, a Spanish cleric and scholar who lived from 1501 to 1570. He was renowned for his contributions to the study of canon law and served as a professor at the University of Salamanca.

Another significant figure was Alonso Tierno, a Spanish explorer and navigator who participated in several expeditions to the Americas in the late 16th century. He accompanied the conquistador Hernán Cortés on his conquest of Mexico and played a crucial role in mapping and charting the Gulf of Mexico.

In the 17th century, the Tierno surname continued to be well-represented in various parts of Spain. One noteworthy individual was María Tierno, a renowned poet and writer who lived from 1620 to 1685. She was celebrated for her lyrical works and was a prominent figure in the literary circles of Madrid.

As the centuries progressed, the Tierno name spread beyond Spain to other parts of the world, particularly to Latin American countries due to Spanish colonization and migration. However, its roots and origins can be firmly traced back to the Iberian Peninsula, where it has a rich and diverse history spanning several centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tierno

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Tierno.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Tierno was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 94.56% 574
Non-Hispanic Black Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 0.82% 5
Hispanic Origin 4.12% 25

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Tierno has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 94.56% 94.89% -0.35%
Black (S)% (S)% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% (S)% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Two or More Races 0.82% 1.15% -33.50%
Hispanic 4.12% 3.62% 12.92%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Tierno was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Tierno, please contact us.

Reference this page

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Tierno last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on December 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/tierno-surname-popularity/.

"Tierno last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/tierno-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 December, 2024

Tierno last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/tierno-surname-popularity/.

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