2000
#142,819
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Tiffer
A surname potentially derived from the Old English word "tæfer" meaning dice or dice player.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Tiffer. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tiffer 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Tiffer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tiffer, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.2%. The next largest groups are White (10.3%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tiffer
The surname Tiffer is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period, likely in the 12th or 13th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "tyffere," which referred to a maker or seller of tiffany, a type of thin, transparent silk or muslin fabric.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Tiffer can be found in the Subsidy Rolls for Worcestershire in 1327, where a John Tiffere is listed. This suggests that the name was already established in the West Midlands region of England by the 14th century.
In the 15th century, the name appears in various forms, including Tyffere, Tiffour, and Tyffare, reflecting regional variations in spelling and pronunciation. For example, a William Tyffare is mentioned in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in 1499, indicating the presence of the name in Yorkshire.
The Tiffer surname is also associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One such figure is Sir William Tiffer, a wealthy merchant and landowner who lived in the late 16th century. He is recorded as having owned substantial properties in Gloucestershire and Wiltshire.
Another historical figure bearing the Tiffer name is John Tiffer, a prominent clockmaker from London who lived in the early 18th century. His clocks and timepieces were highly regarded and can still be found in museums and private collections.
In the 19th century, a notable bearer of the Tiffer surname was Thomas Tiffer, a British explorer and naturalist who traveled extensively in Africa and the Middle East. He was born in 1820 and published several books detailing his adventures and discoveries.
The name Tiffer has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Tiffer's Green in Buckinghamshire and Tiffer's Hill in Gloucestershire. These locations may have been named after individuals or families bearing the Tiffer surname in the past.
Throughout its history, the Tiffer surname has maintained a strong presence in various parts of England, particularly in the West Midlands, Yorkshire, and the southern counties. While not among the most common surnames, it has endured for centuries and continues to be carried by families with deep roots in England's history and cultural heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tiffer
Among Census respondents with the surname Tiffer, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.2%. The next largest groups are White (10.3%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Tiffer 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 Tiffer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino87.2% · 102
- White10.3% · 12
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tiffer
Tiffer 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
#129,047
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 132
+25 bearers (+23.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 13,772 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-15 bearers (-11.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,223 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #142,819 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #129,047 | 132 | 0.04 | +25 bearers (+23.4%) | Up 13,772 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | -15 bearers (-11.4%) | Down 15,223 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 Tiffer 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 | #129,047 | #144,270 | -11.8% |
| Count | 132 | 117 | -11.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tiffer bearers went from 132 to 117 (-11.4% change). The surname moved down 15,223 positions in the national ranking, going from #129,047 to #144,270.
FAQ
Tiffer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tiffer?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Tiffer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Tiffer?
Tiffer ranks #144,270 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 117 people with the surname Tiffer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), 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 Tiffer.
Has Tiffer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tiffer went from 132 recorded bearers to 117. That is a decrease of 15 (-11.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #129,047 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Tiffer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tiffer, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.2%. The next largest groups are White (10.3%) and Black (0.9%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Tiffer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.2% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tiffer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (87.2%), White (10.3%), Black (0.9%). 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 Tiffer (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 Tiffer mean?
A surname potentially derived from the Old English word "tæfer" meaning dice or dice player. 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 Tiffer (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 many Americans have the surname Tiffer?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.