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

Tifft, 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 Tifft surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tifft in America

Tifft is the 31285th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tifft surname appeared 741 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 Tifft.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tifft 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.

The history of the last name Tifft

The surname Tifft is of English origin, tracing its roots back to the medieval era. It is a locational surname, derived from the old English place name "Tift," which likely referred to a small village or settlement. The name is thought to have originated in the regions of Warwickshire or Gloucestershire.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire, dated 1195, where a certain William de Tifta is mentioned. This indicates that the name had already taken on its modern spelling by the late 12th century.

The name Tifft is also found in the renowned Domesday Book, compiled in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror. Here, the name is listed as "Tiftua," further attesting to its antiquity and the various spellings it has undergone over the centuries.

In the 13th century, a prominent figure named John de Tifft was recorded as a landowner in the county of Warwickshire. His descendants likely played a role in spreading the name throughout the region.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Tifft surname gained prominence in the counties of Somerset and Devon. One notable individual from this era was Sir William Tifft (1560-1635), a wealthy merchant and landowner who served as Sheriff of Devon in 1621.

Another significant figure was Richard Tifft (1615-1678), a Puritan minister who emigrated to the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1637. He served as the pastor of the First Church in Braintree, Massachusetts, and played a pivotal role in the early religious life of the colony.

As the centuries progressed, the Tifft name continued to spread across England and eventually to other parts of the world. In the 19th century, George Tifft (1808-1891) was a prominent businessman and philanthropist in Buffalo, New York, where he founded the Tifft Farm Nature Preserve.

While the name has undergone various spellings throughout its history, such as Tift, Tyfft, and Tyft, the modern form of Tifft has been the predominant spelling since the 17th century.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tifft

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

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 Tifft was:

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 Tifft has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

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 Tifft was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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