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

Tift, 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 Tift surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tift in America

Tift is the 28587th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tift surname appeared 834 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 Tift.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tift 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 Tift

The surname TIFT is of English origin, and it is believed to have derived from the Old English word "toft," which referred to a homestead or a parcel of land. The name was first recorded in the 12th century in the county of Norfolk, where many families with this surname resided.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name TIFT can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Norfolk, dating back to 1199, where a certain William Tift is mentioned. This suggests that the name was already established in the region by the late 12th century.

The Domesday Book, compiled in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the TIFT surname, but it does mention several place names that may have influenced the development of this name. For example, the village of Toft in Cambridgeshire is listed, which could have been the origin of some TIFT families.

During the 13th and 14th centuries, the TIFT name appeared in various records across East Anglia, including the Feet of Fines for Norfolk in 1292, which mentions a John Tift. This indicates that the name had spread throughout the region by this time.

One notable individual with the TIFT surname was Sir William Tift (1550-1624), a wealthy merchant and Lord Mayor of London in 1609. He was born in Stratford-upon-Avon and made his fortune through trade with the Netherlands.

Another prominent figure was Richard Tift (1670-1745), a renowned architect and surveyor from Worcestershire. He was responsible for designing several churches and manor houses in the Midlands during the early 18th century.

In the 16th century, the TIFT name was also recorded in the parish registers of Lincolnshire, where a family of that name resided in the village of Toft next to Newton. One notable member was Thomas Tift (1520-1585), a prosperous farmer and landowner.

The TIFT surname has also been found in various spellings throughout history, such as Toft, Tofte, and Tuft, reflecting the linguistic variations of the time.

Lastly, one cannot overlook the life of Mary Tift (1820-1892), a pioneering educator and women's rights advocate from Massachusetts. She founded the Tift College for Women in Georgia, which later became Tift University, named in her honor.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tift

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

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

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

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