2000
#12,667
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,240
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.83
Rare Last name
Tiger
A surname derived from the German word for a fighter or warrior, or from a nickname for a fierce or brave person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,611 Americans carry the last name Tiger. That puts it at #12,902 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.76 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 131,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tiger 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
2.6K
1 in 131,273
Census rank
#12,902
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,277 bearers of the surname Tiger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.76 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12902nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tiger, the largest self-reported group is White at 38.6%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (35.2%) and Two or More Races (12.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tiger
The surname Tiger is believed to have originated in Germany or Scandinavian countries during the Middle Ages. It is likely derived from the Old Norse word "tigri," which means "tiger" and was used as a nickname for someone who was fierce or brave in battle.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Tiger can be found in the Frankish records of the 8th century, where a warrior named Thigir was mentioned. It is possible that this name was later anglicized to Tiger.
In the 11th century, a Flemish nobleman named Rodulfus Tiger was documented in the records of the Abbey of St. Bertin in Flanders. This suggests that the surname had spread to the Low Countries by that time.
During the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, a soldier named Willelmus Tiger was recorded in the Domesday Book, which was a comprehensive survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror.
Over the centuries, the surname Tiger has been associated with various places and individuals. One notable example is the village of Tigerfeld in Bavaria, Germany, which may have been named after someone with the surname Tiger.
Some famous individuals with the surname Tiger include:
1. Johann Elias Tiger (1633-1703), a German composer and organist.
2. Johann Friedrich Tiger (1670-1741), a German mathematician and astronomer.
3. William Tiger (1762-1838), an English engraver and painter.
4. August Tiger (1803-1870), a German botanist and naturalist.
5. Hans Tiger (1890-1964), a Swiss architect and designer.
It is important to note that this surname has undergone various spelling variations over time, such as Tyger, Tygre, and Tigre, reflecting regional and linguistic differences.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tiger
Among Census respondents with the surname Tiger, the largest self-reported group is White at 38.6%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (35.2%) and Two or More Races (12.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Tiger 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 Tiger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White38.6% · 878
- American Indian and Alaska Native35.2% · 802
- Two or more races12.9% · 294
- Hispanic or Latino6.7% · 152
- Black or African American5.4% · 122
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 29
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tiger
Tiger 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
#12,715
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,428
+188 bearers (+8.4%)
Per 100,000 0.82
Rank movement Down 48 places
2020
#12,902
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,277
-151 bearers (-6.2%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Down 187 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,667 | 2,240 | 0.83 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,715 | 2,428 | 0.82 | +188 bearers (+8.4%) | Down 48 places |
| 2020 | #12,902 | 2,277 | 0.76 | -151 bearers (-6.2%) | Down 187 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 Tiger 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 | #12,715 | #12,902 | -1.5% |
| Count | 2,428 | 2,277 | -6.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.82 | 0.76 | -7.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tiger bearers went from 2,428 to 2,277 (-6.2% change). The surname moved down 187 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,715 to #12,902.
FAQ
Tiger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tiger?
Name Census estimates that about 2,611 living Americans carry the surname Tiger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 131,273 residents.
How common is Tiger?
Tiger ranks #12,902 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.76 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,277 people with the surname Tiger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,611), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.76 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.76 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Tiger.
Has Tiger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tiger went from 2,428 recorded bearers to 2,277. That is a decrease of 151 (-6.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,715 to #12,902.
What does the Census say about the background of Tiger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tiger, the largest self-reported group is White at 38.6%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (35.2%) and Two or More Races (12.9%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Tiger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 38.6% (878 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tiger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (38.6%), American Indian/Alaska Native (35.2%), Two or More Races (12.9%). 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 Tiger (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 Tiger mean?
A surname derived from the German word for a fighter or warrior, or from a nickname for a fierce or brave person. 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 Tiger (0.76 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 people are called Tiger?
Want to know how many people are called Tiger? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.