2000
#141,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Tiggelaar
A Dutch toponymic surname derived from a place name originating from a Dutch word meaning "brickmaker".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Tiggelaar. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tiggelaar 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Tiggelaar in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tiggelaar, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tiggelaar
The surname Tiggelaar is believed to have originated in the Netherlands, likely during the late medieval or early modern period. It is thought to be derived from the Dutch word "tiggelen," which means "to make bricks" or "to lay bricks." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who worked as a bricklayer or brick maker.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Tiggelaar can be found in Dutch records and documents from the 16th and 17th centuries. In some cases, the name was spelled slightly differently, such as "Tigghelaar" or "Tiggelaer." It is possible that these variations arose from regional dialects or scribal errors in transcribing the name.
One notable historical reference to the name Tiggelaar comes from the city of Leiden in the Netherlands. In the 17th century, a man named Jan Tiggelaar (born around 1620) was recorded as a prominent citizen and member of the local militia. He likely played a role in defending the city during the Dutch Revolt against Spanish rule.
Another early bearer of the Tiggelaar name was Pieter Tiggelaar (c. 1650-1720), a Dutch merchant and ship owner who traded with the Dutch East Indies. His success in maritime commerce suggests that the name had spread beyond its original association with bricklaying by this time.
In the 18th century, a man named Gerrit Tiggelaar (1725-1795) gained recognition as a skilled painter and engraver in the Netherlands. His works, which included landscapes and portraits, were highly regarded during his lifetime and are now held in various art collections.
During the 19th century, the Tiggelaar surname appears to have spread beyond the Netherlands to other parts of Europe and even to the Americas. One notable bearer of the name was Johann Tiggelaar (1812-1887), a German-born architect who designed several prominent buildings in the city of Hamburg, Germany.
Another significant figure was Willem Tiggelaar (1845-1921), a Dutch-born engineer and inventor who emigrated to the United States. He is credited with developing an early form of the mechanical pencil, which he patented in 1879.
While the Tiggelaar name may have originated in a relatively humble occupation, it has been carried by individuals from various walks of life throughout history, including artists, merchants, architects, and inventors. Despite its geographical spread, the name continues to reflect its Dutch roots and the legacy of those early bricklayers and brick makers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tiggelaar
Among Census respondents with the surname Tiggelaar, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Tiggelaar 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 Tiggelaar surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.1% · 106
- Two or more races1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tiggelaar
Tiggelaar 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
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-6 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 16,644 places
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
+6 bearers (+5.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 7,497 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #141,788 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #158,432 | 102 | 0.03 | -6 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 16,644 places |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.9%) | Up 7,497 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 Tiggelaar 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 | #158,432 | #150,935 | 4.7% |
| Count | 102 | 108 | 5.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 20.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tiggelaar bearers went from 102 to 108 (+5.9% change). The surname moved up 7,497 positions in the national ranking, going from #158,432 to #150,935.
FAQ
Tiggelaar surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tiggelaar?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Tiggelaar. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Tiggelaar?
Tiggelaar ranks #150,935 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 108 people with the surname Tiggelaar. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), 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 Tiggelaar.
Has Tiggelaar become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tiggelaar went from 102 recorded bearers to 108. That is an increase of 6 (+5.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #158,432 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Tiggelaar?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tiggelaar, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Tiggelaar in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.1% (106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tiggelaar appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.1%), Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Tiggelaar (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 Tiggelaar mean?
A Dutch toponymic surname derived from a place name originating from a Dutch word meaning "brickmaker". 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 Tiggelaar (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 people have the surname Tiggelaar?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.