2000
#13,971
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,982
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.73
Rare Last name
Tigner
One who dyes or colors fabrics or an occupational surname for a dyer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,175 Americans carry the last name Tigner. That puts it at #14,959 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 157,588 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tigner 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
2.2K
1 in 157,588
Census rank
#14,959
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,897 bearers of the surname Tigner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14959th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tigner, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.9%. The next largest groups are Black (39.0%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tigner
The surname Tigner has its origins in France, specifically in the region of Normandy. It is believed to have emerged during the 11th century, around the time of the Norman conquest of England. The name is derived from the Old French word "teigneur," which means "dyer" or "one who dyes cloth."
In medieval times, the dyeing of textiles was a highly skilled profession, and those who practiced this trade often adopted surnames related to their occupation. The earliest recorded instances of the name Tigner can be found in various Norman records and charters from the late 11th and early 12th centuries.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Robert Tigner, a Norman nobleman who accompanied William the Conqueror during the Norman invasion of England in 1066. Robert Tigner is mentioned in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive land survey commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, as holding lands in the county of Suffolk.
Another notable figure was Hugues Tigner, a prominent cloth merchant and dyer who lived in the city of Rouen, Normandy, in the late 12th century. Hugues Tigner's name appears in various municipal records and trade guild documents from that period, indicating his success and influence in the local textile industry.
In the 13th century, the name Tigner can be found in records from the French regions of Normandy, Picardy, and Île-de-France. One example is Jean Tigner, a landowner from the village of Tigny near Soissons, whose name is mentioned in a land grant dated 1247.
As the Tigner family spread across Europe in later centuries, variations of the name emerged, such as Teignier, Teignour, and Teignor. One notable bearer of a variant spelling was Pierre Teignier, a French philosopher and scholar who lived in the 16th century and wrote extensively on the works of Aristotle.
In England, where many Norman families settled after the conquest, the name Tigner can be traced back to the 14th century. One example is John Tigner, a merchant from the city of Bristol, who is mentioned in local tax records from the year 1379.
Throughout history, the surname Tigner has been borne by numerous individuals across various professions and walks of life. Some notable examples include Jacques Tigner, a French architect from the 17th century who designed several notable buildings in Paris; William Tigner, an English soldier who fought in the Napoleonic Wars and later became a Member of Parliament; and Marie Tigner, a French author and poet from the 19th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tigner
Among Census respondents with the surname Tigner, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.9%. The next largest groups are Black (39.0%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Tigner 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 Tigner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White52.9% · 1,003
- Black or African American39.0% · 740
- Two or more races4.1% · 78
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 71
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tigner
Tigner 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
#14,070
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,138
+156 bearers (+7.9%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Down 99 places
2020
#14,959
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,897
-241 bearers (-11.3%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Down 889 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,971 | 1,982 | 0.73 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,070 | 2,138 | 0.72 | +156 bearers (+7.9%) | Down 99 places |
| 2020 | #14,959 | 1,897 | 0.63 | -241 bearers (-11.3%) | Down 889 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 Tigner 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 | #14,070 | #14,959 | -6.3% |
| Count | 2,138 | 1,897 | -11.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.72 | 0.63 | -11.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tigner bearers went from 2,138 to 1,897 (-11.3% change). The surname moved down 889 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,070 to #14,959.
FAQ
Tigner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tigner?
Name Census estimates that about 2,175 living Americans carry the surname Tigner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 157,588 residents.
How common is Tigner?
Tigner ranks #14,959 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.63 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 1,897 people with the surname Tigner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,175), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.63 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 Tigner.
Has Tigner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tigner went from 2,138 recorded bearers to 1,897. That is a decrease of 241 (-11.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,070 to #14,959.
What does the Census say about the background of Tigner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tigner, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.9%. The next largest groups are Black (39.0%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Tigner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 52.9% (1,003 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tigner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (52.9%), Black (39.0%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Tigner (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 Tigner mean?
One who dyes or colors fabrics or an occupational surname for a dyer. 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 Tigner (0.63 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 last name Tigner?
You can see how many people are called Tigner on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.