2000
#4,358
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,530
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.79
Rare Last name
Tijerina
A Spanish habitational surname referring to someone from a place called Tijerina or Tejerina, likely derived from "teja" meaning "tile."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,755 Americans carry the last name Tijerina. That puts it at #4,055 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.85 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 35,136 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tijerina 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
9.8K
1 in 35,136
Census rank
#4,055
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,507 bearers of the surname Tijerina in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.85 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4055th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tijerina, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.7%. The next largest groups are White (8.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tijerina
The surname Tijerina has its origins in Spain and is derived from the Spanish word "tijera," which means "scissors." It is believed to have originated as an occupational surname, given to someone who worked as a scissor maker or seller.
The earliest known record of the surname Tijerina dates back to the 13th century in the region of Castile, Spain. It is mentioned in a document from the year 1285, which lists a person named Pedro Tijerina as a resident of the town of Valladolid.
In the 16th century, the name Tijerina appears in several historical records, including the Censo de Población de las Indias (Census of the Population of the Indies), which was conducted by the Spanish Crown in 1570. This census mentions several individuals with the surname Tijerina living in various parts of the Spanish colonies in the Americas.
One of the earliest and most notable individuals with the surname Tijerina was Hernán Tijerina, a Spanish conquistador who was born in Seville in 1510. He participated in the conquest of Mexico under Hernán Cortés and later served as a colonial administrator in the region of Yucatán.
Another prominent figure with the surname Tijerina was Juan Tijerina, a 17th-century Spanish missionary and explorer. He was born in Valladolid in 1625 and traveled extensively throughout the Americas, establishing several missions and settlements in what is now the southwestern United States and northern Mexico.
In the 18th century, the surname Tijerina is found in records from the Spanish colonial era in Texas and New Mexico. One notable individual from this period was José Tijerina, a rancher and landowner who was born in San Antonio, Texas, in 1745. He played a significant role in the development of the region's cattle industry.
During the 19th century, the surname Tijerina was carried by several individuals who were involved in the Mexican-American War and the subsequent annexation of the southwestern territories by the United States. One such individual was Miguel Tijerina, who was born in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in 1810 and served as a military officer during the conflict.
As the name Tijerina spread throughout the Americas, it also underwent various spelling variations, such as Tijerina, Tejerina, and Texerina. These variations often reflected regional pronunciation differences or adaptations to local languages and dialects.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tijerina
Among Census respondents with the surname Tijerina, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.7%. The next largest groups are White (8.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Tijerina 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 Tijerina surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino90.7% · 7,712
- White8.1% · 691
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 34
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 29
- Black or African American0.3% · 22
- Two or more races0.2% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tijerina
Tijerina 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
#4,114
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,626
+1,096 bearers (+14.6%)
Per 100,000 2.92
Rank movement Up 244 places
2020
#4,055
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,507
-119 bearers (-1.4%)
Per 100,000 2.85
Rank movement Up 59 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,358 | 7,530 | 2.79 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,114 | 8,626 | 2.92 | +1,096 bearers (+14.6%) | Up 244 places |
| 2020 | #4,055 | 8,507 | 2.85 | -119 bearers (-1.4%) | Up 59 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 Tijerina 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 | #4,114 | #4,055 | 1.4% |
| Count | 8,626 | 8,507 | -1.4% |
| Per 100K | 2.92 | 2.85 | -2.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tijerina bearers went from 8,626 to 8,507 (-1.4% change). The surname moved up 59 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,114 to #4,055.
FAQ
Tijerina surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tijerina?
Name Census estimates that about 9,755 living Americans carry the surname Tijerina. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 35,136 residents.
How common is Tijerina?
Tijerina ranks #4,055 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.85 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,507 people with the surname Tijerina. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,755), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.85 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.85 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Tijerina.
Has Tijerina become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tijerina went from 8,626 recorded bearers to 8,507. That is a decrease of 119 (-1.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,114 to #4,055.
What does the Census say about the background of Tijerina?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tijerina, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.7%. The next largest groups are White (8.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.4%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Tijerina in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.7% (7,712 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tijerina appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (90.7%), White (8.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.4%). 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 Tijerina (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 Tijerina mean?
A Spanish habitational surname referring to someone from a place called Tijerina or Tejerina, likely derived from "teja" meaning "tile." 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 Tijerina (2.85 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 share the surname Tijerina?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.