2000
#124,872
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Tilburg
A Dutch topographic name referring to someone from the city of Tilburg.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Tilburg. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tilburg 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Tilburg in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tilburg, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tilburg
The surname Tilburg is of Dutch origin, originating in the Netherlands during the medieval period. It is derived from the name of the town of Tilburg, located in the province of Noord-Brabant, which itself comes from the Middle Dutch words "tille" meaning "linden tree" and "burg" meaning "fortified town." This suggests that the name originally referred to a fortified settlement near a linden tree or grove.
One of the earliest known recorded references to the name Tilburg dates back to the 13th century, appearing in a charter from the year 1230 that mentions a person named Arnoldus de Tilborch. The spelling "Tilborch" reflects the Middle Dutch spelling of the town's name at that time.
In the 14th century, the name Tilburg appeared in the Baljuwsrekeningen van Zuid-Holland, a series of records kept by the bailiffs of South Holland, which included references to individuals with the surname Tilburg who were involved in various legal matters or transactions.
During the 15th century, the name Tilburg was recorded in the Leenaktenboeken van de Leenkamer van Brabant, a collection of records related to fiefdoms and land ownership in the Duchy of Brabant. This suggests that individuals bearing the surname Tilburg held landholdings or fiefs in the region during that period.
One notable historical figure with the surname Tilburg was Petrus Tilburg (1563-1625), a Dutch Golden Age painter known for his landscapes and city views. Another was Willem Tilburg (1624-1677), a Dutch mathematician and astronomer who made contributions to the development of calculus and the study of comets.
In the 18th century, the name Tilburg appeared in the Registers van de Hollandse Lenen, a collection of records related to land ownership and fiefdoms in the province of Holland. This included references to individuals such as Johannes Tilburg (1712-1784), a landowner and merchant in the town of Tilburg.
Other notable individuals with the surname Tilburg include Adriaan Tilburg (1779-1854), a Dutch politician and member of the States General of the Netherlands, and Cornelis Tilburg (1858-1932), a Dutch architect and urban planner who designed several notable buildings in the city of Tilburg.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tilburg
Among Census respondents with the surname Tilburg, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Tilburg 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 Tilburg surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.9% · 107
- Two or more races4.4% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tilburg
Tilburg 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
#135,593
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
-3 bearers (-2.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,721 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-10 bearers (-8.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,902 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #124,872 | 127 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #135,593 | 124 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.4%) | Down 10,721 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-8.1%) | Down 10,902 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 Tilburg 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 | #135,593 | #146,495 | -8.0% |
| Count | 124 | 114 | -8.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tilburg bearers went from 124 to 114 (-8.1% change). The surname moved down 10,902 positions in the national ranking, going from #135,593 to #146,495.
FAQ
Tilburg surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tilburg?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Tilburg. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Tilburg?
Tilburg ranks #146,495 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 114 people with the surname Tilburg. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), 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 Tilburg.
Has Tilburg become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tilburg went from 124 recorded bearers to 114. That is a decrease of 10 (-8.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #135,593 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Tilburg?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tilburg, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Tilburg in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.9% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tilburg appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.9%), Two or More Races (4.4%), Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Tilburg (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 Tilburg mean?
A Dutch topographic name referring to someone from the city of Tilburg. 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 Tilburg (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 last name Tilburg?
See how common the surname Tilburg is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.