Find out how popular the last name Tilden is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Tilden.

Tilden, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Tilden surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tilden in America

Tilden is the 15833rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tilden surname appeared 1,838 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Tilden.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tilden to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Tilden

The surname Tilden originated in England during the medieval period. It is derived from an Old English place name, Tildan or Tildene, which is believed to have meant "the tilted valley" or "the sloping valley." The name is thought to have originated in areas of England where there were valleys with a noticeable slope or tilt.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Tilden can be found in the Domesday Book, which was compiled in 1086 during the reign of William the Conqueror. The name appeared in various spellings, including Tilden, Tildene, and Tylden, reflecting the variations in pronunciation and spelling conventions of the time.

One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname Tilden was Sir Ralph Tilden, who lived in the 13th century and served as a knight in the service of King Edward I. Another early bearer of the name was William Tilden, who was born in the late 14th century and served as a member of Parliament for the county of Kent.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Tilden family established themselves as prominent landowners and gentry in several counties of southern England, particularly in Kent and Sussex. One notable member of the family was Sir Philip Tilden, who was born in 1585 and served as a member of Parliament for the borough of Rye in East Sussex.

In the 18th century, the Tilden name gained further prominence with the birth of Samuel Tilden in 1814. Tilden was a prominent lawyer and politician who served as the Governor of New York and was the Democratic nominee for President of the United States in the highly contested election of 1876.

Another famous bearer of the Tilden surname was William Tilden II, who was born in 1893 and became one of the greatest tennis players of the early 20th century. He won 10 Grand Slam singles titles, including three Wimbledon championships, and was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1959.

Throughout its history, the surname Tilden has been associated with various place names in England, such as Tilden in Kent, Tilden Hill in Oxfordshire, and Tilden Farm in Surrey. These place names often reflect the original meaning of the surname, referring to areas with sloping or tilted terrain.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tilden

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Tilden.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Tilden was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Tilden has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Tilden was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Tilden, please contact us.

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