2000
#148,244
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Tildon
An English Surname of Anglo-Saxon origin denoting someone from a meadow hill.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Tildon. 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 Tildon 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 Tildon 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 Tildon, the largest self-reported group is Black at 66.7%. The next largest groups are White (18.4%) and Hispanic (7.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tildon
The surname Tildon originated in England during the late medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "til" meaning "fertile" and "dun" meaning "hill" or "down." This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a descriptive name to someone who lived near a fertile hill or downland area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1195, where a William de Tildone is mentioned. This indicates that the name was present in the region during the late 12th century and had already taken on a locational form.
In the Hundred Rolls of 1273, there is a reference to a John de Tildone, who held lands in Oxfordshire. This further supports the theory that the name originated as a place name, possibly referring to a now-lost or renamed settlement in the area.
The Tildon surname appears to have been particularly concentrated in the counties of Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, and Berkshire during the medieval and early modern periods. It is worth noting that the spelling variations at the time included Tildone, Tildune, and Tyldone.
One notable individual was Sir John Tildon, a member of the English gentry who lived in the late 16th century. He served as a Member of Parliament for Berkshire in 1588 and was knighted in 1603 by King James I.
Another prominent figure was William Tildon, born in 1605 in Gloucestershire. He was a prominent Puritan clergyman and author, known for his work "Perpetual Reformation" published in 1649.
In the 17th century, the name Tildon also appeared in the records of New England, indicating that some families had emigrated from England to the American colonies. One such individual was Nathaniel Tildon, born in 1626 in Tenterden, Kent, who later settled in Massachusetts.
The 18th century saw the rise of Richard Tildon, a successful merchant and landowner in Gloucestershire. He was born in 1712 and was known for his philanthropic efforts, contributing significantly to the construction of local churches and schools.
Lastly, in the 19th century, there was Henry Tildon, a British artist and engraver born in 1802 in Oxfordshire. He was renowned for his intricate engravings of architectural subjects and landscapes, many of which are held in prestigious collections.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tildon
Among Census respondents with the surname Tildon, the largest self-reported group is Black at 66.7%. The next largest groups are White (18.4%) and Hispanic (7.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Tildon 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 Tildon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American66.7% · 76
- White18.4% · 21
- Hispanic or Latino7.9% · 9
- Two or more races7.0% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tildon
Tildon 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
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
+8 bearers (+7.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,151 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+4 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,900 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #148,244 | 102 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.8%) | Down 1,151 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.6%) | Up 2,900 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 Tildon 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 | #149,395 | #146,495 | 1.9% |
| Count | 110 | 114 | 3.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tildon bearers went from 110 to 114 (+3.6% change). The surname moved up 2,900 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #146,495.
FAQ
Tildon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tildon?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Tildon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Tildon?
Tildon 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 Tildon. 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 Tildon.
Has Tildon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tildon went from 110 recorded bearers to 114. That is an increase of 4 (+3.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #149,395 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Tildon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tildon, the largest self-reported group is Black at 66.7%. The next largest groups are White (18.4%) and Hispanic (7.9%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Tildon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.7% (76 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tildon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (66.7%), White (18.4%), Hispanic (7.9%). 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 Tildon (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 Tildon mean?
An English Surname of Anglo-Saxon origin denoting someone from a meadow hill. 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 Tildon (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 share the surname Tildon?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.