2000
#10,917
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,675
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.99
Rare Last name
Tilghman
A surname of English origin referring to a person from the village of Tilghman or Tilham.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,120 Americans carry the last name Tilghman. That puts it at #11,127 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.91 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 109,857 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tilghman 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
3.1K
1 in 109,857
Census rank
#11,127
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,721 bearers of the surname Tilghman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.91 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11127th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tilghman, the largest self-reported group is White at 51.0%. The next largest groups are Black (39.8%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tilghman
The surname Tilghman is of English origin, derived from the place name Tileham, which was recorded as Tilgeham in the Domesday Book of 1086. The name is believed to have originated in the county of Norfolk, England, during the medieval period.
Tilgeham is thought to be derived from the Old English words "tigel" meaning tile and "ham" meaning homestead or village, likely referring to a settlement where tiles were produced or a place with tiled buildings. The spelling of the surname evolved over time, with variations such as Tilgham, Tilghman, and Tillghman appearing in historical records.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the surname Tilghman can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Norfolk from 1199, where a Richard de Tilgham is mentioned. Another early reference is from the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which lists a Walter de Tilgham as a landowner in Norfolk.
In the 14th century, a prominent figure named Richard Tilghman (c. 1305-1368) was appointed as the Lord Chancellor of England, serving under King Edward III. He was known for his legal expertise and played a significant role in the development of English law during his tenure.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, members of the Tilghman family were influential in the English county of Kent. Notable individuals include Richard Tilghman (1548-1623), a wealthy landowner and justice of the peace, and his son, also named Richard Tilghman (1582-1654), who served as a member of Parliament.
In the late 17th century, the Tilghman family established a presence in the American colonies. One of the earliest immigrants was Richard Tilghman (1672-1738), who settled in Maryland and became a prominent planter and politician. His descendants, including Matthew Tilghman (1718-1790) and William Tilghman (1756-1824), played important roles in the American Revolutionary War and the early years of the United States.
Another notable figure was Benjamin Chew Tilghman (1821-1901), a Union Army officer during the American Civil War. He rose to the rank of brigadier general and was awarded the Medal of Honor for his bravery in the Battle of Malvern Hill in 1862.
The Tilghman surname has also been associated with several places in the United States, such as Tilghman Island in Maryland and the town of Tilghman, South Carolina, which were likely named after early settlers with this surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tilghman
Among Census respondents with the surname Tilghman, the largest self-reported group is White at 51.0%. The next largest groups are Black (39.8%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Tilghman 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 Tilghman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White51.0% · 1,387
- Black or African American39.8% · 1,084
- Two or more races5.3% · 144
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 78
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tilghman
Tilghman 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
#11,250
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,810
+135 bearers (+5.0%)
Per 100,000 0.95
Rank movement Down 333 places
2020
#11,127
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,721
-89 bearers (-3.2%)
Per 100,000 0.91
Rank movement Up 123 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,917 | 2,675 | 0.99 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,250 | 2,810 | 0.95 | +135 bearers (+5.0%) | Down 333 places |
| 2020 | #11,127 | 2,721 | 0.91 | -89 bearers (-3.2%) | Up 123 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 Tilghman 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 | #11,250 | #11,127 | 1.1% |
| Count | 2,810 | 2,721 | -3.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.95 | 0.91 | -4.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tilghman bearers went from 2,810 to 2,721 (-3.2% change). The surname moved up 123 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,250 to #11,127.
FAQ
Tilghman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tilghman?
Name Census estimates that about 3,120 living Americans carry the surname Tilghman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 109,857 residents.
How common is Tilghman?
Tilghman ranks #11,127 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.91 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 2,721 people with the surname Tilghman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,120), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.91 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.91 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 Tilghman.
Has Tilghman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tilghman went from 2,810 recorded bearers to 2,721. That is a decrease of 89 (-3.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,250 to #11,127.
What does the Census say about the background of Tilghman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tilghman, the largest self-reported group is White at 51.0%. The next largest groups are Black (39.8%) and Two or More Races (5.3%). 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 Tilghman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 51.0% (1,387 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tilghman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (51.0%), Black (39.8%), Two or More Races (5.3%). 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 Tilghman (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 Tilghman mean?
A surname of English origin referring to a person from the village of Tilghman or Tilham. 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 Tilghman (0.91 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 Americans have the surname Tilghman?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.