2000
#150,436
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Tilling
An occupational surname derived from the word "tiller," referring to a farmer or cultivator of the soil.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Tilling. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tilling 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Tilling with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Tilling in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tilling, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tilling
The surname Tilling is of Anglo-Saxon origin and was first found in England. It is a locational name derived from a place name meaning "the dweller at or near the tilled or cultivated land." The earliest known spelling variations include Tillen, Tyllen, Tyllene, and Tilling.
An early record of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as Tillingis. This suggests that the name was already well-established in England by the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066.
One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Robert de Tillinges, who was listed in the Pipe Rolls of Northamptonshire in 1195. Another early record is that of Roger de Tillinges, who was mentioned in the Curia Regis Rolls of Hertfordshire in 1221.
In the 14th century, the name Tilling was found in various areas of England, including Essex, Suffolk, and Norfolk. For example, John Tilling was recorded in the Subsidy Rolls of Essex in 1327, while William Tyllynge was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Suffolk in 1381.
One notable bearer of the name was Sir George Tilling (c. 1545-1622), an English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Hertfordshire in the late 16th and early 17th centuries.
Another prominent figure was Sir John Tilling (1620-1692), an English lawyer and judge who served as Lord Chief Justice of the Common Pleas from 1683 to 1689.
In the 18th century, the name Tilling was also found in Scotland, where it was associated with the town of Tillicoultry in Clackmannanshire. One example is James Tilling (1736-1795), a Scottish merchant and landowner who owned estates in Tillicoultry.
Other notable individuals with the surname Tilling include William Tilling (1801-1872), an English businessman and founder of Tilling Transport Services, and Sir John Henry Tilling (1859-1925), an English businessman and philanthropist who was the chairman of Tilling Transport Services.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tilling
Among Census respondents with the surname Tilling, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Tilling 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 Tilling surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.7% · 107
- Two or more races3.4% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tilling
Tilling 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
#157,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
+3 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 6,798 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+15 bearers (+14.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 13,723 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #150,436 | 100 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #157,234 | 103 | 0.03 | +3 bearers (+3.0%) | Down 6,798 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | +15 bearers (+14.6%) | Up 13,723 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 Tilling 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 | #157,234 | #143,511 | 8.7% |
| Count | 103 | 118 | 14.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 31.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tilling bearers went from 103 to 118 (+14.6% change). The surname moved up 13,723 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #143,511.
FAQ
Tilling surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tilling?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Tilling. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Tilling?
Tilling ranks #143,511 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 118 people with the surname Tilling. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), 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 Tilling.
Has Tilling become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tilling went from 103 recorded bearers to 118. That is an increase of 15 (+14.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Tilling?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tilling, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Tilling in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.7% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tilling appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.7%), Two or More Races (3.4%), Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Tilling (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 Tilling mean?
An occupational surname derived from the word "tiller," referring to a farmer or cultivator of the soil. 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 Tilling (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 Tilling?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Tilling is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.