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

Tillinghast, 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 Tillinghast surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tillinghast in America

Tillinghast is the 21371st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tillinghast surname appeared 1,225 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Tillinghast.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tillinghast 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 Tillinghast

The surname Tillinghast originates from England, with the earliest known records dating back to the 11th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English place name "Tillingahæst," which translates to "Tilling's brushwood or thicket." This name refers to a specific location, likely a settlement or village, where the initial bearer of the surname resided.

One of the earliest known references to the Tillinghast name can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landowners and their holdings in England and parts of Wales, commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The Domesday Book records a person named "Tillingehast" as a landowner in the county of Wiltshire.

The surname Tillinghast has undergone various spelling variations throughout history, including Tillinghast, Tillinghurst, Tillinghurst, and Tillynghurst. These variations likely arose due to regional dialect differences and the inconsistent nature of record-keeping during those times.

One notable early bearer of the Tillinghast surname was Sir John Tillinghast, a 13th-century English knight who fought in the Crusades and was recorded as a participant in the Battle of Acre in 1191.

In the 14th century, a branch of the Tillinghast family settled in the village of Tillingshurst, located in the county of Surrey, England. This place name is likely derived from the same root as the surname, further solidifying the connection between the family and the location.

During the 16th century, a prominent member of the Tillinghast family was Thomas Tillinghast, a wealthy merchant and landowner who lived in the town of Stratford-upon-Avon, the birthplace of William Shakespeare. Records indicate that Thomas Tillinghast was a contemporary of Shakespeare and may have been acquainted with the famous playwright.

Another notable figure with the Tillinghast surname was Pardon Tillinghast (1622-1718), one of the founding settlers of Providence, Rhode Island, in the American colonies. Pardon Tillinghast played a significant role in the establishment of the Rhode Island colony and served as a deputy to the General Assembly.

In the 18th century, Joseph Tillinghast (1743-1826) was a prominent American Baptist minister and educator. He served as the president of Brown University and was instrumental in the establishment of several educational institutions in New England.

Throughout its long history, the Tillinghast surname has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including nobility, merchants, settlers, clergymen, and scholars, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and contributions of those who bore this name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tillinghast

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

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 Tillinghast 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 Tillinghast 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 Tillinghast was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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