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

Tillison, 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 Tillison surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tillison in America

Tillison is the 26695th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tillison surname appeared 912 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 Tillison.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tillison 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 Tillison

The surname Tillison originated in England during the late medieval period, likely stemming from an occupational name for a tiler or thatcher, derived from the Old English words "tigel" meaning tile, and "hus" meaning house. It is believed to have first appeared in areas such as Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, where the trade of tiling roofs was prevalent.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire from 1297, where a John Tighilson is mentioned. The name also appears in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1379, with a reference to a Walter Tileson.

By the 15th century, variations in spelling began to emerge, such as Tilson, Tylson, and Tillison. This was common during this period as standardized spelling had not yet been established. In the Hearth Tax Rolls of 1674, a family named Tillison is listed as residing in the village of Helpringham, Lincolnshire.

Notable individuals bearing the Tillison surname include William Tillison, a merchant from York who was involved in the wool trade during the late 16th century. Records show he was born around 1550 and passed away in 1618. Another prominent figure was Sir Thomas Tillison, a landowner and magistrate from Nottinghamshire, born in 1612 and died in 1685.

In the 18th century, a family of Tillisons resided in the village of Wragby, Lincolnshire. John Tillison, born in 1714, was a respected farmer and landowner in the area. His son, also named John Tillison, born in 1748, served as a local parish clerk.

Moving into the 19th century, a notable individual was Mary Tillison, a writer and poet from Yorkshire, born in 1812. She published several volumes of poetry during her lifetime and was celebrated for her vivid descriptions of rural life in northern England. She passed away in 1891.

While the surname Tillison is now found worldwide due to migration and intermarriage, its origins can be traced back to the tilers and thatchers of medieval England, particularly in the counties of Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, where the name first took root.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tillison

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

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

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

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