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

Tillman, 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 Tillman surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tillman in America

Tillman is the 1139th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tillman surname appeared 30,825 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 10 people would have the surname Tillman.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tillman 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 Tillman

The surname Tillman is of English origin and is believed to have derived from the Old English words "tilian" meaning to till or cultivate, and "mann" meaning a man or person. It was an occupational surname given to someone who worked as a farmer or cultivator of the land.

The earliest known record of the name dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Tilemann" and "Tilman" in various counties across England. This suggests that the name was already in use by the late 11th century.

In the 13th century, the name was recorded as "Tilman" and "Tyllman" in various records and manuscripts, such as the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire and the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Robert Tilman, a landowner in Hertfordshire, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of 1195. Another early bearer was John Tyllman, a resident of Norfolk, who was recorded in the Subsidy Rolls of 1327.

The name is also associated with several places in England, including Tilmanstone in Kent, which was formerly known as "Tilmannes-tun" in the 10th century, meaning "Tilman's farm or estate."

Notable individuals with the surname Tillman throughout history include:

1. Benjamin Tillman (1847-1918), an American politician and governor of South Carolina, known for his support of racial segregation and white supremacy.
2. Edmonia Lewis Tillman (1845-1900), an American sculptor and activist, who was one of the first African American artists to achieve national recognition.
3. Samuel Escue Tillman (1847-1942), an American minister and civil rights activist, who was a prominent leader in the African Methodist Episcopal Church.
4. Samuel E. Tillman (1876-1952), an American politician and lawyer, who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Arkansas.
5. Benjamin Ryan Tillman (1892-1965), an American lawyer and jurist, who served as a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.

The surname Tillman has also been found with various spellings over time, such as Tilman, Tillmann, Tyllman, and Tyllmann, reflecting the evolution of language and regional variations in pronunciation and spelling.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tillman

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

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

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

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