2000
#7,513
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,087
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.52
Rare Last name
Tillotson
Derived from a place name meaning "Tilla's town" or "Tilwald's town" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,504 Americans carry the last name Tillotson. That puts it at #8,079 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.31 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 76,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tillotson 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 Tillotson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.5K
1 in 76,100
Census rank
#8,079
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,928 bearers of the surname Tillotson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.31 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8079th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tillotson, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.3%. The next largest groups are Black (5.0%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tillotson
The surname Tillotson has its origins in England, dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to be a locational name, derived from the place name Tilston, which is found in Cheshire and Leicestershire. The name itself is thought to come from the Old English words "til" meaning "noble" or "good," and "tun" meaning "farm" or "settlement."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where it appears as "de Tilston." This suggests that the name was initially adopted by someone who hailed from the village of Tilston. The name also appears in other historical records, such as the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire in 1199, where it is spelled "Tilieston."
In the 16th century, the Tillotson family was well-established in Yorkshire, with several members holding positions of prominence. One notable figure was John Tillotson (1630-1694), an English cleric who served as the Archbishop of Canterbury from 1691 until his death. He was widely regarded as one of the most influential preachers and theologians of his time.
Another notable Tillotson was Robert Tillotson (1572-1637), an English clergyman and author who served as the rector of St. Alphege Church in Canterbury. He wrote several works on theology and church history, including "The Statutes of the Church of England."
In the 17th century, the Tillotson name was also found in the American colonies. One of the earliest recorded instances is that of John Tillotson (1638-1718), who was born in Massachusetts and served as a deacon in the Congregational Church. He played a significant role in the early development of the town of Dorchester, Massachusetts.
Another prominent figure with the surname Tillotson was Thomas Tillotson (1750-1832), an English physician and writer who was a pioneer in the field of hygiene and public health. He wrote several influential works on the subject, including "A Treatise on the Preservation of Health and the Prevention of Diseases."
Throughout history, the Tillotson name has been associated with various places, including the village of Tilston in Cheshire, as well as the towns of Tilston and Tilston Fearnall in Leicestershire. These place names are believed to have contributed to the formation of the surname, as it was common for people to adopt locational names based on their place of origin or residence.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tillotson
Among Census respondents with the surname Tillotson, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.3%. The next largest groups are Black (5.0%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Tillotson 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 Tillotson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.3% · 3,388
- Black or African American5.0% · 198
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 158
- Two or more races3.6% · 141
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 22
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 21
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tillotson
Tillotson 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
#7,972
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,149
+62 bearers (+1.5%)
Per 100,000 1.41
Rank movement Down 459 places
2020
#8,079
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,928
-221 bearers (-5.3%)
Per 100,000 1.31
Rank movement Down 107 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,513 | 4,087 | 1.52 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,972 | 4,149 | 1.41 | +62 bearers (+1.5%) | Down 459 places |
| 2020 | #8,079 | 3,928 | 1.31 | -221 bearers (-5.3%) | Down 107 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 Tillotson 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 | #7,972 | #8,079 | -1.3% |
| Count | 4,149 | 3,928 | -5.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.41 | 1.31 | -6.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tillotson bearers went from 4,149 to 3,928 (-5.3% change). The surname moved down 107 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,972 to #8,079.
FAQ
Tillotson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tillotson?
Name Census estimates that about 4,504 living Americans carry the surname Tillotson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 76,100 residents.
How common is Tillotson?
Tillotson ranks #8,079 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.31 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 3,928 people with the surname Tillotson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,504), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.31 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.31 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 Tillotson.
Has Tillotson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tillotson went from 4,149 recorded bearers to 3,928. That is a decrease of 221 (-5.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,972 to #8,079.
What does the Census say about the background of Tillotson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tillotson, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.3%. The next largest groups are Black (5.0%) and Hispanic (4.0%). 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 Tillotson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.3% (3,388 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tillotson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.3%), Black (5.0%), Hispanic (4.0%). 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 Tillotson (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 Tillotson mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "Tilla's town" or "Tilwald's town" in Old English. 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 Tillotson (1.31 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 share the surname Tillotson?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.