2000
#4,100
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,997
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.96
Rare Last name
Tilton
Derived from a place name meaning "farmstead or village on a hill" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,803 Americans carry the last name Tilton. That puts it at #4,484 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.57 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 38,936 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tilton 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 Tilton with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.8K
1 in 38,936
Census rank
#4,484
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,677 bearers of the surname Tilton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.57 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4484th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tilton, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tilton
The surname Tilton has its origins in England, tracing back to the medieval period. It is a habitation name derived from the place name "Tilton" or "Tlllington," which are believed to have evolved from the Old English words "til" meaning "good" or "fertile" and "tun" meaning "farm" or "enclosure." These place names were typically associated with areas known for their rich agricultural lands.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the surname Tilton can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Tiluintone." This entry refers to a settlement in Leicestershire, suggesting that the name may have originated in that region.
In the 13th century, records show various spellings of the name, such as "de Tilton," "de Tyllyngton," and "de Tyllington." This indicates that the surname was derived from the place name and adopted by individuals who hailed from those locations.
A notable early bearer of the name was Sir John Tilton, a knight who fought in the Battle of Agincourt in 1415 during the Hundred Years' War between England and France. He was born around 1380 and died in the early 15th century.
Another historical figure bearing the Tilton surname was William Tilton, a Puritan settler who arrived in Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1634. He went on to become a prominent landowner and served as a deputy to the General Court of Massachusetts in the mid-17th century.
In the late 17th century, John Tilton (1639-1718) was a prominent merchant and ship owner in London, contributing to the city's thriving maritime trade during that period.
The Tilton surname also has connections to place names in England, such as Tilton on the Hill in Leicestershire and Tilton in Norfolk. These locations likely served as the original homesteads for families who later adopted the surname.
Among other notable individuals with the Tilton surname was Eliza Tilton (1835-1915), an American author and women's rights advocate who wrote extensively on issues of gender equality and social reform.
Throughout the centuries, the Tilton surname has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, spanning professions such as military service, politics, commerce, and literature, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and contributions of those bearing this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tilton
Among Census respondents with the surname Tilton, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Tilton 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 Tilton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.5% · 6,870
- Two or more races4.4% · 335
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 239
- Black or African American1.5% · 115
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 90
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 28
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tilton
Tilton 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
#4,376
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,124
+127 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 2.75
Rank movement Down 276 places
2020
#4,484
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,677
-447 bearers (-5.5%)
Per 100,000 2.57
Rank movement Down 108 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,100 | 7,997 | 2.96 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,376 | 8,124 | 2.75 | +127 bearers (+1.6%) | Down 276 places |
| 2020 | #4,484 | 7,677 | 2.57 | -447 bearers (-5.5%) | Down 108 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 Tilton 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 | #4,376 | #4,484 | -2.5% |
| Count | 8,124 | 7,677 | -5.5% |
| Per 100K | 2.75 | 2.57 | -6.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tilton bearers went from 8,124 to 7,677 (-5.5% change). The surname moved down 108 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,376 to #4,484.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Tilton
FAQ
Tilton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tilton?
Name Census estimates that about 8,803 living Americans carry the surname Tilton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 38,936 residents.
How common is Tilton?
Tilton ranks #4,484 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.57 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,677 people with the surname Tilton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,803), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.57 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.57 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Tilton.
Has Tilton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tilton went from 8,124 recorded bearers to 7,677. That is a decrease of 447 (-5.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,376 to #4,484.
What does the Census say about the background of Tilton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tilton, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Tilton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.5% (6,870 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tilton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.5%), Two or More Races (4.4%), Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Tilton (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 Tilton mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "farmstead or village on a hill" 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 Tilton (2.57 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 Tilton?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.