2000
#1,651
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,900
First available Census row
Per 100,000 7.38
Uncommon Last name
Timmons
Derived from the Old French personal name Timon, which is of Greek origin meaning "one who honors God."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 22,680 Americans carry the last name Timmons. That puts it at #1,768 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 15,113 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Timmons 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 Timmons with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
23K
1 in 15,113
Census rank
#1,768
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
20K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 19,778 bearers of the surname Timmons in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1768th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Timmons, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.5%. The next largest groups are Black (26.2%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Timmons
The surname Timmons has its origins in the British Isles, specifically in England and Scotland. It is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century. The name is thought to be derived from an Old English personal name, "Timma" or "Tymma," which itself is likely a diminutive form of the name "Thomas."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Timmons can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire, England, from the year 1191, where a person named William Timmes is mentioned. The Pipe Rolls were administrative records used in Medieval England to record financial transactions and tax payments.
The Timmons surname is also found in various other historical records from the Middle Ages, such as the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from the year 1273, which lists a John Tymmes. These rolls were administrative records used to gather information about landholders and their properties.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the spelling of the name evolved and several variants emerged, including Tymmons, Tymmes, and Timmons. One notable bearer of this name was Sir Robert Timmons, an English politician and landowner who lived from 1573 to 1639.
In Scotland, the surname Timmons is believed to have originated from the Clan Buchanan, one of the ancient Scottish clans. The name is thought to be a variant of the Gaelic name "Mac an Tòisich," which means "son of the principal person" or "leader."
Throughout history, several individuals with the surname Timmons have made notable contributions in various fields. For instance, John Timmons (1801-1876) was an Irish-born American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.
Another prominent figure was Sir Harry Timmons (1865-1939), a British army officer and recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest military decoration awarded for valor in the British armed forces. He was born in Ireland and served in the Second Boer War and World War I.
In the literary world, William M. Timmons (1892-1960) was an American author and journalist known for his historical novels set in the American West. He was born in Colorado and published several books, including "The Covered Wagon" and "The Oregon Trail."
Lastly, Robert Timmons (1928-2002) was an American businessman and philanthropist who co-founded the Timmons Foundation, a charitable organization that supports education and healthcare initiatives in the United States.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Timmons
Among Census respondents with the surname Timmons, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.5%. The next largest groups are Black (26.2%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Timmons 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 Timmons surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White65.5% · 12,946
- Black or African American26.2% · 5,179
- Two or more races4.1% · 811
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 645
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 109
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 88
Timeline
Historical Census data for Timmons
Timmons 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
#1,734
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,671
+771 bearers (+3.9%)
Per 100,000 7.01
Rank movement Down 83 places
2020
#1,768
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,778
-893 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 6.62
Rank movement Down 34 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,651 | 19,900 | 7.38 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,734 | 20,671 | 7.01 | +771 bearers (+3.9%) | Down 83 places |
| 2020 | #1,768 | 19,778 | 6.62 | -893 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 34 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 Timmons 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 | #1,734 | #1,768 | -2.0% |
| Count | 20,671 | 19,778 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 7.01 | 6.62 | -5.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Timmons bearers went from 20,671 to 19,778 (-4.3% change). The surname moved down 34 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,734 to #1,768.
FAQ
Timmons surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Timmons?
Name Census estimates that about 22,680 living Americans carry the surname Timmons. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 15,113 residents.
How common is Timmons?
Timmons ranks #1,768 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.62 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 19,778 people with the surname Timmons. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (22,680), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.62 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Timmons.
Has Timmons become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Timmons went from 20,671 recorded bearers to 19,778. That is a decrease of 893 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,734 to #1,768.
What does the Census say about the background of Timmons?
Among Census respondents with the surname Timmons, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.5%. The next largest groups are Black (26.2%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Timmons in the 2020 Census, accounting for 65.5% (12,946 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Timmons appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (65.5%), Black (26.2%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Timmons (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 Timmons mean?
Derived from the Old French personal name Timon, which is of Greek origin meaning "one who honors God." 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 Timmons (6.62 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 have the last name Timmons?
Find out how many people have the last name Timmons on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.