2000
#8,913
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,377
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.25
Rare Last name
Tims
Derived from the given name Timothy, ultimately from the Greek Timotheos, meaning "honoring God" or "honored by God."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,993 Americans carry the last name Tims. That puts it at #9,015 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.16 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 85,839 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tims 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 Tims with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.0K
1 in 85,839
Census rank
#9,015
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,482 bearers of the surname Tims in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.16 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9015th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tims, the largest self-reported group is White at 58.1%. The next largest groups are Black (32.7%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tims
The surname Tims is believed to have originated in England, with roots dating back to the late 12th century. It is derived from the medieval English personal name "Tim," which was a shortened form of the name "Timothy." The name Timothy itself has Greek origins, originating from the words "timao" meaning "to honor" and "theos" meaning "God."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Tims can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from the year 1191, where a person named "Willelmus filius Timi" (William, son of Tim) is mentioned. This suggests that the name was already in use as a surname or a byname by the late 12th century.
The surname Tims is also believed to have been associated with certain place names in England, such as Timsbury in Somerset and Timsborough in Wiltshire. These place names may have influenced the spelling or pronunciation of the surname in different regions.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, a landowner named "Timus" is recorded as holding lands in Wiltshire. While the spelling differs slightly, this could be an early reference to the surname's origins.
Notable historical figures with the surname Tims include:
1. William Tims (c. 1570-1624), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Ludgershall in 1604.
2. John Tims (1801-1875), a British architect known for designing several churches and public buildings in London.
3. Edward Tims (1838-1920), an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Gloucestershire in the late 19th century.
4. Mary Tims (1873-1957), a British trade unionist and suffragette who campaigned for women's rights and better working conditions for women.
5. Arthur Tims (1889-1968), a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 16th Premier of New Brunswick from 1952 to 1960.
The surname Tims has undergone various spellings throughout history, including Tymes, Timmes, and Tymmes, reflecting regional variations and phonetic adaptations over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tims
Among Census respondents with the surname Tims, the largest self-reported group is White at 58.1%. The next largest groups are Black (32.7%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Tims 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 Tims surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White58.1% · 2,024
- Black or African American32.7% · 1,138
- Two or more races4.4% · 154
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 106
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 45
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tims
Tims 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
#9,165
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,561
+184 bearers (+5.4%)
Per 100,000 1.21
Rank movement Down 252 places
2020
#9,015
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,482
-79 bearers (-2.2%)
Per 100,000 1.16
Rank movement Up 150 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,913 | 3,377 | 1.25 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,165 | 3,561 | 1.21 | +184 bearers (+5.4%) | Down 252 places |
| 2020 | #9,015 | 3,482 | 1.16 | -79 bearers (-2.2%) | Up 150 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 Tims 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 | #9,165 | #9,015 | 1.6% |
| Count | 3,561 | 3,482 | -2.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.21 | 1.16 | -3.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tims bearers went from 3,561 to 3,482 (-2.2% change). The surname moved up 150 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,165 to #9,015.
FAQ
Tims surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tims?
Name Census estimates that about 3,993 living Americans carry the surname Tims. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 85,839 residents.
How common is Tims?
Tims ranks #9,015 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.16 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 3,482 people with the surname Tims. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,993), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.16 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.16 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 Tims.
Has Tims become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tims went from 3,561 recorded bearers to 3,482. That is a decrease of 79 (-2.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,165 to #9,015.
What does the Census say about the background of Tims?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tims, the largest self-reported group is White at 58.1%. The next largest groups are Black (32.7%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Tims in the 2020 Census, accounting for 58.1% (2,024 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tims appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (58.1%), Black (32.7%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Tims (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 Tims mean?
Derived from the given name Timothy, ultimately from the Greek Timotheos, meaning "honoring God" or "honored by 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 Tims (1.16 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 common is the surname Tims?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Tims on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.