2000
#12,093
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,367
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.88
Rare Last name
Tindell
A derivation of Tyndale, referring to someone from Tyndale, a place in Northumberland, England, or derived from a tin valley.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,604 Americans carry the last name Tindell. That puts it at #12,934 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.76 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 131,626 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tindell 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 Tindell with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.6K
1 in 131,626
Census rank
#12,934
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,271 bearers of the surname Tindell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.76 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12934th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tindell, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and Black (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tindell
The surname TINDELL is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "tynder," meaning "kindler" or "fire-starter." It is believed to have originated in the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century, when it was likely an occupational surname given to individuals whose job was to start and maintain fires.
The earliest recorded instance of the name TINDELL dates back to 1273 in the Hundred Rolls of Huntingdonshire, where it appears as "William le Tyndere." This spelling variation suggests that the name was initially associated with the occupation of a tinder-maker or fire-starter.
During the 14th century, the surname TINDELL began to appear in various historical records across England, particularly in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. In the Subsidy Rolls of 1379 for Yorkshire, a certain "John Tyndell" is mentioned.
One notable figure bearing the name TINDELL was William Tindall (c. 1495-1536), a renowned English scholar and translator who was the first to translate the Bible into English from the original Greek and Hebrew texts. His work paved the way for the eventual publication of the King James Bible.
Another individual of historical significance was Sir John Tindall (1622-1682), an English soldier and politician who served as a Member of Parliament during the reign of Charles II. He played a prominent role in the English Civil War and was later appointed as the Governor of Dunkirk.
In the 18th century, the surname TINDELL appeared in the records of the town of Barnsley, Yorkshire, where a family by the name of Tindall was well-established. One member of this family, Matthew Tindall (1753-1826), was a notable English clergyman and writer.
Another notable bearer of the name was James Tindall (1784-1857), an English naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars. He participated in several significant battles and was later appointed as the Commander-in-Chief of the East Indies Station.
The surname TINDELL has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Tindale in Northumberland and Tindall's Green in Suffolk. These place names may have influenced the spelling variations of the surname over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tindell
Among Census respondents with the surname Tindell, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and Black (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Tindell 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 Tindell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.3% · 1,937
- Two or more races4.7% · 107
- Black or African American4.3% · 98
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 90
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 26
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tindell
Tindell 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
#11,622
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,699
+332 bearers (+14.0%)
Per 100,000 0.91
Rank movement Up 471 places
2020
#12,934
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,271
-428 bearers (-15.9%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Down 1,312 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,093 | 2,367 | 0.88 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,622 | 2,699 | 0.91 | +332 bearers (+14.0%) | Up 471 places |
| 2020 | #12,934 | 2,271 | 0.76 | -428 bearers (-15.9%) | Down 1,312 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 Tindell 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 | #11,622 | #12,934 | -11.3% |
| Count | 2,699 | 2,271 | -15.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.91 | 0.76 | -16.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tindell bearers went from 2,699 to 2,271 (-15.9% change). The surname moved down 1,312 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,622 to #12,934.
FAQ
Tindell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tindell?
Name Census estimates that about 2,604 living Americans carry the surname Tindell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 131,626 residents.
How common is Tindell?
Tindell ranks #12,934 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.76 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 2,271 people with the surname Tindell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,604), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.76 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.76 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 Tindell.
Has Tindell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tindell went from 2,699 recorded bearers to 2,271. That is a decrease of 428 (-15.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,622 to #12,934.
What does the Census say about the background of Tindell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tindell, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and Black (4.3%). 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 Tindell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.3% (1,937 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tindell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.3%), Two or More Races (4.7%), Black (4.3%). 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 Tindell (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 Tindell mean?
A derivation of Tyndale, referring to someone from Tyndale, a place in Northumberland, England, or derived from a tin valley. 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 Tindell (0.76 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 Tindell?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.