2000
#14,841
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,832
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.68
Rare Last name
Tineo
A Spanish habitational surname indicating an individual's origin in the Asturian town of Tineo.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,459 Americans carry the last name Tineo. That puts it at #10,175 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.01 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 99,091 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tineo 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.
Bearers in the US
3.5K
1 in 99,091
Census rank
#10,175
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,016 bearers of the surname Tineo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.01 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10175th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tineo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.2%. The next largest groups are White (3.1%) and Black (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tineo
The surname Tineo has its origins in the Iberian Peninsula, specifically in the region of Galicia, Spain. It is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century. The name Tineo is derived from the Latin word "tinea," which means "moth" or "small insect."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Tineo can be found in the "Tumbo de Celanova," a medieval cartulary from the Galician monastery of Celanova. This document, dating back to the 12th century, includes references to individuals with the surname Tineo, suggesting that the name had already been established in the region by that time.
In the 14th century, a notable figure bearing the surname Tineo was Álvaro Tineo, a Galician nobleman and military commander who fought in the Reconquista campaigns against the Moors. He is mentioned in several historical chronicles of the time, particularly for his role in the capture of the city of Algeciras in 1344.
During the 15th century, the Tineo surname can be found in various records from the Kingdom of Castile, including tax rolls and census documents. One prominent individual from this period was Juan Tineo, a Sevillian merchant and explorer who participated in the early Spanish expeditions to the Americas in the late 15th and early 16th centuries.
In the 16th century, the Tineo surname gained prominence in the arts, with the painter Juan de Tineo (c. 1510-1583) being one of the most notable figures. He was a Renaissance artist from Seville, known for his religious paintings and his work in the Sevillian Cathedral.
Another significant figure bearing the Tineo surname was Pedro Tineo (1564-1616), a Jesuit priest and linguist who was instrumental in the translation and preservation of indigenous languages in Mexico during the Spanish colonial period.
As the Tineo surname spread beyond its Galician roots, it can be found in various regions of Spain, as well as in Portuguese-speaking areas and throughout the Spanish-speaking world, particularly in Latin America, due to the migrations and conquests of the Spanish Empire.
While the surname Tineo may have evolved from a word related to insects, its historical significance lies in the individuals who carried it, contributing to various fields such as military, exploration, arts, and language preservation throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tineo
Among Census respondents with the surname Tineo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.2%. The next largest groups are White (3.1%) and Black (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Tineo 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 Tineo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino95.2% · 2,872
- White3.1% · 94
- Black or African American1.0% · 29
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 7
- Two or more races0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tineo
Tineo 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
#11,312
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,792
+960 bearers (+52.4%)
Per 100,000 0.95
Rank movement Up 3,529 places
2020
#10,175
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,016
+224 bearers (+8.0%)
Per 100,000 1.01
Rank movement Up 1,137 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,841 | 1,832 | 0.68 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,312 | 2,792 | 0.95 | +960 bearers (+52.4%) | Up 3,529 places |
| 2020 | #10,175 | 3,016 | 1.01 | +224 bearers (+8.0%) | Up 1,137 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 Tineo 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 | #11,312 | #10,175 | 10.1% |
| Count | 2,792 | 3,016 | 8.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.95 | 1.01 | 6.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tineo bearers went from 2,792 to 3,016 (+8.0% change). The surname moved up 1,137 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,312 to #10,175.
FAQ
Tineo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tineo?
Name Census estimates that about 3,459 living Americans carry the surname Tineo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 99,091 residents.
How common is Tineo?
Tineo ranks #10,175 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.01 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 3,016 people with the surname Tineo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,459), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.01 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.01 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 Tineo.
Has Tineo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tineo went from 2,792 recorded bearers to 3,016. That is an increase of 224 (+8.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,312 to #10,175.
What does the Census say about the background of Tineo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tineo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.2%. The next largest groups are White (3.1%) and Black (1.0%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Tineo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.2% (2,872 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tineo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (95.2%), White (3.1%), Black (1.0%). 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 Tineo (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 Tineo mean?
A Spanish habitational surname indicating an individual's origin in the Asturian town of Tineo. 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 Tineo (1.01 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 are called Tineo?
Find out how many people are called Tineo on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.