2000
#13,421
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,081
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.77
Rare Last name
Tiner
Occupational surname for a dyer or one who tints fabrics.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,271 Americans carry the last name Tiner. That puts it at #14,490 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.66 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 150,927 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tiner 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
2.3K
1 in 150,927
Census rank
#14,490
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,980 bearers of the surname Tiner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.66 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14490th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tiner, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.3%. The next largest groups are Black (4.2%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tiner
The surname Tiner has its origins in England, dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to be an occupational name derived from the Old English word "tiner," which referred to a person who worked with tin or was a tinsmith. This name likely originated in areas where tin mining and metalworking were prevalent, such as Cornwall and Devon.
In the early historical records, the name was often spelled as "Tynere" or "Tynor." One of the earliest recorded instances of the name dates back to 1273, when a Thomas le Tynere was mentioned in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire.
The Tiner surname also appears in the famous Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of landowners and property commissioned by William the Conqueror. However, the spellings in this document were slightly different, such as "Tinearius" and "Tinarius."
During the 14th century, the name continued to be associated with the tin trade and metalworking. In 1379, a Richard Tynere was listed in the Poll Tax Returns of Yorkshire, indicating his occupation as a tinsmith.
Throughout the centuries, several notable individuals have borne the Tiner surname. One such person was John Tiner, a 16th-century English lawyer and judge who served as the Chief Baron of the Exchequer from 1589 to 1594.
Another prominent figure was Sir William Tiner (1569-1653), an English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Gloucester in the early 17th century.
In the 18th century, Thomas Tiner (1720-1795) was a British naval officer who participated in several significant battles during the American Revolutionary War.
Moving into the 19th century, James Tiner (1842-1912) was a British architect known for designing numerous public buildings and churches in London and other parts of England.
Lastly, Edward Tiner (1890-1965) was an American author and journalist who wrote several novels and short stories during the early 20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tiner
Among Census respondents with the surname Tiner, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.3%. The next largest groups are Black (4.2%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Tiner 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 Tiner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.3% · 1,708
- Black or African American4.2% · 83
- Two or more races4.1% · 82
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 77
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 21
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tiner
Tiner 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
#14,050
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,143
+62 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Down 629 places
2020
#14,490
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,980
-163 bearers (-7.6%)
Per 100,000 0.66
Rank movement Down 440 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,421 | 2,081 | 0.77 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,050 | 2,143 | 0.73 | +62 bearers (+3.0%) | Down 629 places |
| 2020 | #14,490 | 1,980 | 0.66 | -163 bearers (-7.6%) | Down 440 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 Tiner 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 | #14,050 | #14,490 | -3.1% |
| Count | 2,143 | 1,980 | -7.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.73 | 0.66 | -9.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tiner bearers went from 2,143 to 1,980 (-7.6% change). The surname moved down 440 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,050 to #14,490.
FAQ
Tiner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tiner?
Name Census estimates that about 2,271 living Americans carry the surname Tiner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 150,927 residents.
How common is Tiner?
Tiner ranks #14,490 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.66 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 1,980 people with the surname Tiner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,271), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.66 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.66 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 Tiner.
Has Tiner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tiner went from 2,143 recorded bearers to 1,980. That is a decrease of 163 (-7.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,050 to #14,490.
What does the Census say about the background of Tiner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tiner, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.3%. The next largest groups are Black (4.2%) 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 Tiner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.3% (1,708 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tiner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.3%), Black (4.2%), 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 Tiner (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 Tiner mean?
Occupational surname for a dyer or one who tints fabrics. 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 Tiner (0.66 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 Tiner?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.