2000
#134,929
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Tinin
A surname derived from the Italian word "tinta" meaning "color" or "dye."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Tinin. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tinin 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Tinin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tinin, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.7%) and Hispanic (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tinin
The surname TININ originated in the Veneto region of northeastern Italy during the late medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Latin word "tinea," meaning "moth" or "clothes moth." This occupational surname was likely given to someone who worked in the textile industry, perhaps a tailor, weaver, or clothier whose responsibilities included protecting fabrics from moth infestations.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the TININ name appears in a property deed from the city of Verona, dated 1327. The document refers to a "Giovanni Tinin," a landowner who had acquired a parcel of farmland just outside the city walls. This suggests that the TININ name had already become established in the region by the early 14th century.
In the following centuries, the TININ surname can be found scattered throughout various records and documents across the Veneto region. A notable example is Marco Tinin, a merchant from Venice who is mentioned in the account books of the powerful Medici family in Florence, dating back to the late 15th century. This indicates that members of the TININ family were involved in international trade and commerce during the Renaissance period.
As the name spread beyond its original geographical origins, it underwent various spelling variations and adaptations. In some areas of northern Italy, it was recorded as "Tinini" or "Tinino," while in other parts of Europe, it took on forms such as "Tynin" or "Tynyn."
One of the earliest known bearers of the TININ name in a prominent role was Giovanni Battista Tinin, a Catholic prelate who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. Born in Verona in 1558, he served as the Bishop of Feltre from 1602 until his death in 1623.
Another notable figure was Antonio Tinin, an Italian painter and architect who was active in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. He was born in Vicenza in 1674 and is best known for his work on several churches and palaces in the city, including the Chiesa di Santa Corona and the Palazzo Thiene.
In the 19th century, Giuseppe Tinin (1806-1879) was an Italian lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Venetian Provincial Council and was involved in the Italian unification movement.
More recently, Renato Tinin (1923-2013) was an Italian businessman and entrepreneur who founded the successful Tinin Automotive Group, a major producer of automotive components based in Brescia.
While the TININ surname has its roots in northern Italy, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora communities. However, its origins can be traced back to the medieval Veneto region and its likely association with the textile industry and the protection of fabrics from moth damage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tinin
Among Census respondents with the surname Tinin, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.7%) and Hispanic (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Tinin 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 Tinin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.5% · 116
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tinin
Tinin 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
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-4 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,418 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+8 bearers (+7.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,559 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,929 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.5%) | Down 13,418 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.2%) | Up 5,559 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 Tinin 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 | #148,347 | #142,788 | 3.7% |
| Count | 111 | 119 | 7.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tinin bearers went from 111 to 119 (+7.2% change). The surname moved up 5,559 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #142,788.
FAQ
Tinin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tinin?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Tinin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Tinin?
Tinin ranks #142,788 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 119 people with the surname Tinin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Tinin.
Has Tinin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tinin went from 111 recorded bearers to 119. That is an increase of 8 (+7.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #148,347 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Tinin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tinin, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.7%) and Hispanic (0.8%). 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 Tinin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.5% (116 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tinin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.5%), Two or More Races (1.7%), Hispanic (0.8%). 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 Tinin (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 Tinin mean?
A surname derived from the Italian word "tinta" meaning "color" or "dye." 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 Tinin (0.04 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 surname Tinin?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.