2000
#5,430
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,898
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.19
Rare Last name
Tinker
An occupational surname referring to a mender of metal kitchen utensils or pots and pans.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,662 Americans carry the last name Tinker. That puts it at #5,742 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.94 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 51,449 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tinker 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 Tinker with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.7K
1 in 51,449
Census rank
#5,742
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,810 bearers of the surname Tinker in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.94 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5742nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tinker, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.2%. The next largest groups are Black (14.6%) and Two or More Races (5.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tinker
The surname Tinker is believed to have originated in England during the Middle Ages. It is an occupational name derived from the Middle English word "tinkere," which referred to a skilled craftsman who mended pots, pans, and other metal household items. The name is believed to have come from the tinking or tinkling sound made by the mending of these vessels.
Tinkers were considered essential members of medieval society, as they traveled from village to village, repairing household wares and kettles. They were often associated with the Romany Gypsy community, who were known for their metalworking and tinsmithing skills.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Tinker can be found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, which lists a Robert le Tinkere from Oxfordshire. The name also appears in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1379, with a mention of a William Tynker.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname Tinker became more widespread across England. Notable individuals with this surname include John Tinker (c.1589-1657), a English clergyman and author who wrote several religious works, and Mary Tinker (c.1630-1700), who was accused of witchcraft during the Salem Witch Trials.
In the 18th century, the name Tinker was associated with the Tinker's Uprising, a rebellion against the English government led by Jemmy Tinker in 1753. Jemmy Tinker was a member of the Travelling community and his uprising highlighted the struggles faced by the Romany people during that time.
Other notable individuals with the surname Tinker include Benjamin Tinker (1770-1835), an American Revolutionary War soldier, and Mary Tinker (1931-2017), an American activist who played a pivotal role in the landmark Supreme Court case Tinker v. Des Moines, which established the right of students to engage in political protest at school.
Throughout history, the surname Tinker has been associated with skilled metalworkers, itinerant traders, and members of the Romany community. While its origins can be traced back to medieval England, the name has since spread to various parts of the world, reflecting the travels and contributions of those who bore this occupational surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tinker
Among Census respondents with the surname Tinker, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.2%. The next largest groups are Black (14.6%) and Two or More Races (5.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Tinker 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 Tinker surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White72.2% · 4,192
- Black or African American14.6% · 848
- Two or more races5.2% · 303
- American Indian and Alaska Native4.4% · 255
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 165
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 47
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tinker
Tinker 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
#5,525
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,291
+393 bearers (+6.7%)
Per 100,000 2.13
Rank movement Down 95 places
2020
#5,742
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,810
-481 bearers (-7.6%)
Per 100,000 1.94
Rank movement Down 217 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,430 | 5,898 | 2.19 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,525 | 6,291 | 2.13 | +393 bearers (+6.7%) | Down 95 places |
| 2020 | #5,742 | 5,810 | 1.94 | -481 bearers (-7.6%) | Down 217 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 Tinker 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 | #5,525 | #5,742 | -3.9% |
| Count | 6,291 | 5,810 | -7.6% |
| Per 100K | 2.13 | 1.94 | -8.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tinker bearers went from 6,291 to 5,810 (-7.6% change). The surname moved down 217 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,525 to #5,742.
FAQ
Tinker surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tinker?
Name Census estimates that about 6,662 living Americans carry the surname Tinker. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 51,449 residents.
How common is Tinker?
Tinker ranks #5,742 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.94 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,810 people with the surname Tinker. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,662), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.94 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.94 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Tinker.
Has Tinker become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tinker went from 6,291 recorded bearers to 5,810. That is a decrease of 481 (-7.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,525 to #5,742.
What does the Census say about the background of Tinker?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tinker, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.2%. The next largest groups are Black (14.6%) and Two or More Races (5.2%). 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 Tinker in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.2% (4,192 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tinker appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (72.2%), Black (14.6%), Two or More Races (5.2%). 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 Tinker (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 Tinker mean?
An occupational surname referring to a mender of metal kitchen utensils or pots and pans. 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 Tinker (1.94 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 last name Tinker?
Want to know how many people have the last name Tinker? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.