Find out how popular the last name Tinkle is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Tinkle.

Tinkle, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Tinkle surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tinkle in America

Tinkle is the 22069th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tinkle surname appeared 1,174 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Tinkle.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tinkle to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Tinkle

The surname Tinkle originated in England during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "tincle," which means "to tinkle" or "to make a ringing sound." This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a nickname to someone who worked as a bell-ringer or had a high-pitched voice.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Tinkle surname appears in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1198, where a person named Robert Tinkle is mentioned. Another early record is found in the Curia Regis Rolls of Wiltshire in 1221, which refers to a Walter Tinkle.

During the 13th century, the Tinkle surname was concentrated in the counties of Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, and Somerset in the southwest of England. Some variations in spelling included Tynkle, Tynkill, and Tynkyll.

In the 14th century, the Tinkle surname began to spread to other parts of England. A notable individual from this time was John Tinkle, who was born in Taunton, Somerset, around 1320. He was a merchant and served as a bailiff (a local official) in Taunton.

The Domesday Book, a survey of landholders commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the Tinkle surname. However, it does mention several place names that may have influenced the development of the name, such as Tinkleton in Gloucestershire and Tinker's Green in Somerset.

In the 16th century, a prominent figure with the Tinkle surname was William Tinkle (c. 1520-1584), a wealthy landowner from Wiltshire. He was involved in local politics and served as a Member of Parliament for Wiltshire in 1558.

Another notable individual was Thomas Tinkle (1575-1631), a clergyman and author from Gloucestershire. He wrote several religious works, including "A Treatise on the Lord's Supper" and "Meditations on the Passion of Christ."

During the 17th century, the Tinkle surname continued to be found primarily in the southwest of England. One individual of note was Elizabeth Tinkle (1622-1687), who was accused of witchcraft in Somerset in 1664 but was eventually acquitted.

In the 18th century, the Tinkle surname began to spread more widely across England and into other parts of the British Isles. A notable figure from this period was John Tinkle (1738-1821), a successful merchant and philanthropist from Bristol. He donated substantial sums of money to various charitable causes in the city.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tinkle

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Tinkle.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Tinkle was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Tinkle has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Tinkle was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Tinkle, please contact us.

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