2000
#5,046
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,379
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.36
Uncommon Last name
Tinoco
A surname of Spanish origin, derived from the place name Tinoco, meaning "clay pot" or "mud hut."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,412 Americans carry the last name Tinoco. That puts it at #3,811 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 32,919 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tinoco 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
10K
1 in 32,919
Census rank
#3,811
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.1K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,080 bearers of the surname Tinoco in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3811th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tinoco, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.4%. The next largest groups are White (4.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tinoco
The surname Tinoco is of Portuguese origin, emerging in the 15th century. It is derived from the town of Tinoco, located in the northern region of Portugal. The name itself is believed to have its roots in the Latin word "tinea," meaning a type of moth or worm.
The earliest records of the name Tinoco can be found in historical documents from the 15th and 16th centuries, particularly in regions such as Minho and Douro Litoral. These records often refer to individuals with professions related to textile or cloth manufacturing, suggesting a possible connection between the name and the moth or worm associations.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Tinoco was João Tinoco, a merchant and landowner who lived in the late 15th century. Records indicate that he was involved in the trade of textiles and owned several properties in the Minho region.
In the 16th century, the name Tinoco appeared in various legal documents and land records. For instance, Pedro Tinoco, born in 1530, was a prominent figure in the town of Viana do Castelo, where he served as a local official and landowner.
During the 17th century, the Tinoco family expanded their influence, with some members holding prestigious positions in the Catholic Church. Sebastião Tinoco, born in 1612, was a renowned theologian and served as a bishop in the Archdiocese of Braga.
As the Portuguese empire expanded, the Tinoco name spread to other regions, including Brazil. One notable figure was José Tinoco, born in 1765 in Rio de Janeiro, who played a significant role in the Brazilian struggle for independence from Portugal in the early 19th century.
Another prominent individual with the Tinoco surname was Miguel Tinoco, born in 1890 in Portugal. He was a military officer and politician who briefly served as the President of Portugal from 1918 to 1919, during a turbulent period in the country's history.
Throughout the centuries, the Tinoco surname has been associated with various professions, from textile workers and merchants to religious leaders, military figures, and politicians. While its origins can be traced back to a small town in northern Portugal, the name has since spread across the globe, carried by generations of individuals with Portuguese ancestry.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tinoco
Among Census respondents with the surname Tinoco, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.4%. The next largest groups are White (4.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Tinoco 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 Tinoco surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino94.4% · 8,570
- White4.2% · 385
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 70
- Black or African American0.2% · 22
- Two or more races0.2% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tinoco
Tinoco 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
#3,670
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,707
+3,328 bearers (+52.2%)
Per 100,000 3.29
Rank movement Up 1,376 places
2020
#3,811
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,080
-627 bearers (-6.5%)
Per 100,000 3.04
Rank movement Down 141 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,046 | 6,379 | 2.36 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,670 | 9,707 | 3.29 | +3,328 bearers (+52.2%) | Up 1,376 places |
| 2020 | #3,811 | 9,080 | 3.04 | -627 bearers (-6.5%) | Down 141 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 Tinoco 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 | #3,670 | #3,811 | -3.8% |
| Count | 9,707 | 9,080 | -6.5% |
| Per 100K | 3.29 | 3.04 | -7.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tinoco bearers went from 9,707 to 9,080 (-6.5% change). The surname moved down 141 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,670 to #3,811.
FAQ
Tinoco surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tinoco?
Name Census estimates that about 10,412 living Americans carry the surname Tinoco. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 32,919 residents.
How common is Tinoco?
Tinoco ranks #3,811 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,080 people with the surname Tinoco. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,412), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Tinoco.
Has Tinoco become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tinoco went from 9,707 recorded bearers to 9,080. That is a decrease of 627 (-6.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,670 to #3,811.
What does the Census say about the background of Tinoco?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tinoco, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.4%. The next largest groups are White (4.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Tinoco in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.4% (8,570 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tinoco appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (94.4%), White (4.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Tinoco (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 Tinoco mean?
A surname of Spanish origin, derived from the place name Tinoco, meaning "clay pot" or "mud hut." 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 Tinoco (3.04 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 Americans have the surname Tinoco?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.