2000
#1,303
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 24,767
First available Census row
Per 100,000 9.18
Uncommon Last name
Tipton
A habitational surname derived from any of several places in England meaning "estate associated with a man called Tippa."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 27,445 Americans carry the last name Tipton. That puts it at #1,453 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 8.01 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 12,489 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tipton 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 Tipton with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
27K
1 in 12,489
Census rank
#1,453
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
8.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
24K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 23,933 bearers of the surname Tipton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 8.01 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1453rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tipton, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.1%. The next largest groups are Black (6.8%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tipton
The surname Tipton is of English origin and can be traced back to the medieval period. It is believed to be a locational name derived from the town of Tipton in Staffordshire, England. The place name Tipton is thought to have come from the Old English words "tun" meaning a farm or settlement, and "tun" meaning an enclosure or fence.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Tipton can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire in 1199, where it appears as "de Tiptone." This indicates that the name was originally a locational surname, referring to someone who hailed from the town of Tipton.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, the town of Tipton is mentioned as "Teptone," which further supports the connection between the surname and the place name.
Over the centuries, various spellings of the surname have been recorded, including Typton, Tiptone, and Typtone. These variations likely arose due to the inconsistencies in spelling and pronunciation during the Middle Ages.
One notable individual bearing the surname Tipton was Sir John Tipton (1629-1701), an English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Wenlock in Shropshire from 1679 to 1681.
Another historical figure was William Tipton (1766-1849), an American frontiersman and pioneer who played a significant role in the early settlement of Tennessee. He was known for his skills as a surveyor and explorer, and several places in Tennessee bear his name, including Tipton County and the town of Tipton.
In the 19th century, Isaac Tipton (1809-1865) was a prominent American politician and lawyer who served as a U.S. Representative from Tennessee from 1859 to 1861.
John Tipton (1786-1839) was an American military officer and politician who served as a U.S. Senator from Indiana from 1832 to 1839. He was also a brigadier general during the War of 1812.
Lastly, Thomas Tipton (1760-1838) was an American soldier and pioneer who fought in the American Revolutionary War and later settled in what is now Tennessee. He played a crucial role in the early development of the state and was involved in several treaties with Native American tribes.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tipton
Among Census respondents with the surname Tipton, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.1%. The next largest groups are Black (6.8%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Tipton 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 Tipton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.1% · 20,121
- Black or African American6.8% · 1,634
- Two or more races4.4% · 1,062
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 768
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 205
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 143
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tipton
Tipton 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
#1,420
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 25,064
+297 bearers (+1.2%)
Per 100,000 8.50
Rank movement Down 117 places
2020
#1,453
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 23,933
-1,131 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 8.01
Rank movement Down 33 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,303 | 24,767 | 9.18 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,420 | 25,064 | 8.50 | +297 bearers (+1.2%) | Down 117 places |
| 2020 | #1,453 | 23,933 | 8.01 | -1,131 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 33 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 Tipton 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 | #1,420 | #1,453 | -2.3% |
| Count | 25,064 | 23,933 | -4.5% |
| Per 100K | 8.50 | 8.01 | -5.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tipton bearers went from 25,064 to 23,933 (-4.5% change). The surname moved down 33 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,420 to #1,453.
FAQ
Tipton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tipton?
Name Census estimates that about 27,445 living Americans carry the surname Tipton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 12,489 residents.
How common is Tipton?
Tipton ranks #1,453 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 8.01 per 100,000 residents, which is about 8 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 23,933 people with the surname Tipton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (27,445), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 8.01 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 8.01 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 8 of them to have the surname Tipton.
Has Tipton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tipton went from 25,064 recorded bearers to 23,933. That is a decrease of 1,131 (-4.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,420 to #1,453.
What does the Census say about the background of Tipton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tipton, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.1%. The next largest groups are Black (6.8%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Tipton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.1% (20,121 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tipton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.1%), Black (6.8%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Tipton (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 Tipton mean?
A habitational surname derived from any of several places in England meaning "estate associated with a man called Tippa." 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 Tipton (8.01 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 Tipton?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.