2000
#113,519
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 143
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Tirro
An Italian surname possibly derived from the Latin word "tiro" meaning novice or beginner.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Tirro. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tirro 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Tirro in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tirro, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (13.2%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tirro
The surname TIRRO is of Italian origin and can be traced back to the 12th century in the southern regions of Italy, particularly in Sicily and Calabria. The name is believed to have derived from the Italian word "tiro," which means "shot" or "throw," suggesting that the earliest bearers of this surname may have been skilled archers or hunters.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name TIRRO can be found in the "Codex Diplomaticus Regni Siciliae" (Diplomatic Codex of the Kingdom of Sicily), a collection of historical documents from the 12th and 13th centuries. This codex mentions a certain "Robertus de Tirro," who was a landowner in the province of Messina, Sicily, in the year 1198.
The name TIRRO also appeared in the "Quaternus Excadenciarum" (Registry of Payments), a fiscal record from the Kingdom of Sicily during the 13th century. This document lists several individuals with the surname TIRRO who were required to pay taxes to the royal treasury.
In the 14th century, a notable figure named Giovanni TIRRO (c. 1320-1390) was a prominent jurist and legal scholar who served as a judge in the city of Palermo. His writings on Sicilian law and legal procedures were widely influential during his time.
Another historical figure bearing the surname TIRRO was Vincenzo TIRRO (1609-1678), a Sicilian painter and engraver who was renowned for his religious artworks and portraits. His works can be found in various churches and museums throughout Sicily.
The TIRRO name also has a connection to the town of Tiro, located in the province of Messina, Sicily. It is believed that some members of the TIRRO family may have originated from or held land in this town, contributing to the development of the surname.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, several individuals with the surname TIRRO were recorded in various church records and census documents in Sicily, indicating the continued presence and importance of this family name in the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tirro
Among Census respondents with the surname Tirro, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (13.2%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Tirro 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 Tirro surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.3% · 95
- Hispanic or Latino13.2% · 15
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tirro
Tirro 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
#135,593
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
-19 bearers (-13.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 22,074 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-10 bearers (-8.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,902 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #113,519 | 143 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #135,593 | 124 | 0.04 | -19 bearers (-13.3%) | Down 22,074 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-8.1%) | Down 10,902 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 Tirro 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 | #135,593 | #146,495 | -8.0% |
| Count | 124 | 114 | -8.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tirro bearers went from 124 to 114 (-8.1% change). The surname moved down 10,902 positions in the national ranking, going from #135,593 to #146,495.
FAQ
Tirro surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tirro?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Tirro. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Tirro?
Tirro ranks #146,495 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 114 people with the surname Tirro. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), 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 Tirro.
Has Tirro become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tirro went from 124 recorded bearers to 114. That is a decrease of 10 (-8.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #135,593 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Tirro?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tirro, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (13.2%) and Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Tirro in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.3% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tirro appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.3%), Hispanic (13.2%), Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Tirro (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 Tirro mean?
An Italian surname possibly derived from the Latin word "tiro" meaning novice or beginner. 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 Tirro (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 share the surname Tirro?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.