2000
#7,056
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,370
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.62
Rare Last name
Tittle
A diminutive occupational surname for a small person or a nickname for someone with a small head.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,649 Americans carry the last name Tittle. That puts it at #7,847 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.36 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 73,726 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tittle 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 Tittle with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.6K
1 in 73,726
Census rank
#7,847
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,054 bearers of the surname Tittle in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.36 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7847th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tittle, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.4%. The next largest groups are Black (7.9%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tittle
The surname Tittle is of English origin and is derived from the Old English word "titel", which means a small piece or fragment. This surname is believed to have originated in the 12th century and was likely initially given as a nickname to someone who was small in stature or had a petite frame.
The earliest recorded instance of the surname Tittle can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Norfolk, dating back to 1195, where a person named Walter Tittle was mentioned. This suggests that the name was already in use by the end of the 12th century.
In the 13th century, the surname Tittle appeared in various records, including the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1236, which mentioned a Robert Tittle. The Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire, compiled in 1273, also referenced a William Tittle.
One notable early bearer of the surname Tittle was John Tittle, a landowner and tenant farmer who lived in the village of Great Wilbraham, Cambridgeshire, in the late 14th century. Records from the Manor Court Rolls of Great Wilbraham mention John Tittle several times between 1380 and 1395.
In the 15th century, the surname Tittle was found in various parts of England, including Kent, where a John Tittle was recorded in the Subsidy Rolls of 1428. The Lay Subsidy Rolls of Wiltshire in 1472 also mentioned a Thomas Tittle.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Tittle was William Tittle, who was born in Gloucestershire in 1512. He was a renowned scholar and author, known for his work on English grammar and rhetoric.
Another notable bearer of the surname was Robert Tittle, born in Lincolnshire in 1596. He was a successful merchant and entrepreneur who established a thriving textile business in London.
In the 17th century, the surname Tittle was found in various parts of England, including Yorkshire, where a Richard Tittle was born in 1623. He later became a prominent landowner and served as a local magistrate.
The surname Tittle continued to be found throughout England in the 18th and 19th centuries, with bearers of the name residing in various counties, including Dorset, Somerset, and Lancashire.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tittle
Among Census respondents with the surname Tittle, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.4%. The next largest groups are Black (7.9%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Tittle 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 Tittle surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.4% · 3,381
- Black or African American7.9% · 321
- Two or more races4.5% · 184
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 118
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 25
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 25
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tittle
Tittle 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
#7,647
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,343
-27 bearers (-0.6%)
Per 100,000 1.47
Rank movement Down 591 places
2020
#7,847
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,054
-289 bearers (-6.7%)
Per 100,000 1.36
Rank movement Down 200 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,056 | 4,370 | 1.62 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,647 | 4,343 | 1.47 | -27 bearers (-0.6%) | Down 591 places |
| 2020 | #7,847 | 4,054 | 1.36 | -289 bearers (-6.7%) | Down 200 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 Tittle 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 | #7,647 | #7,847 | -2.6% |
| Count | 4,343 | 4,054 | -6.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.47 | 1.36 | -7.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tittle bearers went from 4,343 to 4,054 (-6.7% change). The surname moved down 200 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,647 to #7,847.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Tittle
FAQ
Tittle surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tittle?
Name Census estimates that about 4,649 living Americans carry the surname Tittle. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 73,726 residents.
How common is Tittle?
Tittle ranks #7,847 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.36 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,054 people with the surname Tittle. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,649), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.36 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.36 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Tittle.
Has Tittle become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tittle went from 4,343 recorded bearers to 4,054. That is a decrease of 289 (-6.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,647 to #7,847.
What does the Census say about the background of Tittle?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tittle, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.4%. The next largest groups are Black (7.9%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Tittle in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.4% (3,381 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tittle appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.4%), Black (7.9%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Tittle (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 Tittle mean?
A diminutive occupational surname for a small person or a nickname for someone with a small head. 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 Tittle (1.36 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 Tittle?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.