2000
#138,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Toalston
A topographic surname indicating a person who lived near a prominent hillock or hill.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Toalston. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Toalston 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Toalston in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Toalston, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (12.1%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Toalston
The surname Toalston is of English origin, and it first emerged in the 16th century in the county of Yorkshire. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "tol" meaning "toll" and "tun" meaning "town," suggesting that the name may have originated from a place or settlement where a toll was collected.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Toalston can be found in the parish records of Barnoldswick, Yorkshire, where a baptismal entry for John Toalston was made in 1592. It is also possible that the name is a variation of the place name Toalcross, a small hamlet in Northumberland, which was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Tolecros."
In the 17th century, the Toalston family had a presence in the village of Giggleswick, Yorkshire. A notable figure from this era was William Toalston (1625-1683), a wealthy landowner and respected member of the local community.
Moving into the 18th century, the name Toalston began to appear in other parts of England. In 1712, a marriage record was found in the parish of St. Giles, Cripplegate, London, between John Toalston and Mary Wilkinson. This suggests that the family had begun to establish itself in the capital city.
During the 19th century, the Toalston name gained prominence in the academic and literary circles. One of the most notable individuals was Thomas Toalston (1810-1887), a renowned scholar and linguist who was appointed as the Professor of Greek at the University of Cambridge in 1852.
Another prominent figure from this period was Elizabeth Toalston (1832-1901), a celebrated novelist and poet whose works were widely acclaimed for their vivid depictions of rural life in England. Her most famous work, "The Meadows of Tenterden," was published in 1875 and received critical acclaim.
As the 20th century dawned, the Toalston name continued to be associated with various fields of endeavor. One such individual was Sir Arthur Toalston (1879-1958), a distinguished diplomat who served as the British Ambassador to France from 1933 to 1939, playing a crucial role in the negotiations leading up to the outbreak of World War II.
In summary, the surname Toalston has a rich history that can be traced back to its English origins in the 16th century. Over the centuries, individuals bearing this name have made significant contributions to various aspects of society, including academia, literature, diplomacy, and landholding.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Toalston
Among Census respondents with the surname Toalston, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (12.1%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Toalston 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 Toalston surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.4% · 86
- Two or more races12.1% · 13
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.8% · 3
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Toalston
Toalston 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
#142,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+6 bearers (+5.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,367 places
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-10 bearers (-8.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,531 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #138,741 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #142,108 | 117 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.4%) | Down 3,367 places |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-8.5%) | Down 9,531 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 Toalston 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 | #142,108 | #151,639 | -6.7% |
| Count | 117 | 107 | -8.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Toalston bearers went from 117 to 107 (-8.5% change). The surname moved down 9,531 positions in the national ranking, going from #142,108 to #151,639.
FAQ
Toalston surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Toalston?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Toalston. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Toalston?
Toalston ranks #151,639 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 107 people with the surname Toalston. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), 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 Toalston.
Has Toalston become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Toalston went from 117 recorded bearers to 107. That is a decrease of 10 (-8.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #142,108 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Toalston?
Among Census respondents with the surname Toalston, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (12.1%) and Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Toalston in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.4% (86 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Toalston appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.4%), Two or More Races (12.1%), Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Toalston (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 Toalston mean?
A topographic surname indicating a person who lived near a prominent hillock or hill. 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 Toalston (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 Toalston?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.