2000
#140,756
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Tobaben
A surname of uncertain origin, possibly locative or occupational in nature.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Tobaben. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tobaben 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Tobaben in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tobaben, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tobaben
The surname TOBABEN is believed to have originated in Germany during the Middle Ages. It is thought to have derived from the German words "tobe" meaning "rage" and "ben" which was a diminutive suffix, suggesting a meaning of "little rager" or "little hothead."
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 13th century in the region of Bavaria. One of the first known individuals with this surname was Hans TOBABEN, a farmer who lived in the village of Oberammergau in the 1300s. His name appears in local tax records from that era.
In the 15th century, the name appears in church registries from the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, where a Johann TOBABEN was listed as a member of the local guild of blacksmiths in 1472. This suggests the name may have initially been an occupational surname referring to someone with a fiery temper working as a metalsmith.
The TOBABEN name continued to be concentrated mainly in southern Germany over the following centuries. Notable bearers include the playwright and satirist Georg TOBABEN (1596-1661) from Nuremberg, whose works poked fun at the wealthy elite of his day.
In the 1700s, a branch of the family migrated to the Kingdom of Prussia. Friedrich TOBABEN (1732-1798) became a respected jurist and legal scholar who served on the high court in Berlin under King Frederick the Great.
As the 19th century arrived, some TOBABENs began spreading further across the German states. Carl TOBABEN (1811-1887) was a renowned linguist from Leipzig who published influential works on Germanic languages and folklore.
While not a widespread surname globally, TOBABEN maintained a steady presence primarily in its regions of origin over the centuries. The name carries an intriguing link to the German vocabulary and cultural history of the Middle Ages up through more modern times.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tobaben
Among Census respondents with the surname Tobaben, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Tobaben 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 Tobaben surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.7% · 117
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tobaben
Tobaben 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
#141,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+9 bearers (+8.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 384 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+3 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 169 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #140,756 | 109 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #141,140 | 118 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+8.3%) | Down 384 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.5%) | Down 169 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 Tobaben 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 | #141,140 | #141,309 | -0.1% |
| Count | 118 | 121 | 2.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tobaben bearers went from 118 to 121 (+2.5% change). The surname moved down 169 positions in the national ranking, going from #141,140 to #141,309.
FAQ
Tobaben surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tobaben?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Tobaben. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Tobaben?
Tobaben ranks #141,309 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 121 people with the surname Tobaben. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), 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 Tobaben.
Has Tobaben become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tobaben went from 118 recorded bearers to 121. That is an increase of 3 (+2.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #141,140 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Tobaben?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tobaben, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%) and Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Tobaben in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.7% (117 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tobaben appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%), Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Tobaben (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 Tobaben mean?
A surname of uncertain origin, possibly locative or occupational in nature. 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 Tobaben (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 common is the surname Tobaben?
Want to know how many people have the surname Tobaben? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.