2000
#423
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 69,810
First available Census row
Per 100,000 25.88
Uncommon Last name
Todd
An occupational surname referring to a fox hunter or someone who lives near a fox den.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 78,430 Americans carry the last name Todd. That puts it at #478 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 22.88 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 4,370 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Todd 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 Todd with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
78K
1 in 4,370
Census rank
#478
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
22.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
68K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 68,395 bearers of the surname Todd in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 22.88 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 478th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Todd, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.7%. The next largest groups are Black (13.4%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Todd
The surname Todd has its origins in England, dating back to the Middle Ages. It is an occupational name derived from the Old English word "todde," which referred to a person who dealt with the preparation and sale of a coarse woollen cloth called "tod."
The name first appeared in records in the 13th century, with early variations including Todde, Toddes, and Toddy. One of the earliest documented references is found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, which mentions a person named William Todde.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, there are several place names that may have contributed to the development of the surname, such as Toddenham (Suffolk) and Toddeworth (Gloucestershire). These place names likely originated from Old English words meaning "the homestead or enclosure of a person called Todda."
One of the earliest known bearers of the surname was Sir Brian Todd, a prominent English knight who fought in the Hundred Years' War during the 14th century. Another notable figure was Thomas Todd (c. 1555-1615), an English translator and clergyman who published a revised edition of the Bible known as the "Thomistic Version."
In the 16th century, the name Todd was associated with the wool trade in the West Riding of Yorkshire. John Todd (c. 1500-1573), a wealthy wool merchant from Bradford, was instrumental in the establishment of the town's textile industry.
During the 17th century, the Todd family established themselves as influential landowners in Northumberland. Sir William Todd (1622-1686) was a notable member of this branch, serving as a Member of Parliament and High Sheriff of Northumberland.
Other notable individuals with the surname Todd include Hugh Todd (1658-1728), an Irish-born merchant and landowner in Pennsylvania; Alpheus Todd (1821-1884), an American jurist and legal scholar; and Mary Todd Lincoln (1818-1882), the wife of President Abraham Lincoln.
The surname Todd has also been prominent in Scotland, particularly in the Borders region. Families with this surname have played significant roles in the history of Scottish clans and have contributed to various fields, including literature, politics, and the arts.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Todd
Among Census respondents with the surname Todd, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.7%. The next largest groups are Black (13.4%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Todd 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 Todd surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.7% · 53,135
- Black or African American13.4% · 9,171
- Two or more races4.4% · 3,002
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 2,203
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 492
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 392
Timeline
Historical Census data for Todd
Todd 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
#460
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 71,759
+1,949 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 24.33
Rank movement Down 37 places
2020
#478
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 68,395
-3,364 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 22.88
Rank movement Down 18 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #423 | 69,810 | 25.88 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #460 | 71,759 | 24.33 | +1,949 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 37 places |
| 2020 | #478 | 68,395 | 22.88 | -3,364 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 18 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 Todd 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 | #460 | #478 | -3.9% |
| Count | 71,759 | 68,395 | -4.7% |
| Per 100K | 24.33 | 22.88 | -5.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Todd bearers went from 71,759 to 68,395 (-4.7% change). The surname moved down 18 positions in the national ranking, going from #460 to #478.
FAQ
Todd surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Todd?
Name Census estimates that about 78,430 living Americans carry the surname Todd. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 4,370 residents.
How common is Todd?
Todd ranks #478 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 22.88 per 100,000 residents, which is about 23 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 68,395 people with the surname Todd. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (78,430), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 22.88 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 22.88 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 23 of them to have the surname Todd.
Has Todd become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Todd went from 71,759 recorded bearers to 68,395. That is a decrease of 3,364 (-4.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #460 to #478.
What does the Census say about the background of Todd?
Among Census respondents with the surname Todd, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.7%. The next largest groups are Black (13.4%) 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 Todd in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.7% (53,135 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Todd appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.7%), Black (13.4%), 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 Todd (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 Todd mean?
An occupational surname referring to a fox hunter or someone who lives near a fox den. 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 Todd (22.88 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 Todd?
Want to know how many people have the last name Todd? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.