2010
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Toffey
A surname derived from a nickname for someone with tufted or tousled hair.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Toffey. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Toffey 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
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Toffey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Toffey, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.5%. The next largest groups are Black (16.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Toffey
The surname Toffey is believed to have originated in England, likely during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old English words "topp" or "top," referring to a hilltop or elevated location, and "ey" or "ieg," meaning an island or a dry place surrounded by marshes or water.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Toffey can be found in the Domesday Book, a medieval census commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. This document contains references to individuals with variations of the name, such as Tofeye and Toffeigh, living in various parts of England.
In the 13th century, a landowner named William Toffey was documented as holding property in the village of Toffey, now known as Toftey, in Norfolk, England. This village's name is believed to be the source of the surname, as it was common for people to adopt surnames derived from the places where they lived or held land.
Another notable figure bearing the Toffey surname was Sir John Toffey, a knight who fought alongside King Edward III in the Battle of Crécy during the Hundred Years' War in 1346. He was renowned for his bravery and military prowess.
During the 16th century, the Toffey family gained prominence in the town of Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. Records from this period mention a wealthy merchant named Thomas Toffey (1542-1612), who was a contemporary and acquaintance of the renowned playwright William Shakespeare.
In the 17th century, a branch of the Toffey family migrated to the American colonies, with one of the earliest recorded settlers being Richard Toffey, who arrived in Virginia in 1635. His descendants went on to establish themselves in various parts of the United States.
Another notable figure was Sir Edward Toffey (1683-1749), a British naval officer who served with distinction during the War of the Spanish Succession and later became the Governor of the Bahamas.
As the centuries passed, the Toffey surname continued to spread across England and beyond, with various spellings emerging, such as Toffee, Toffy, and Toffie, reflecting regional dialects and variations in pronunciation.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Toffey
Among Census respondents with the surname Toffey, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.5%. The next largest groups are Black (16.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Toffey 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 Toffey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.5% · 86
- Black or African American16.5% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Toffey
Toffey appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-4 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 1,554 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | -4 bearers (-3.7%) | Down 1,554 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 Toffey 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 | #152,628 | #154,182 | -1.0% |
| Count | 107 | 103 | -3.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Toffey bearers went from 107 to 103 (-3.7% change). The surname moved down 1,554 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #154,182.
FAQ
Toffey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Toffey?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Toffey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Toffey?
Toffey ranks #154,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 103 people with the surname Toffey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Toffey.
Has Toffey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Toffey went from 107 recorded bearers to 103. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #152,628 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Toffey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Toffey, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.5%. The next largest groups are Black (16.5%). 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 Toffey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.5% (86 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Toffey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.5%), Black (16.5%). 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 Toffey (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 Toffey mean?
A surname derived from a nickname for someone with tufted or tousled hair. 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 Toffey (0.03 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 Toffey?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Toffey? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.