2000
#13,226
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,117
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.78
Rare Last name
Tolar
A surname derived from a place name, possibly referring to a location where tole painting was practiced.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,404 Americans carry the last name Tolar. That puts it at #13,805 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 142,577 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tolar 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
2.4K
1 in 142,577
Census rank
#13,805
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,096 bearers of the surname Tolar in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13805th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tolar, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.4%. The next largest groups are Black (8.5%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tolar
The surname Tolar has its origins in the Czech Republic, dating back to the 14th century. It is believed to have derived from the Czech word "tolara," which referred to a type of silver coin that was widely circulated in Central Europe during that time.
In its early years, the name Tolar was primarily associated with individuals who were involved in the minting or trading of coins, particularly the "tolara" coin. As the name spread across different regions, it also became linked to families who worked in related professions such as goldsmiths or bankers.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Tolar can be found in the archives of the city of Olomouc, located in the present-day Czech Republic. In a document dated 1367, a man named Jan Tolar was mentioned as a respected coin minter working in the city's mint.
Another notable figure bearing the name Tolar was Vaclav Tolar, a renowned goldsmith who lived in Prague during the 15th century. His intricate metalwork and jewelry were highly sought after by the nobility and wealthy merchants of the time.
In the 16th century, the name Tolar appeared in the records of the town of Stare Mesto, which was then part of the Kingdom of Bohemia. A family by the name of Tolar owned a successful banking business and played a significant role in the local economy.
As the centuries passed, the surname Tolar spread across various regions of Europe, with variations in spelling and pronunciation emerging. In Germany, for instance, the name was sometimes written as Tholer or Tohler, while in Poland it took the form of Tolar or Tolarz.
One of the most prominent figures in history with the surname Tolar was Jiri Tolar, a Czech mathematician and astronomer born in 1608. His contributions to the field of celestial mechanics and his observations of comets and other celestial bodies earned him widespread recognition.
Another noteworthy individual was Anna Tolar (1670-1745), a skilled lacemaker from the town of Vamberk in Bohemia. Her delicate lace creations were highly prized by the aristocracy and helped establish the town's reputation as a center of lace-making.
In the 19th century, the Tolar name gained prominence in the literary world with the birth of Frantisek Tolar (1819-1892), a renowned Czech writer and poet. His works, which often explored themes of national identity and the struggles of the common people, played a significant role in shaping the cultural landscape of the time.
As the surname Tolar spread across different regions, it also became associated with various occupations and professions beyond its initial connections to coinage and banking. In some areas, the name was linked to individuals involved in agriculture, particularly those who worked with crops or livestock.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tolar
Among Census respondents with the surname Tolar, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.4%. The next largest groups are Black (8.5%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Tolar 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 Tolar surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.4% · 1,748
- Black or African American8.5% · 178
- Two or more races4.4% · 92
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 56
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tolar
Tolar 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
#13,370
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,279
+162 bearers (+7.7%)
Per 100,000 0.77
Rank movement Down 144 places
2020
#13,805
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,096
-183 bearers (-8.0%)
Per 100,000 0.70
Rank movement Down 435 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,226 | 2,117 | 0.78 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,370 | 2,279 | 0.77 | +162 bearers (+7.7%) | Down 144 places |
| 2020 | #13,805 | 2,096 | 0.70 | -183 bearers (-8.0%) | Down 435 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 Tolar 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 | #13,370 | #13,805 | -3.3% |
| Count | 2,279 | 2,096 | -8.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.77 | 0.70 | -8.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tolar bearers went from 2,279 to 2,096 (-8.0% change). The surname moved down 435 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,370 to #13,805.
FAQ
Tolar surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tolar?
Name Census estimates that about 2,404 living Americans carry the surname Tolar. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 142,577 residents.
How common is Tolar?
Tolar ranks #13,805 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.70 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 2,096 people with the surname Tolar. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,404), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.70 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 Tolar.
Has Tolar become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tolar went from 2,279 recorded bearers to 2,096. That is a decrease of 183 (-8.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,370 to #13,805.
What does the Census say about the background of Tolar?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tolar, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.4%. The next largest groups are Black (8.5%) 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 Tolar in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.4% (1,748 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tolar appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.4%), Black (8.5%), 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 Tolar (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 Tolar mean?
A surname derived from a place name, possibly referring to a location where tole painting was practiced. 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 Tolar (0.70 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 Tolar?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.