2000
#1,444
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 22,720
First available Census row
Per 100,000 8.42
Uncommon Last name
Tolbert
Derived from a place name meaning "bright hill" in Old English, likely referring to a person from such a location.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 26,890 Americans carry the last name Tolbert. That puts it at #1,483 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 7.85 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 12,747 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tolbert 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
27K
1 in 12,747
Census rank
#1,483
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
7.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
23K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 23,449 bearers of the surname Tolbert in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 7.85 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1483rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tolbert, the largest self-reported group is Black at 48.7%. The next largest groups are White (42.5%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tolbert
The surname Tolbert originated in England, deriving from the Old English words "tol" meaning tax or toll, and "beorht" meaning bright or famous. It emerged as a descriptive surname for someone who collected tolls or taxes, or perhaps a renowned tax collector or administrator.
The earliest recorded spelling of the name was found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appeared as "Tolbertus" in Hampshire county. This suggests the name had already established itself in southern England by the late 11th century.
In medieval times, variations like Tolbart, Tolbert, and Tolburt arose, reflecting regional dialect differences and inconsistent spelling practices. Some of these forms may have also derived from the place name Tolbert or Tolleburt in Northumberland.
One of the earliest known bearers was Richard Tolbert, born around 1150 in Somerset, who served as a tax collector for the local lord. In 1223, a William Tolbert from Gloucestershire was listed in the Curia Regis Rolls, indicating his involvement in legal proceedings.
During the 14th century, the surname spread across southern England, appearing in records from Wiltshire, Dorset, and Devon. Notable individuals included John Tolbert (c.1310-1382), a prosperous merchant from Bristol, and Alice Tolbert (c.1350-1425), an heiress who inherited substantial lands in Oxfordshire.
By the 16th century, the name had gained a foothold in northern England as well. Tobias Tolbert (1522-1596) from York was a prominent clergyman and scholar, while Richard Tolbert (1570-1628) from Lancashire was a successful wool merchant and landowner.
Other historical figures include Captain Thomas Tolbert (1625-1692), an English naval officer who fought in the Anglo-Dutch Wars, and Sir William Tolbert (1680-1754), a member of Parliament and philanthropist from Norfolk.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tolbert
Among Census respondents with the surname Tolbert, the largest self-reported group is Black at 48.7%. The next largest groups are White (42.5%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Tolbert 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 Tolbert surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American48.7% · 11,410
- White42.5% · 9,976
- Two or more races4.9% · 1,157
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 676
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 149
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 81
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tolbert
Tolbert 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
#1,464
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 24,375
+1,655 bearers (+7.3%)
Per 100,000 8.26
Rank movement Down 20 places
2020
#1,483
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 23,449
-926 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 7.85
Rank movement Down 19 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,444 | 22,720 | 8.42 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,464 | 24,375 | 8.26 | +1,655 bearers (+7.3%) | Down 20 places |
| 2020 | #1,483 | 23,449 | 7.85 | -926 bearers (-3.8%) | Down 19 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 Tolbert 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 | #1,464 | #1,483 | -1.3% |
| Count | 24,375 | 23,449 | -3.8% |
| Per 100K | 8.26 | 7.85 | -5.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tolbert bearers went from 24,375 to 23,449 (-3.8% change). The surname moved down 19 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,464 to #1,483.
FAQ
Tolbert surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tolbert?
Name Census estimates that about 26,890 living Americans carry the surname Tolbert. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 12,747 residents.
How common is Tolbert?
Tolbert ranks #1,483 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 7.85 per 100,000 residents, which is about 8 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 23,449 people with the surname Tolbert. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (26,890), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 7.85 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 7.85 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 8 of them to have the surname Tolbert.
Has Tolbert become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tolbert went from 24,375 recorded bearers to 23,449. That is a decrease of 926 (-3.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,464 to #1,483.
What does the Census say about the background of Tolbert?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tolbert, the largest self-reported group is Black at 48.7%. The next largest groups are White (42.5%) and Two or More Races (4.9%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Tolbert in the 2020 Census, accounting for 48.7% (11,410 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tolbert appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (48.7%), White (42.5%), Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Tolbert (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 Tolbert mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "bright hill" in Old English, likely referring to a person from such a location. 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 Tolbert (7.85 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 have the surname Tolbert?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.