2000
#3,592
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,091
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.37
Uncommon Last name
Toler
An English occupational surname for a collector of tolls or taxes.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,157 Americans carry the last name Toler. That puts it at #3,895 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.96 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 33,746 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Toler 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
10K
1 in 33,746
Census rank
#3,895
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.9K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,857 bearers of the surname Toler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.96 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3895th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Toler, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.9%. The next largest groups are Black (13.8%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Toler
The surname Toler has its origins in England, dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "tol" or "toll," which referred to a tax or payment. This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with individuals who collected tolls or worked as toll-keepers.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Toler can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land and property commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appeared in various spellings, such as "Toler," "Toller," and "Tollere," indicating its phonetic origins.
The Toler surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Somerset, Gloucestershire, and Wiltshire in the southwest of England. Some records suggest that the name may have originated in the village of Tollard Royal in Wiltshire, which derives its name from the Old English words "toll" and "hierde" (keeper).
In the 13th century, a notable figure bearing the surname Toler was Sir John Toler, a knight who fought alongside King Edward I during the Welsh wars. He was granted lands in Gloucestershire for his service to the crown.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Toler family established a strong presence in Ireland. One of the most notable members was Sir John Toler, 1st Earl of Norbury (1745-1831), who served as Lord Chief Justice of the Irish Court of Common Pleas and later as Lord Chief Justice of the King's Bench.
Another prominent individual was Samuel Toler (1780-1858), an Irish judge and politician who served as Solicitor-General for Ireland and later as Master of the Rolls in Ireland.
In the realm of literature, the surname Toler is associated with Pamela Toler (born 1958), an American author and historian known for her works on British history and culture, including "The Baroness: The Search for Nica, the Rebellious Rothschild."
Other notable individuals with the surname Toler include John Toler (1719-1789), an Irish politician and judge who served as Lord Chief Justice of Ireland, and James Toler (1798-1857), an Irish-born Australian explorer and surveyor who played a significant role in the exploration and settlement of South Australia.
While the surname Toler has been more widely documented in England and Ireland, it has also been found in other parts of the world, likely due to migration and the spread of the English language.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Toler
Among Census respondents with the surname Toler, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.9%. The next largest groups are Black (13.8%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Toler 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 Toler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.9% · 6,897
- Black or African American13.8% · 1,218
- Two or more races4.6% · 404
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 225
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 62
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 51
Timeline
Historical Census data for Toler
Toler 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
#3,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,427
+336 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 3.20
Rank movement Down 165 places
2020
#3,895
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,857
-570 bearers (-6.0%)
Per 100,000 2.96
Rank movement Down 138 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,592 | 9,091 | 3.37 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,757 | 9,427 | 3.20 | +336 bearers (+3.7%) | Down 165 places |
| 2020 | #3,895 | 8,857 | 2.96 | -570 bearers (-6.0%) | Down 138 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 Toler 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 | #3,757 | #3,895 | -3.7% |
| Count | 9,427 | 8,857 | -6.0% |
| Per 100K | 3.20 | 2.96 | -7.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Toler bearers went from 9,427 to 8,857 (-6.0% change). The surname moved down 138 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,757 to #3,895.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Toler
FAQ
Toler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Toler?
Name Census estimates that about 10,157 living Americans carry the surname Toler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 33,746 residents.
How common is Toler?
Toler ranks #3,895 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.96 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,857 people with the surname Toler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,157), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.96 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.96 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Toler.
Has Toler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Toler went from 9,427 recorded bearers to 8,857. That is a decrease of 570 (-6.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,757 to #3,895.
What does the Census say about the background of Toler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Toler, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.9%. The next largest groups are Black (13.8%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Toler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.9% (6,897 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Toler appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.9%), Black (13.8%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Toler (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 Toler mean?
An English occupational surname for a collector of tolls or taxes. 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 Toler (2.96 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 Toler?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.