2000
#10,355
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,850
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.06
Rare Last name
Toles
Derived from a place name meaning "hills" in Old English, likely referring to someone who lived near hills.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,249 Americans carry the last name Toles. That puts it at #10,758 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.95 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 105,495 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Toles 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
3.2K
1 in 105,495
Census rank
#10,758
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,833 bearers of the surname Toles in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.95 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10758th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Toles, the largest self-reported group is Black at 60.5%. The next largest groups are White (29.0%) and Two or More Races (6.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Toles
The surname Toles has its origins in England, with records dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "toll," which referred to a tax or toll payment. This suggests that the name was likely given to someone who worked as a tax collector or toll keeper.
One of the earliest known references to the name Toles can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273, where a person named Roger Toles is mentioned. Another early record is from the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, which lists a John Toles.
During the 14th century, the name appears to have been concentrated primarily in the counties of Cambridgeshire, Worcestershire, and Gloucestershire. However, it is also found in various other parts of England, indicating that the family had spread across the country.
In the 16th century, the spelling of the name began to vary, with variations such as Tolle, Tolles, and Tolls appearing in records. One notable individual from this period was John Toles, a merchant from London who was born around 1520.
The 17th century saw the emergence of several prominent individuals with the surname Toles. One such figure was Sir John Toles (1600-1675), a member of the English gentry and a landowner in Gloucestershire. Another was William Toles (1635-1699), a clergyman and author who served as the rector of St. Peter's Church in Northampton.
As the centuries progressed, the Toles family continued to leave their mark. In the 18th century, there was Thomas Toles (1720-1788), a successful businessman and landowner in Hertfordshire. In the 19th century, notable individuals included Sir Edward Toles (1810-1892), a prominent lawyer and judge, and Elizabeth Toles (1842-1918), a pioneering educator and advocate for women's rights.
Other significant figures with the surname Toles throughout history include: Henry Toles (1570-1630), a merchant and explorer who traveled to the Americas; Richard Toles (1675-1745), a renowned architect and builder responsible for several churches and grand houses in southern England; and Emily Toles (1825-1901), a philanthropist and social reformer who worked to improve conditions for the poor and underprivileged.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Toles
Among Census respondents with the surname Toles, the largest self-reported group is Black at 60.5%. The next largest groups are White (29.0%) and Two or More Races (6.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Toles 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 Toles surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American60.5% · 1,715
- White29.0% · 822
- Two or more races6.2% · 177
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 88
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Toles
Toles 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
#10,365
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,110
+260 bearers (+9.1%)
Per 100,000 1.05
Rank movement Down 10 places
2020
#10,758
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,833
-277 bearers (-8.9%)
Per 100,000 0.95
Rank movement Down 393 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,355 | 2,850 | 1.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,365 | 3,110 | 1.05 | +260 bearers (+9.1%) | Down 10 places |
| 2020 | #10,758 | 2,833 | 0.95 | -277 bearers (-8.9%) | Down 393 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 Toles 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 | #10,365 | #10,758 | -3.8% |
| Count | 3,110 | 2,833 | -8.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.05 | 0.95 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Toles bearers went from 3,110 to 2,833 (-8.9% change). The surname moved down 393 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,365 to #10,758.
FAQ
Toles surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Toles?
Name Census estimates that about 3,249 living Americans carry the surname Toles. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 105,495 residents.
How common is Toles?
Toles ranks #10,758 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.95 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 2,833 people with the surname Toles. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,249), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.95 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.95 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 Toles.
Has Toles become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Toles went from 3,110 recorded bearers to 2,833. That is a decrease of 277 (-8.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,365 to #10,758.
What does the Census say about the background of Toles?
Among Census respondents with the surname Toles, the largest self-reported group is Black at 60.5%. The next largest groups are White (29.0%) and Two or More Races (6.2%). 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 Toles in the 2020 Census, accounting for 60.5% (1,715 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Toles appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (60.5%), White (29.0%), Two or More Races (6.2%). 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 Toles (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 Toles mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "hills" in Old English, likely referring to someone who lived near hills. 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 Toles (0.95 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 last name Toles?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Toles is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.