Tolles last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Tolles is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Tolles.

Meaning of Tolles

A topographic surname referring to someone living near a hillock.

Tolles, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Tolles surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tolles in America

Tolles is the 33087th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tolles surname appeared 692 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Tolles.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tolles to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 33087 28088 16.34%
Count 692 803 -14.85%
Proportion per 100k 0.23 0.30 -26.42%

The history of the last name Tolles

The surname TOLLES is believed to have originated in England during the Anglo-Saxon period. It is derived from the Old English word "tol," which means "tax" or "toll," and the suffix "-er," which denotes an occupation. This suggests that the name was likely given to someone who collected tolls or taxes.

The earliest recorded instance of the surname TOLLES can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Toller." This document, commissioned by William the Conqueror, was a survey of land ownership in England after the Norman Conquest.

During the Middle Ages, the TOLLES surname was concentrated in the counties of Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, and Buckinghamshire. It was often associated with places where tolls were collected, such as bridges, roads, or market towns.

One notable individual with the TOLLES surname was William TOLLES, born in 1602 in Hertfordshire, England. He was a merchant and landowner, and his descendants later immigrated to the American colonies in the 17th century.

Another significant figure was John TOLLES, born in 1635 in Wiltshire, England. He was a Puritan minister who fled religious persecution and settled in New England, becoming one of the founders of the town of Taunton, Massachusetts.

In the 18th century, Thomas TOLLES (1727-1799) was a prominent American Revolutionary War soldier from Connecticut. He served in several battles, including the Battle of Bunker Hill and the Battle of Saratoga.

In the 19th century, Samuel TOLLES (1818-1900) was a renowned American inventor and industrialist. He was the founder of the Tolles & Company, a manufacturer of clocks and watches in Unionville, Connecticut.

Another notable figure was Sir Samuel Tolles (1825-1898), a British politician and businessman. He served as a Member of Parliament for Worcestershire and was instrumental in the development of the railway industry in the Midlands region of England.

While the TOLLES surname has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through immigration to the United States, Canada, and other English-speaking countries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tolles

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Tolles.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Tolles was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 88.15% 610
Non-Hispanic Black Only 1.30% 9
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 1.59% 11
Hispanic Origin 7.95% 55

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Tolles has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 88.15% 83.81% 5.05%
Black 1.30% 1.37% -5.24%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% (S)% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)% (S)%
Two or More Races 1.59% 1.37% 14.86%
Hispanic 7.95% 12.95% -47.85%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Tolles was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Tolles, please contact us.

Reference this page

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Tolles last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on December 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/tolles-surname-popularity/.

"Tolles last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/tolles-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 December, 2024

Tolles last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/tolles-surname-popularity/.

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