2000
#2,956
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,208
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.15
Uncommon Last name
Tolliver
An English occupational surname for a metalworker or maker of tools and implements.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,916 Americans carry the last name Tolliver. That puts it at #3,118 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.77 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 26,537 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tolliver 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
13K
1 in 26,537
Census rank
#3,118
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,263 bearers of the surname Tolliver in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.77 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3118th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tolliver, the largest self-reported group is Black at 48.6%. The next largest groups are White (41.9%) and Two or More Races (5.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tolliver
The surname Tolliver originated in England in the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old English words "toll" meaning "tax" and "hiver" meaning "collector". The name likely referred to someone who collected tolls or taxes on roads, bridges, or at market towns.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name dates back to the 13th century, where a Roger Toliver was mentioned in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire in 1275. The name appeared in various spellings such as Tolyfer, Tolyfar, and Tollyver in medieval records.
The Tolliver surname is also found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, which were census records compiled during the reign of King Edward I. This suggests the name was present in different parts of England during that time.
In the 14th century, a John Tolyfer was recorded in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in 1327. Additionally, a William Tolifer was mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327, indicating the name's presence in the West Midlands region.
Notable individuals with the Tolliver surname include Sir John Tolliver (c. 1480-1542), a wealthy landowner and Member of Parliament for Northamptonshire during the reign of Henry VIII. Another prominent figure was Thomas Tolliver (1615-1690), a Puritan minister and author who served as the pastor of the First Church in Boston in the 17th century.
Other historical figures include Captain William Tolliver (1670-1738), an English sea captain and explorer who sailed to the West Indies and North America in the early 18th century. Additionally, there was Jonathan Tolliver (1745-1821), a Revolutionary War soldier who fought in the Battle of Guilford Court House in 1781.
In the 19th century, the name was associated with John Tolliver (1810-1882), a prominent farmer and landowner in Kentucky, who was involved in the famous Tolliver-Martin feud, a long-running conflict between two families in Rowan County, Kentucky.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tolliver
Among Census respondents with the surname Tolliver, the largest self-reported group is Black at 48.6%. The next largest groups are White (41.9%) and Two or More Races (5.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Tolliver 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 Tolliver surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American48.6% · 5,474
- White41.9% · 4,721
- Two or more races5.4% · 603
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 346
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 60
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 59
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tolliver
Tolliver 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
#2,958
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,128
+920 bearers (+8.2%)
Per 100,000 4.11
Rank movement Down 2 places
2020
#3,118
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,263
-865 bearers (-7.1%)
Per 100,000 3.77
Rank movement Down 160 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,956 | 11,208 | 4.15 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,958 | 12,128 | 4.11 | +920 bearers (+8.2%) | Down 2 places |
| 2020 | #3,118 | 11,263 | 3.77 | -865 bearers (-7.1%) | Down 160 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 Tolliver 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 | #2,958 | #3,118 | -5.4% |
| Count | 12,128 | 11,263 | -7.1% |
| Per 100K | 4.11 | 3.77 | -8.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tolliver bearers went from 12,128 to 11,263 (-7.1% change). The surname moved down 160 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,958 to #3,118.
FAQ
Tolliver surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tolliver?
Name Census estimates that about 12,916 living Americans carry the surname Tolliver. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 26,537 residents.
How common is Tolliver?
Tolliver ranks #3,118 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.77 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,263 people with the surname Tolliver. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,916), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.77 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.77 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Tolliver.
Has Tolliver become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tolliver went from 12,128 recorded bearers to 11,263. That is a decrease of 865 (-7.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,958 to #3,118.
What does the Census say about the background of Tolliver?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tolliver, the largest self-reported group is Black at 48.6%. The next largest groups are White (41.9%) and Two or More Races (5.4%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Tolliver in the 2020 Census, accounting for 48.6% (5,474 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tolliver appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (48.6%), White (41.9%), Two or More Races (5.4%). 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 Tolliver (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 Tolliver mean?
An English occupational surname for a metalworker or maker of tools and implements. 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 Tolliver (3.77 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 common is the surname Tolliver?
You can see how many people are called Tolliver on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.