2000
#139,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Tolmich
A surname derived from a Polish place name and denoting someone from that town.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Tolmich. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tolmich 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Tolmich in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tolmich, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (38.1%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tolmich
The surname TOLMICH is believed to have originated in Germany during the Middle Ages. It is thought to be derived from the Old German words "tol" meaning "foolish" or "silly" and "mich" meaning "me" or "myself." This suggests that the name may have originally been a nickname given to someone who was perceived as foolish or silly.
The name is first recorded in the 13th century in the town of Tölmich, located in the Rhineland region of Germany. It is possible that the surname TOLMICH was initially adopted by people from this town or the surrounding area.
One of the earliest documented references to the name TOLMICH can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of historical documents from the Rhineland region, dated around 1275. The record mentions a "Johann Tolmich" who was a landowner in the town of Tölmich.
In the 14th century, the name TOLMICH appears in several medieval manuscripts and records from various parts of Germany. For example, a "Hans Tolmich" is mentioned in a land deed from the city of Cologne in 1345.
Notable individuals with the surname TOLMICH throughout history include:
1. Friedrich Tolmich (1556-1623), a German goldsmith and engraver known for his intricate metalwork designs.
2. Anna Tolmich (1638-1705), a German poet and writer who published several collections of poetry and prose during the Baroque period.
3. Johann Tolmich (1678-1746), a German architect and master builder who designed several churches and public buildings in the Rhineland region.
4. Wilhelm Tolmich (1812-1892), a German philologist and linguist who made significant contributions to the study of Germanic languages.
5. Katharina Tolmich (1867-1945), a German educator and women's rights activist who fought for equal access to education and employment opportunities for women.
While the surname TOLMICH is not particularly common today, it remains an integral part of German cultural heritage, with its roots tracing back to the medieval era and the town of Tölmich in the Rhineland region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tolmich
Among Census respondents with the surname Tolmich, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (38.1%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Tolmich 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 Tolmich surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White57.6% · 68
- Hispanic or Latino38.1% · 45
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.5% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
- Two or more races0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tolmich
Tolmich 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
#127,494
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 134
+24 bearers (+21.8%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 12,263 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-16 bearers (-11.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16,017 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #139,757 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #127,494 | 134 | 0.05 | +24 bearers (+21.8%) | Up 12,263 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | -16 bearers (-11.9%) | Down 16,017 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 Tolmich 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 | #127,494 | #143,511 | -12.6% |
| Count | 134 | 118 | -11.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -21.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tolmich bearers went from 134 to 118 (-11.9% change). The surname moved down 16,017 positions in the national ranking, going from #127,494 to #143,511.
FAQ
Tolmich surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tolmich?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Tolmich. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Tolmich?
Tolmich ranks #143,511 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 118 people with the surname Tolmich. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Tolmich.
Has Tolmich become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tolmich went from 134 recorded bearers to 118. That is a decrease of 16 (-11.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #127,494 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Tolmich?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tolmich, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (38.1%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.5%). 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 Tolmich in the 2020 Census, accounting for 57.6% (68 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tolmich appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (57.6%), Hispanic (38.1%), American Indian/Alaska Native (2.5%). 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 Tolmich (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 Tolmich mean?
A surname derived from a Polish place name and denoting someone from that town. 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 Tolmich (0.04 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 Tolmich?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.