2000
#140,756
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Tolsdorf
A surname of German origin denoting someone from a village named Tolsdorf.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Tolsdorf. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tolsdorf 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
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Tolsdorf in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tolsdorf, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tolsdorf
The surname Tolsdorf has its origins in Germany, where it first appeared in the medieval period. The name is derived from the Old German words "toll," meaning "toll" or "customs duty," and "dorf," meaning "village." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to a person who lived in a village where tolls were collected.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Tolsdorf can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Anhaltinus, a collection of historical documents from the German state of Anhalt, dating back to the 12th century. The name is also mentioned in various other medieval records and manuscripts from various regions of Germany.
In the 15th century, a prominent figure named Hans Tolsdorf was a merchant and alderman in the city of Nuremberg. He was born around 1420 and played a significant role in the city's affairs during his lifetime.
Another notable individual with the surname Tolsdorf was Johann Tolsdorf, a Lutheran theologian and writer who lived in the 16th century. He was born in 1530 and published several works on theology and religious matters.
During the 17th century, the name Tolsdorf appeared in various records from the Pomeranian region of Germany. One such record mentions a family named Tolsdorf who owned land in the village of Tollenseadorf, which may have contributed to the development of the surname.
In the 18th century, a man named Friedrich Tolsdorf was a respected clockmaker and watchmaker in the city of Berlin. He was born in 1725 and his intricate timepieces were highly sought after by nobility and wealthy patrons.
Another individual of note was the 19th-century German composer and musician, Wilhelm Tolsdorf. He was born in 1822 and is best known for his contributions to choral music and his work as a conductor.
While the name Tolsdorf has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and family lineages. However, the earliest recorded instances and historical references to this surname can be traced back to various regions of Germany, particularly during the medieval and early modern periods.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tolsdorf
Among Census respondents with the surname Tolsdorf, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Tolsdorf 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 Tolsdorf surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White100.0% · 105
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tolsdorf
Tolsdorf 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
#150,452
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,696 places
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-4 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,537 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #140,756 | 109 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #150,452 | 109 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 9,696 places |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.7%) | Down 2,537 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 Tolsdorf 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 | #150,452 | #152,989 | -1.7% |
| Count | 109 | 105 | -3.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tolsdorf bearers went from 109 to 105 (-3.7% change). The surname moved down 2,537 positions in the national ranking, going from #150,452 to #152,989.
FAQ
Tolsdorf surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tolsdorf?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Tolsdorf. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Tolsdorf?
Tolsdorf ranks #152,989 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 105 people with the surname Tolsdorf. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), 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 Tolsdorf.
Has Tolsdorf become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tolsdorf went from 109 recorded bearers to 105. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #150,452 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Tolsdorf?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tolsdorf, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%. 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 Tolsdorf in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tolsdorf appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (100.0%). 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 Tolsdorf (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 Tolsdorf mean?
A surname of German origin denoting someone from a village named Tolsdorf. 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 Tolsdorf (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 common is the surname Tolsdorf?
Want to know how many people have the surname Tolsdorf? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.