2000
#5,988
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,295
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.96
Rare Last name
Tolson
A surname of English origin, derived from a place name meaning "Toll's town" or "town by a hollow."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,044 Americans carry the last name Tolson. That puts it at #6,223 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.76 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 56,710 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tolson 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Tolson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.0K
1 in 56,710
Census rank
#6,223
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,271 bearers of the surname Tolson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.76 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6223rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tolson, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.6%. The next largest groups are Black (27.5%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tolson
The surname Tolson has its roots in the Old English language and is believed to have originated in Yorkshire, England during the medieval period. It is thought to be a locational name derived from a now lost or unidentified place name. Some scholars suggest it may have evolved from a combination of the Old English words "tol," meaning tax or toll, and "tun," meaning enclosure or settlement.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Tolson can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from the late 12th century. These rolls were financial records maintained by the English Exchequer, and they mention individuals with the surname Tolson who were likely landowners or taxpayers in the region.
In the 13th century, the Tolson surname appears in various Yorkshire charters and land records, indicating that the family had established itself as a respected lineage in the area. One notable example is a charter from 1240 that mentions a Robert de Tolson, who was likely a landowner or prominent figure in the local community.
The Tolson surname continued to be prevalent in Yorkshire throughout the medieval and early modern periods. Notable individuals bearing this name include William Tolson (1542-1616), a renowned English clergyman and scholar who served as the Bishop of Oxford and the Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield.
During the 17th century, the Tolson family expanded its influence beyond Yorkshire. John Tolson (1605-1690) was a prominent English lawyer and judge who served as the Chief Justice of the Common Pleas from 1663 to 1675.
In the 18th century, Thomas Tolson (1718-1792) was a respected English architect and surveyor known for his work on several notable buildings in Yorkshire, including the Wakefield Court House and the Wakefield Prison.
Another notable figure was George Tolson (1790-1856), a British naval officer and explorer who is credited with mapping and charting significant portions of the Australian coastline during his voyages in the early 19th century.
As the Tolson surname spread across England and beyond, it became associated with various occupations and professions. While the name's exact origins remain unclear, its longevity and historical significance are rooted in the Yorkshire region, where it first emerged as a locational surname during the Middle Ages.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tolson
Among Census respondents with the surname Tolson, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.6%. The next largest groups are Black (27.5%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Tolson 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 Tolson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White63.6% · 3,351
- Black or African American27.5% · 1,451
- Two or more races4.7% · 246
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 169
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 30
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 24
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tolson
Tolson 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
#6,093
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,630
+335 bearers (+6.3%)
Per 100,000 1.91
Rank movement Down 105 places
2020
#6,223
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,271
-359 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 1.76
Rank movement Down 130 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,988 | 5,295 | 1.96 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,093 | 5,630 | 1.91 | +335 bearers (+6.3%) | Down 105 places |
| 2020 | #6,223 | 5,271 | 1.76 | -359 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 130 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 Tolson 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 | #6,093 | #6,223 | -2.1% |
| Count | 5,630 | 5,271 | -6.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.91 | 1.76 | -7.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tolson bearers went from 5,630 to 5,271 (-6.4% change). The surname moved down 130 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,093 to #6,223.
FAQ
Tolson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tolson?
Name Census estimates that about 6,044 living Americans carry the surname Tolson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 56,710 residents.
How common is Tolson?
Tolson ranks #6,223 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.76 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,271 people with the surname Tolson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,044), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.76 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.76 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Tolson.
Has Tolson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tolson went from 5,630 recorded bearers to 5,271. That is a decrease of 359 (-6.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,093 to #6,223.
What does the Census say about the background of Tolson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tolson, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.6%. The next largest groups are Black (27.5%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Tolson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 63.6% (3,351 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tolson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (63.6%), Black (27.5%), Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Tolson (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 Tolson mean?
A surname of English origin, derived from a place name meaning "Toll's town" or "town by a hollow." 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 Tolson (1.76 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 are called Tolson?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Tolson at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.