2000
#126,400
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Tomilson
A combination surname derived from a variant spelling of "Thomas" and the patronymic suffix "-son".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Tomilson. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tomilson 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
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Tomilson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tomilson, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.6%. The next largest groups are Black (11.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (9.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tomilson
The surname Tomilson is an English surname that originated in the county of Yorkshire during the late medieval period, around the 14th or 15th century. It is thought to be a variant spelling of the name Tomlinson, which comes from the Old English personal name "Tomlin" combined with the patronymic suffix "-son", meaning "son of Tomlin".
The name Tomlin itself is derived from the Old English name "Tuma", which means "twin" or "one of a pair". This suggests that the earliest bearers of the name Tomilson may have been the sons of a man who was a twin or one of a pair of siblings.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Tomilson can be found in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379, where a John Tomylson is listed as a resident of the village of Settle. The name also appears in other historical records from the region, such as the Yorkshire Chantry Surveys of the 16th century.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name Tomilson began to spread to other parts of England, particularly to the neighboring counties of Lancashire and Lincolnshire. This was likely due to the migration of families from Yorkshire seeking new opportunities or fleeing from the religious and political turmoil of the time.
Notable individuals with the surname Tomilson throughout history include Sir John Tomilson (1555-1631), a wealthy merchant and member of the Worshipful Company of Mercers in London, who served as Lord Mayor of the city in 1628-1629. Another prominent figure was Thomas Tomilson (1608-1681), an English clergyman and author who served as the Bishop of Derry and Raphoe in Ireland.
Other individuals of note include William Tomilson (1642-1711), a merchant and Member of Parliament for the borough of Milborne Port in Somerset, and Robert Tomilson (1716-1783), a successful banker and landowner who served as the High Sheriff of Lancashire in 1756.
The surname Tomilson has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Tomilson's Farm in the village of Bircham Newton in Norfolk, and Tomilson's Hill in the parish of Newbiggin in Cumbria.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tomilson
Among Census respondents with the surname Tomilson, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.6%. The next largest groups are Black (11.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (9.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Tomilson 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 Tomilson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.6% · 78
- Black or African American11.3% · 12
- Asian and Pacific Islander9.4% · 10
- Two or more races4.7% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tomilson
Tomilson 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
#121,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 142
+17 bearers (+13.6%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 4,810 places
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-36 bearers (-25.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 30,749 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #126,400 | 125 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #121,590 | 142 | 0.05 | +17 bearers (+13.6%) | Up 4,810 places |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | -36 bearers (-25.4%) | Down 30,749 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 Tomilson 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 | #121,590 | #152,339 | -25.3% |
| Count | 142 | 106 | -25.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -29.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tomilson bearers went from 142 to 106 (-25.4% change). The surname moved down 30,749 positions in the national ranking, going from #121,590 to #152,339.
FAQ
Tomilson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tomilson?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Tomilson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Tomilson?
Tomilson ranks #152,339 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 106 people with the surname Tomilson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), 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 Tomilson.
Has Tomilson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tomilson went from 142 recorded bearers to 106. That is a decrease of 36 (-25.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #121,590 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Tomilson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tomilson, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.6%. The next largest groups are Black (11.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (9.4%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Tomilson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.6% (78 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tomilson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (73.6%), Black (11.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (9.4%). 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 Tomilson (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 Tomilson mean?
A combination surname derived from a variant spelling of "Thomas" and the patronymic suffix "-son". 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 Tomilson (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 are called Tomilson?
You can see how many people are called Tomilson on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.