Find out how popular the last name Tomlinson is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Tomlinson.

Tomlinson, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Tomlinson surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tomlinson in America

Tomlinson is the 1407th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tomlinson surname appeared 25,274 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 9 people would have the surname Tomlinson.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tomlinson to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Tomlinson

The surname Tomlinson has its origins in England, and it dates back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English personal name "Tomlin," which is a diminutive form of the name "Thomas." The suffix "-son" was commonly added to personal names to indicate "son of."

Tomlinson is considered a patronymic surname, meaning it originally identified the bearer as the son of a man named Tomlin or Thomas. This type of surname was prevalent in the Middle Ages when families sought to distinguish themselves from others in the same area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Tomlinson can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where it appears as "Tomlynson." The Hundred Rolls were administrative records compiled in England during the reign of King Edward I.

The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land and property ownership in England and parts of Wales, completed in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror, does not contain the surname Tomlinson. However, it includes variations of the name Thomas, such as "Toma" and "Tomi."

In the 13th century, a man named John Tomlynson was recorded as living in Yorkshire, England. Another early example is Richard Tomlynson, who was mentioned in the Lancashire Assize Rolls of 1285.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Tomlinson. One of the earliest was Sir Griffith Tomlinson (1580-1652), an English lawyer and Member of Parliament during the reign of King Charles I.

Another prominent figure was Thomas Tomlinson (1808-1892), an English businessman and philanthropist who founded the Tomlinson Institute in Burnley, Lancashire, to provide education and cultural enrichment for the local community.

In the realm of literature, H.M. Tomlinson (1873-1958) was a renowned English writer and journalist known for his travel narratives and novels, including "The Sea and the Jungle" and "Gallions Reach."

In the field of sports, Graham Tomlinson (1915-1991) was an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Yorkshire County Cricket Club in the 1930s and 1940s.

More recently, Louis Tomlinson (born 1991) is an English singer and songwriter, best known as a member of the popular boy band One Direction.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tomlinson

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Tomlinson.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Tomlinson was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Tomlinson has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Tomlinson was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Tomlinson, please contact us.

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