2010
#133,048
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Tomney
Originated as a place name derived from a British town.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Tomney. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tomney 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 Tomney with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Tomney in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tomney, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.2%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tomney
The surname Tomney has its origins in England, with the first recorded instances dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to be a locational name, derived from the place name Tomney in Berkshire. This place name itself is thought to have evolved from the Old English words "tun" meaning an enclosure or settlement, and "hnæp" meaning a rocky hill or crag.
Records from the 13th century show variations in the spelling of the name, including Tomneye, Tomnay, and Tomenay. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was William de Tomneye, who was mentioned in the Hundredorum Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1279.
In the 14th century, the surname appeared in the Subsidy Rolls of Bedfordshire, where a John Tomney was listed as a taxpayer in 1327. The Tomney family seems to have been well-established in Berkshire and the surrounding areas during this period.
Notable individuals with the surname Tomney include Sir Richard Tomney, a wealthy merchant and landowner who lived in the late 15th century. He was a prominent figure in the city of Bristol and served as Mayor in 1486 and 1499.
In the 16th century, the name appears in the Parish Registers of St. Mary's Church in Beverley, Yorkshire, where the baptism of a child named Alice Tomney was recorded in 1573.
During the English Civil War in the 17th century, a Captain Edward Tomney fought for the Parliamentarian forces and was mentioned in dispatches for his bravery at the Battle of Naseby in 1645.
In the 18th century, a family of Tomneys resided in Gloucestershire, and one member, William Tomney (1712-1792), was a prominent local landowner and Justice of the Peace.
Another notable figure was Sir John Tomney (1768-1842), a successful businessman and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for the borough of Hastings from 1820 to 1826.
While the surname Tomney is not as common today as it once was, it has a rich history spanning several centuries, with its roots firmly planted in the English countryside and towns.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tomney
Among Census respondents with the surname Tomney, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.2%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Tomney 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 Tomney surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.2% · 103
- Hispanic or Latino6.2% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.7% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tomney
Tomney appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-14 bearers (-11.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,173 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #133,048 | 127 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | -14 bearers (-11.0%) | Down 14,173 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 Tomney 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 | #133,048 | #147,221 | -10.7% |
| Count | 127 | 113 | -11.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tomney bearers went from 127 to 113 (-11.0% change). The surname moved down 14,173 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,048 to #147,221.
FAQ
Tomney surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tomney?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Tomney. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Tomney?
Tomney ranks #147,221 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 113 people with the surname Tomney. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), 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 Tomney.
Has Tomney become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tomney went from 127 recorded bearers to 113. That is a decrease of 14 (-11.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #133,048 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Tomney?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tomney, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.2%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.7%). 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 Tomney in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.2% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tomney appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.2%), Hispanic (6.2%), American Indian/Alaska Native (2.7%). 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 Tomney (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 Tomney mean?
Originated as a place name derived from a British 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 Tomney (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 Tomney?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.