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

Tongue, 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 Tongue surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tongue in America

Tongue is the 38902nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tongue surname appeared 567 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Tongue.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tongue 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 Tongue

The surname Tongue is of English origin and dates back to the late 12th century. It is derived from the Old English word "tunge," which means "tongue" and was likely initially used as a nickname for someone who was particularly talkative or had a speech impediment.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Tongue can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1195, where a certain Hugo Tongue is mentioned. This document provides evidence that the name was already in use by the end of the 12th century.

In the 13th century, the name appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1275, where a William Tongue is listed. This record suggests that the name had spread to different regions of England by this time.

The Tongue surname is also found in the Hundred Rolls of Buckinghamshire from 1273, which includes a reference to a Richard Tongue. This document is a valuable source for studying the distribution of surnames in medieval England.

One notable individual with the surname Tongue was John Tongue (c. 1610-1680), an English clergyman and author who served as the Rector of Llandrinio in Montgomeryshire, Wales. He wrote several religious works, including "A Plaine and Brief Remonstrance" and "Animadversions on Mr. Prynne's Late Revilings."

Another prominent figure with this surname was Robert Tongue (1679-1732), an English mathematician and astronomer. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1713 and contributed to the development of mathematical instruments and astronomical calculations.

In the 18th century, there was a Samuel Tongue (1723-1796), an English merchant and banker who was involved in the East India Company. He served as the Deputy Governor of the Bank of England from 1781 to 1782.

The Tongue family also had a presence in Scotland, with one notable member being Sir James Tongue (1818-1881), a Scottish merchant and philanthropist. He was involved in the textile industry and supported various charitable causes, including the establishment of the Tongue School in Glasgow.

It's worth mentioning that the name Tongue has also been associated with places in England, such as Tongue End in Hertfordshire and Tongue Green in Buckinghamshire, which may have influenced the distribution and usage of the surname in those areas.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tongue

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

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 Tongue 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 Tongue 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 Tongue was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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