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

Tonkin, 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 Tonkin surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tonkin in America

Tonkin is the 15418th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tonkin surname appeared 1,900 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Tonkin.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tonkin 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 Tonkin

The surname Tonkin originated in Cornwall, England during the medieval period. It is derived from the old Cornish place name 'Tonken', which means 'town on a hill'. This place name referred to various settlements across Cornwall, such as the village of Tonkin near St. Austell.

The Tonkin surname first appeared in official records in the late 13th century. One of the earliest known references is a document from 1275 which mentions a Richard de Tonken. Over the following centuries, variations in spelling emerged, including Tonkyn, Tonkeyn, and Tonken.

In the famous Domesday Book of 1086, which surveyed landowners in England after the Norman conquest, there are no direct references to the name Tonkin. However, the place name 'Tonken' is mentioned as part of the lands held by the Earl of Mortain in Cornwall.

One notable early bearer of the Tonkin surname was John Tonkin, a wealthy merchant from Truro who lived from around 1485 to 1550. He served as Mayor of Truro in 1524 and was involved in the local tin mining industry.

During the 17th century, Sampson Tonkin (1619-1667) was a Cornish landowner and served as a Member of Parliament for Truro in 1660. His son, also named Sampson Tonkin (1655-1718), was a renowned lawyer and held the position of Recorder of Truro.

In the 18th century, Mary Tonkin (1720-1804) was a celebrated Cornish writer and poet, known for her works in the Cornish language. Her collection of poems, 'Cornish Poetry', was published posthumously in 1811.

Another notable figure was Thomas Tonkin (1678-1742), an antiquarian and historian from Cornwall. He was a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries and authored several works on Cornish history and folklore, including 'Parochial History of Cornwall' (published in 1739).

Moving into the 19th century, Reverend Henry George Tonkin (1825-1892) was a prominent Cornish clergyman and author. He wrote extensively on Cornish history, language, and culture, including 'The Miner's Guide' (1858) and 'The Surnames of the West of England' (1869).

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tonkin

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

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

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

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