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

Tory, 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 Tory surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tory in America

Tory is the 46568th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tory surname appeared 457 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 Tory.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tory 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 Tory

The surname Tory is believed to have originated in medieval England. It is thought to derive from the Old French word 'torier', meaning a maker or seller of tores, which were twisted cords or ropes. The name likely referred to an occupation associated with rope-making or a person who lived near a rope-making establishment.

In early records, the name appears with various spellings, including Tori, Torie, and Torey. One of the earliest recorded instances is found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, which mentions a William Tory. The Tory surname is also found in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire from 1297, where a John Tory is listed.

During the medieval period, the name was primarily concentrated in the English counties of Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Nottinghamshire, where rope-making was a significant industry. Some early bearers of the name include Thomas Tory, recorded in the Subsidy Rolls of Nottinghamshire in 1327, and Robert Tory, mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire in 1379.

While not a particularly common surname, the Tory name can be found in various historical records throughout the centuries. One notable figure was Josse Bade (c. 1460-1535), a French scholar and printer also known as Jodocus Badius Ascensius or Jodocus Tory. He was a renowned humanist and publisher of classical texts during the Renaissance.

Another individual of note was Geoffrey Tory (c. 1480-1533), a French Renaissance scholar, philosopher, and printer. He is credited with contributing to the development of the Apostolic insigne, which later became the printer's mark or device used by French publishers and printers.

In the 17th century, Samuel Tory (1635-1695) was an English clergyman and author who served as a chaplain to King Charles II and later became the vicar of Halstead in Essex.

During the 18th century, John Tory (1732-1805) was a notable English musician and composer who served as the Master of the Choristers at the Cathedral Church of Christ in Oxford.

In the 19th century, Richard Tory (1828-1901) was an English architect and civil engineer who designed several notable buildings, including St. Saviour's Church in Nottingham and St. Mary's Church in Hyson Green.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tory

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!