2010
#141,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Tosie
A variant spelling of the surname Tosie or Tosee, referring to a family originating from the town of Tosny in Normandy, France.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Tosie. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tosie 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.
Bearers in the US
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Tosie in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tosie, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 49.6%. The next largest groups are White (35.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (6.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tosie
The surname TOSIE has its origins in England, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "toser," which referred to a person who tore or pulled wool. This occupation was crucial in the textile industry during that time.
The earliest recorded mention of the TOSIE name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from the year 1186, where a person named William Toser was listed. This indicates that the name was already in use by the late 12th century.
In the 13th century, the TOSIE name appeared in various records across the counties of Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. One notable example is Reginald Tosie, who was recorded in the Hundred Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1273.
The TOSIE surname has also been linked to several place names in England, such as Tosside in Yorkshire, which may have influenced its spelling variations over time. Some of the older spellings of the name included Toser, Tosier, and Tosere.
Throughout history, several individuals with the TOSIE surname have made their mark. One notable example is John Tosie, a merchant from York who lived in the 15th century and was involved in the wool trade. Another is William Tosie, a landowner from Lincolnshire who was mentioned in the Court Rolls of 1488.
In the 16th century, the TOSIE name gained prominence with Christopher Tosie, a scholar and clergyman born in Yorkshire in 1545. He was known for his translations of classical Greek texts and served as the Rector of Farnworth in Lancashire.
Moving into the 17th century, we find Richard Tosie, a prominent figure in the English Civil War. Born in 1612 in Yorkshire, he fought for the Parliamentarian forces and was involved in several battles, including the Siege of York in 1644.
Lastly, in the 18th century, there was John Tosie, a renowned architect from Lincolnshire, born in 1722. He was responsible for designing several churches and public buildings in the region, with his most notable work being the St. Mary's Church in Gainsborough, completed in 1782.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tosie
Among Census respondents with the surname Tosie, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 49.6%. The next largest groups are White (35.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (6.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Tosie 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 Tosie surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander49.6% · 58
- White35.9% · 42
- American Indian and Alaska Native6.0% · 7
- Two or more races4.3% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 4
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tosie
Tosie 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
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-1 bearers (-0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,130 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #141,140 | 118 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.8%) | Down 3,130 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 Tosie 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 | #141,140 | #144,270 | -2.2% |
| Count | 118 | 117 | -0.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tosie bearers went from 118 to 117 (-0.8% change). The surname moved down 3,130 positions in the national ranking, going from #141,140 to #144,270.
FAQ
Tosie surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tosie?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Tosie. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Tosie?
Tosie ranks #144,270 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 117 people with the surname Tosie. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), 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 Tosie.
Has Tosie become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tosie went from 118 recorded bearers to 117. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #141,140 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Tosie?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tosie, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 49.6%. The next largest groups are White (35.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (6.0%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Tosie in the 2020 Census, accounting for 49.6% (58 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tosie appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (49.6%), White (35.9%), American Indian/Alaska Native (6.0%). 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 Tosie (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 Tosie mean?
A variant spelling of the surname Tosie or Tosee, referring to a family originating from the town of Tosny in Normandy, France. 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 Tosie (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 Tosie?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.