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

Tost, 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 Tost surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tost in America

Tost is the 115034th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tost surname appeared 152 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 Tost.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tost 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 Tost

The surname TOST has its origins in Northern Germany, specifically in the region of Schleswig-Holstein, dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "tost," which means "a bundle of flax or hemp." This suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational surname for someone involved in the processing or manufacturing of these fibrous plants.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the TOST surname can be found in the parish records of the town of Itzehoe, located in the former Duchy of Holstein, where a certain Hans TOST was mentioned in 1567. The name also appears in various other historical documents from the region, such as land records and tax registers from the 17th and 18th centuries.

Interestingly, the TOST surname has also been associated with certain place names in Northern Germany, particularly the village of Tostleben, which is located near the city of Magdeburg in the state of Saxony-Anhalt. It is possible that the surname may have originated from this location or a similar place name, although the exact connection is not entirely clear.

Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who have borne the TOST surname. One such person was Johann Tost (1528-1594), a German theologian and Protestant reformer who played a significant role in the Reformation movement in Saxony. Another prominent figure was Gustav Tost (1850-1922), a German architect and urban planner who was responsible for the design of several notable buildings in Berlin and other cities.

In the realm of literature, the name TOST is associated with the German writer and playwright Gerhart Tost (1886-1959), who was known for his satirical works and political commentary during the Weimar Republic era. Additionally, the 19th-century German historian and archivist Friedrich Tost (1806-1874) made significant contributions to the study of medieval German history and the preservation of historical documents.

Moving into the 20th century, one notable figure was the German engineer and inventor Hans Tost (1891-1964), who is credited with developing the first successful parachute release system, which greatly improved the safety of parachuting and skydiving.

These are just a few examples of individuals with the surname TOST who have left their mark on various fields throughout history, demonstrating the widespread presence and significance of this name across different regions and time periods.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tost

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

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Tost, 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!