Totman last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Totman

A surname derived from an English village name meaning "at the toot of men" or "on a lookout hill".

Totman, 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 Totman surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Totman in America

Totman is the 28587th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Totman surname appeared 834 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 Totman.

We can also compare 2010 data for Totman 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 28587 26876 6.17%
Count 834 850 -1.90%
Proportion per 100k 0.28 0.32 -13.33%

The history of the last name Totman

The surname Totman is of English origin, with roots dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have originated in the county of Devon, particularly in the village of Tottington (now known as Tawton). The name is derived from the Old English words "tota" meaning "a look-out" and "mann" meaning "man," suggesting an occupational name for a watchman or sentry.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Totman can be found in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1327, where a certain Walterus Toteman is mentioned as residing in the village of Tottington. This suggests that the surname had already been established by the early 14th century.

In the Hundred Rolls of 1273, a record of landowners and tenants in England, there is a reference to a "Robertus de Totingtone," which could be an early variant spelling of the surname Totman, further indicating its origins in the village of Tottington.

Notable individuals with the surname Totman throughout history include William Totman (c. 1530-1592), an English clergyman and author who served as the Rector of Luffincott in Devon. Another notable figure was John Totman (1670-1745), a British naval officer who served during the War of the Spanish Succession and is recorded as having commanded the HMS Hunter in 1711.

In the 17th century, a branch of the Totman family settled in the American colonies, with one of the earliest recorded individuals being Thomas Totman, who was born in Dorchester, Massachusetts in 1635. His descendants played a role in the early settlement and development of various New England communities.

Another noteworthy individual was Richard Totman (1825-1905), a British architect known for his work on several churches and public buildings in the South West of England, including the Church of St. Mary in Taunton.

More recently, there was George Totman (1912-1979), a British author and journalist who wrote extensively on the history and culture of Devon, publishing works such as "The Devonshire Year" and "The Green Lanes of Devon."

While the surname Totman has its origins in the county of Devon, it has since spread across various parts of the English-speaking world, with descendants bearing the name found in countries like the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Totman

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

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 Totman was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 94.60% 789
Non-Hispanic Black Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 3.00% 25
Hispanic Origin 1.44% 12

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 Totman has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 94.60% 95.65% -1.10%
Black (S)% (S)% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% 0.82% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)% (S)%
Two or More Races 3.00% 1.41% 72.11%
Hispanic 1.44% 1.18% 19.85%

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

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

Reference this page

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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!

"Totman last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on November 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/totman-surname-popularity/.

"Totman last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/totman-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 November, 2024

Totman last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/totman-surname-popularity/.

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