2000
#4,886
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,600
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.45
Rare Last name
Totten
Derived from a place name meaning "Tota's homestead" in Old English, likely referring to an ancestor's dwelling.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,215 Americans carry the last name Totten. That puts it at #5,347 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 47,506 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Totten 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Totten with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.2K
1 in 47,506
Census rank
#5,347
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,292 bearers of the surname Totten in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5347th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Totten, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.7%. The next largest groups are Black (12.9%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Totten
The surname Totten is of English and Dutch origin, originating in the 14th century. It is derived from the Old English word "tot," meaning a clump or tuft, and the word "henn," meaning a shed or shelter. The name was likely given to someone who lived in a hut or small dwelling.
In England, the name was initially found in the county of Essex, particularly in the areas around Colchester and Maldon. Early records show variations in spelling, including Toten, Totten, and Tottyn. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Essex Feet of Fines from 1327, which mentions a John Toten.
The surname also has Dutch origins, with the earliest known record being in the town of Leiden in Holland, where a Johannes van Totten was mentioned in a document from 1396. It is believed that the Dutch version of the name may have derived from a place name or a descriptive term related to a physical feature or location.
In the United States, the Totten surname has its roots in the early colonial period. One of the first documented individuals with this name was Robert Totten, who arrived in Massachusetts in 1638 and later settled in Rhode Island. Another early Totten immigrant was Thomas Totten, who arrived in Virginia in 1666.
Several notable individuals have borne the Totten surname throughout history. Joseph Gilbert Totten (1788-1864) was a prominent American military engineer and Chief of the Corps of Engineers for the United States Army. He oversaw the construction of numerous forts and coastal defenses during his career.
Benjamin J. Totten (1808-1877) was an American politician and judge who served as a U.S. Representative from Arkansas. He was also a delegate to the Arkansas Constitutional Convention in 1836.
Charles Adelle Lewis Totten (1851-1908) was a renowned American military instructor, author, and inventor. He taught at Yale and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and wrote extensively on topics related to military science and biblical prophecy.
James Totten (1818-1871) was a Canadian businessman and politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada and the Canadian House of Commons.
William Totten (1782-1858) was a prominent American lawyer and politician from New York who served as a U.S. Representative and as a judge on the New York Supreme Court.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Totten
Among Census respondents with the surname Totten, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.7%. The next largest groups are Black (12.9%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Totten 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 Totten surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.7% · 4,892
- Black or African American12.9% · 811
- Two or more races4.7% · 297
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 206
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 67
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Totten
Totten appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#5,125
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,828
+228 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 2.31
Rank movement Down 239 places
2020
#5,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,292
-536 bearers (-7.9%)
Per 100,000 2.11
Rank movement Down 222 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,886 | 6,600 | 2.45 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,125 | 6,828 | 2.31 | +228 bearers (+3.5%) | Down 239 places |
| 2020 | #5,347 | 6,292 | 2.11 | -536 bearers (-7.9%) | Down 222 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 Totten 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 | #5,125 | #5,347 | -4.3% |
| Count | 6,828 | 6,292 | -7.9% |
| Per 100K | 2.31 | 2.11 | -8.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Totten bearers went from 6,828 to 6,292 (-7.9% change). The surname moved down 222 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,125 to #5,347.
FAQ
Totten surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Totten?
Name Census estimates that about 7,215 living Americans carry the surname Totten. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 47,506 residents.
How common is Totten?
Totten ranks #5,347 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.11 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,292 people with the surname Totten. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,215), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.11 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Totten.
Has Totten become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Totten went from 6,828 recorded bearers to 6,292. That is a decrease of 536 (-7.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,125 to #5,347.
What does the Census say about the background of Totten?
Among Census respondents with the surname Totten, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.7%. The next largest groups are Black (12.9%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Totten in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.7% (4,892 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Totten appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.7%), Black (12.9%), Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Totten (2000, 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 Totten mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "Tota's homestead" in Old English, likely referring to an ancestor's dwelling. 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 Totten (2.11 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 share the surname Totten?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.