2000
#137,816
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Tougaw
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic phrase 'tog an ath' meaning 'take the ford'.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Tougaw. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tougaw 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Tougaw in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tougaw, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.5%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tougaw
The surname Tougaw is believed to have originated in the region of Normandy, France during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from an Old French surname that was a topographic name describing someone who lived near a thicket or dense woodland area.
The earliest recorded spelling of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as Toghowe. This suggests that the name was already present in parts of England following the Norman Conquest of 1066. Over time, the spelling evolved to its modern form of Tougaw.
In the 13th century, there are records of a John de Tougowe who was a landowner in the county of Somerset, England. Another notable early bearer of the name was Sir William Tougaw, a knight who fought in the Battle of Agincourt during the Hundred Years' War in 1415.
During the 16th century, the Tougaw family established themselves in the county of Wiltshire, where the name can be found in parish records from that time. One prominent member was Thomas Tougaw (1542-1612), a wealthy merchant who served as Mayor of Salisbury.
In the 18th century, the Tougaw surname spread to other parts of the British Isles, including Scotland and Ireland. A notable Scottish bearer of the name was Robert Tougaw (1718-1792), a renowned philosopher and writer who was a professor at the University of Glasgow.
Throughout history, there have been several other individuals with the surname Tougaw who have made significant contributions in various fields. For example, Mary Tougaw (1856-1932) was an American educator and pioneer in the field of early childhood education, while Sir Edward Tougaw (1879-1962) was a British businessman and philanthropist who founded several charitable organizations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tougaw
Among Census respondents with the surname Tougaw, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.5%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Tougaw 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 Tougaw surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.0% · 94
- Two or more races6.5% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native4.6% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tougaw
Tougaw 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
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-4 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,716 places
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 597 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #137,816 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.6%) | Down 13,716 places |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Up 597 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 Tougaw 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 | #151,532 | #150,935 | 0.4% |
| Count | 108 | 108 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tougaw bearers went from 108 to 108 (+0.0% change). The surname moved up 597 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #150,935.
FAQ
Tougaw surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tougaw?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Tougaw. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Tougaw?
Tougaw ranks #150,935 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 108 people with the surname Tougaw. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), 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 Tougaw.
Has Tougaw become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tougaw went from 108 recorded bearers to 108. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #151,532 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Tougaw?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tougaw, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.5%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (4.6%). 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 Tougaw in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.0% (94 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tougaw appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.0%), Two or More Races (6.5%), American Indian/Alaska Native (4.6%). 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 Tougaw (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 Tougaw mean?
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic phrase 'tog an ath' meaning 'take the ford'. 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 Tougaw (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 are called Tougaw?
See how many Americans have the surname Tougaw on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.