2000
#5,567
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,730
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.12
Rare Last name
Toy
An occupational surname for a maker or seller of toys, or a nickname for a playful, fun-loving person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,377 Americans carry the last name Toy. That puts it at #5,962 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.86 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 53,749 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Toy 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 Toy with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.4K
1 in 53,749
Census rank
#5,962
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,561 bearers of the surname Toy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.86 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5962nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Toy, the largest self-reported group is White at 58.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (24.9%) and Black (7.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Toy
The surname TOY has its origins in England, with records dating back to the late 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old French word "toie," which referred to a piece of cloth or a towel. This connection suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational surname for someone involved in the textile trade or a weaver.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1195, where a Walter le Tuy is mentioned. This spelling variation highlights the name's evolution over time, with "le Tuy" eventually transforming into the more recognizable "Toy."
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various records, such as the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273, which lists a Richard le Toy. This entry provides evidence of the name's continued use and its geographical spread across different regions of England.
The Domesday Book, one of the most comprehensive records of landowners and property in medieval England, does not contain any direct mentions of the surname Toy. However, this absence does not preclude the possibility that the name existed during that time but was not recorded in this particular document.
As the centuries progressed, the Toy surname gained prominence, and several notable individuals bore this last name. One such figure was Robert Toy (1557-1618), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Dean of Worcester Cathedral from 1614 until his death.
Another historical figure was Thomas Toy (1636-1685), an English merchant and writer who authored "The Protestant Tutor," a book advocating for religious tolerance and criticizing the persecution of Protestants in France.
In the 18th century, Samuel Toy (1733-1805) was a prominent British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the American Revolutionary War and later became a Member of Parliament.
Moving into the 19th century, Crawford Howell Toy (1836-1919) was an American biblical scholar and Semitic linguist who served as a professor at Harvard University and made significant contributions to the study of Hebrew literature and culture.
Lastly, Wilfred E. G. Toy (1853-1952) was a British naval officer and explorer who participated in several Arctic expeditions and served as the Hydrographer of the Royal Navy from 1904 to 1913.
These individuals, spanning various professions and time periods, exemplify the rich history and diversity associated with the surname Toy, which has its roots in the textile industry of medieval England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Toy
Among Census respondents with the surname Toy, the largest self-reported group is White at 58.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (24.9%) and Black (7.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Toy 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 Toy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White58.8% · 3,272
- Asian and Pacific Islander24.9% · 1,387
- Black or African American7.1% · 394
- Two or more races4.9% · 271
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 229
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Toy
Toy 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
#5,951
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,784
+54 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 1.96
Rank movement Down 384 places
2020
#5,962
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,561
-223 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 1.86
Rank movement Down 11 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,567 | 5,730 | 2.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,951 | 5,784 | 1.96 | +54 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 384 places |
| 2020 | #5,962 | 5,561 | 1.86 | -223 bearers (-3.9%) | Down 11 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 Toy 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 | #5,951 | #5,962 | -0.2% |
| Count | 5,784 | 5,561 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.96 | 1.86 | -5.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Toy bearers went from 5,784 to 5,561 (-3.9% change). The surname moved down 11 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,951 to #5,962.
FAQ
Toy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Toy?
Name Census estimates that about 6,377 living Americans carry the surname Toy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 53,749 residents.
How common is Toy?
Toy ranks #5,962 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.86 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 5,561 people with the surname Toy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,377), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.86 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.86 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 Toy.
Has Toy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Toy went from 5,784 recorded bearers to 5,561. That is a decrease of 223 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,951 to #5,962.
What does the Census say about the background of Toy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Toy, the largest self-reported group is White at 58.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (24.9%) and Black (7.1%). 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 Toy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 58.8% (3,272 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Toy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (58.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (24.9%), Black (7.1%). 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 Toy (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 Toy mean?
An occupational surname for a maker or seller of toys, or a nickname for a playful, fun-loving person. 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 Toy (1.86 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 Toy?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.