2000
#10,548
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,790
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.03
Rare Last name
Trammel
A surname referring to a maker of hosiery, nets, or shackles, or a nickname for a constrained person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,001 Americans carry the last name Trammel. That puts it at #11,503 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.88 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 114,213 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Trammel 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
3.0K
1 in 114,213
Census rank
#11,503
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,617 bearers of the surname Trammel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.88 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11503rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Trammel, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.1%. The next largest groups are Black (17.0%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Trammel
The surname Trammel originates from England and can be traced back to the early Middle Ages. The name is derived from the Old English word "tramelan," which means "to tread or trample." This suggests that the name likely referred to an occupation or trade related to treading or trampling, such as a fuller or a thresher.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in historical documents from the 13th century. For example, the Hundred Rolls of 1273 mention a Robert Tramel from Buckinghamshire. Similarly, the Subsidy Rolls of 1327 list a John Tramele from Oxfordshire.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in various forms, including Tramelun, Tramelyn, and Tramelyng. These variations were likely due to regional dialects and the lack of standardized spelling during that time.
One notable historical figure with the surname Trammel was Sir William Trammel (1560-1635), a wealthy landowner and Member of Parliament from Warwickshire. He played a significant role in the English Civil War, initially supporting King Charles I but later switching allegiance to the Parliamentarians.
Another person of note was Thomas Trammel (1670-1745), a renowned clockmaker from London. He is credited with several innovative designs and was appointed as a Clockmaker to the Royal Family during the reign of Queen Anne.
In the 19th century, the name gained prominence with John Trammel (1802-1880), a prominent abolitionist and minister from Ohio. He was actively involved in the Underground Railroad, helping enslaved people escape to freedom in the Northern states and Canada.
The name Trammel can also be found in connection with various place names in England, such as Trammel Farm in Oxfordshire and Trammel Lane in Berkshire. These locations may have derived their names from individuals or families bearing the surname.
Other notable individuals with the surname Trammel include:
1. Robert Trammel (1898-1976), an American baseball player who played for the St. Louis Cardinals and the Boston Red Sox.
2. Eliza Trammel (1815-1890), a pioneer and early settler in Texas, known for her role in the establishment of the city of Galveston.
3. Samuel Trammel (1745-1821), a Revolutionary War soldier from Virginia who served under General George Washington.
4. Margaret Trammel (1876-1955), a British author and playwright who wrote several popular novels in the early 20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Trammel
Among Census respondents with the surname Trammel, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.1%. The next largest groups are Black (17.0%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Trammel 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 Trammel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.1% · 1,912
- Black or African American17.0% · 445
- Two or more races5.0% · 132
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 74
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 45
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Trammel
Trammel 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
#10,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,152
+362 bearers (+13.0%)
Per 100,000 1.07
Rank movement Up 320 places
2020
#11,503
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,617
-535 bearers (-17.0%)
Per 100,000 0.88
Rank movement Down 1,275 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,548 | 2,790 | 1.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,228 | 3,152 | 1.07 | +362 bearers (+13.0%) | Up 320 places |
| 2020 | #11,503 | 2,617 | 0.88 | -535 bearers (-17.0%) | Down 1,275 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 Trammel 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 | #10,228 | #11,503 | -12.5% |
| Count | 3,152 | 2,617 | -17.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.07 | 0.88 | -18.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Trammel bearers went from 3,152 to 2,617 (-17.0% change). The surname moved down 1,275 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,228 to #11,503.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Trammel
FAQ
Trammel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Trammel?
Name Census estimates that about 3,001 living Americans carry the surname Trammel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 114,213 residents.
How common is Trammel?
Trammel ranks #11,503 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.88 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,617 people with the surname Trammel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,001), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.88 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.88 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Trammel.
Has Trammel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Trammel went from 3,152 recorded bearers to 2,617. That is a decrease of 535 (-17.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,228 to #11,503.
What does the Census say about the background of Trammel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Trammel, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.1%. The next largest groups are Black (17.0%) and Two or More Races (5.0%). 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 Trammel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.1% (1,912 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Trammel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (73.1%), Black (17.0%), Two or More Races (5.0%). 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 Trammel (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 Trammel mean?
A surname referring to a maker of hosiery, nets, or shackles, or a nickname for a constrained 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 Trammel (0.88 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 Trammel?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.