2000
#127,948
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Traynum
An uncommon English surname referring to someone who carried or sold trays or platters.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Traynum. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Traynum 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
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Traynum in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Traynum, the largest self-reported group is Black at 63.3%. The next largest groups are White (30.8%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Traynum
The surname Traynum is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from an Old English word meaning "three streams" or "three brooks," likely referring to a geographical feature or location where the name first arose.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Traynum can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landowners and properties in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. This suggests that the name had already been established by the late 11th century.
During the Middle Ages, the name Traynum was primarily concentrated in the counties of Gloucestershire and Wiltshire in southwestern England. It is possible that the name was initially associated with a specific place or manor bearing a similar name, such as Traynum Manor or Traynum Village, though records of such locations are scarce.
In the 14th century, a notable figure named John Traynum was mentioned in the rolls of the Exchequer, the government department responsible for collecting taxes and managing royal revenues. This John Traynum was a landowner and taxpayer in the county of Gloucestershire, indicating the continued presence of the name in that region.
By the 16th century, the Traynum surname had spread to other parts of England, including the counties of Somerset and Dorset. During this time, a family of Traynums resided in the town of Sherborne, Dorset, where they were involved in local affairs and held positions of prominence within the community.
One of the most notable individuals bearing the Traynum name was Sir Richard Traynum (1562-1643), a wealthy merchant and alderman in the city of Bristol. He was known for his philanthropy and contributed significantly to the development of the city's infrastructure, including the construction of public buildings and the improvement of trade routes.
In the 17th century, the Traynum surname also found its way to the American colonies, with several families settling in the New England region. One such individual was William Traynum (1625-1692), who arrived in Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1638 and later became a prominent landowner and farmer in the town of Ipswich.
Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, the Traynum name continued to be present in various parts of England, as well as in the United States and other English-speaking countries. Notable figures during this period included Robert Traynum (1745-1821), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the American Revolutionary War, and Mary Traynum (1802-1887), an American educator and advocate for women's rights in the state of New York.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Traynum
Among Census respondents with the surname Traynum, the largest self-reported group is Black at 63.3%. The next largest groups are White (30.8%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Traynum 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 Traynum surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American63.3% · 76
- White30.8% · 37
- Two or more races3.3% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Traynum
Traynum 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
#129,047
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 132
+9 bearers (+7.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,099 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
-12 bearers (-9.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,002 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #127,948 | 123 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #129,047 | 132 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+7.3%) | Down 1,099 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | -12 bearers (-9.1%) | Down 13,002 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 Traynum 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 | #129,047 | #142,049 | -10.1% |
| Count | 132 | 120 | -9.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Traynum bearers went from 132 to 120 (-9.1% change). The surname moved down 13,002 positions in the national ranking, going from #129,047 to #142,049.
FAQ
Traynum surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Traynum?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Traynum. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Traynum?
Traynum ranks #142,049 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 120 people with the surname Traynum. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), 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 Traynum.
Has Traynum become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Traynum went from 132 recorded bearers to 120. That is a decrease of 12 (-9.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #129,047 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Traynum?
Among Census respondents with the surname Traynum, the largest self-reported group is Black at 63.3%. The next largest groups are White (30.8%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Traynum in the 2020 Census, accounting for 63.3% (76 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Traynum appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (63.3%), White (30.8%), Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Traynum (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 Traynum mean?
An uncommon English surname referring to someone who carried or sold trays or platters. 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 Traynum (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 Americans have the surname Traynum?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.