2000
#4,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,760
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.88
Rare Last name
Treadway
An English habitational surname referring to someone who lived near a path or road.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,605 Americans carry the last name Treadway. That puts it at #4,576 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.51 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 39,832 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Treadway 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 Treadway with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.6K
1 in 39,832
Census rank
#4,576
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,504 bearers of the surname Treadway in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.51 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4576th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Treadway, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Black (5.2%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Treadway
The surname Treadway has its origins in England and dates back to the 12th century. It is a locational name, derived from the Old English words "trod," meaning a pathway or track, and "weg," meaning a way or road. This suggests that the name originated from someone who lived near a well-trodden path or road.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Nottinghamshire in 1195, where a person named Robert de Trodewaye is mentioned. This spelling variation highlights the evolution of the name over time.
Another early reference to the name can be found in the Assize Court Rolls of Staffordshire from 1292, which mentions a William de Trodewey. These records provide valuable insight into the geographical distribution of the name in medieval times.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, the name appears to have been concentrated in the counties of Nottinghamshire, Staffordshire, and Derbyshire, with variations such as Trodway, Troadway, and Tredway recorded in various documents.
One notable bearer of the name was Sir Thomas Treadway (1609-1672), an English politician and landowner from Leicestershire. He served as a Member of Parliament for Leicestershire during the English Civil War.
Another prominent individual with the surname was William Treadway (1672-1745), a successful merchant and landowner from Bristol. He was known for his philanthropic efforts and contributed to the establishment of several charitable institutions in the city.
In the 18th century, the name Treadway began to appear in North America, with several individuals bearing the name arriving as early settlers. One such person was John Treadway (1730-1812), who emigrated from England to Virginia in the mid-1700s and became a prominent landowner and farmer.
During the 19th century, the Treadway surname gained further recognition with individuals like Charles Treadway (1811-1887), an influential industrialist from Ohio who played a significant role in the development of the state's iron and steel industry.
It is worth noting that while the surname Treadway has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through immigration and the dispersal of families over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Treadway
Among Census respondents with the surname Treadway, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Black (5.2%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Treadway 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 Treadway surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.4% · 6,487
- Black or African American5.2% · 388
- Two or more races4.1% · 308
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 218
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 60
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 43
Timeline
Historical Census data for Treadway
Treadway 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
#4,544
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,792
+32 bearers (+0.4%)
Per 100,000 2.64
Rank movement Down 316 places
2020
#4,576
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,504
-288 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 2.51
Rank movement Down 32 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,228 | 7,760 | 2.88 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,544 | 7,792 | 2.64 | +32 bearers (+0.4%) | Down 316 places |
| 2020 | #4,576 | 7,504 | 2.51 | -288 bearers (-3.7%) | Down 32 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 Treadway 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 | #4,544 | #4,576 | -0.7% |
| Count | 7,792 | 7,504 | -3.7% |
| Per 100K | 2.64 | 2.51 | -4.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Treadway bearers went from 7,792 to 7,504 (-3.7% change). The surname moved down 32 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,544 to #4,576.
FAQ
Treadway surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Treadway?
Name Census estimates that about 8,605 living Americans carry the surname Treadway. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 39,832 residents.
How common is Treadway?
Treadway ranks #4,576 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.51 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,504 people with the surname Treadway. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,605), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.51 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.51 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Treadway.
Has Treadway become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Treadway went from 7,792 recorded bearers to 7,504. That is a decrease of 288 (-3.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,544 to #4,576.
What does the Census say about the background of Treadway?
Among Census respondents with the surname Treadway, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Black (5.2%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Treadway in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.4% (6,487 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Treadway appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.4%), Black (5.2%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Treadway (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 Treadway mean?
An English habitational surname referring to someone who lived near a path or road. 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 Treadway (2.51 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 common is the surname Treadway?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Treadway is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.