2000
#7,599
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,036
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.50
Rare Last name
Treece
Derived from a place name meaning "homestead or village of trees" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,441 Americans carry the last name Treece. That puts it at #8,194 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.30 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 77,180 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Treece 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 Treece with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.4K
1 in 77,180
Census rank
#8,194
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,873 bearers of the surname Treece in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.30 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8194th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Treece, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.1%) and Black (5.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Treece
The surname Treece has its origins in England, dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have originated from the Old French word "treis," meaning "three," or from the Latin word "tres," also meaning "three." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived near a place with three specific landmarks or features.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Treece can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire, a survey of landowners and properties conducted in 1273. The name appears as "Thomas de Treys," indicating that the spelling has evolved over time.
In the 14th century, the name Treece appeared in various records, such as the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire, where it was written as "Tres" or "Treys." This variation in spelling was common during that time period.
The Treece surname has also been linked to various place names in England, such as Tress in Shropshire and Trice in Somerset. These places likely took their names from people bearing the surname Treece or its earlier variants.
Notable individuals with the surname Treece throughout history include:
1. Sir John Treece (c. 1435-1502), an English lawyer and judge who served as Chief Justice of the King's Bench under Henry VII.
2. William Treece (1572-1638), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Lincolnshire in the early 17th century.
3. Robert Treece (1608-1683), an English clergyman and author who wrote several religious works in the 17th century.
4. Henry Treece (1911-1966), a British poet, novelist, and biographer who was known for his historical fiction and works on mythology.
5. Patricia Treece (1923-2008), an American author and illustrator of children's books, best known for her book "The Skullion."
The surname Treece has a rich history dating back centuries, with its origins rooted in Old French and Latin words related to the number three. Its presence in various historical records and its association with place names in England highlight its longstanding presence in the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Treece
Among Census respondents with the surname Treece, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.1%) and Black (5.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Treece 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 Treece surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.3% · 3,302
- Two or more races5.1% · 197
- Black or African American5.1% · 196
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 137
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 20
Timeline
Historical Census data for Treece
Treece 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
#7,977
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,144
+108 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 1.40
Rank movement Down 378 places
2020
#8,194
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,873
-271 bearers (-6.5%)
Per 100,000 1.30
Rank movement Down 217 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,599 | 4,036 | 1.50 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,977 | 4,144 | 1.40 | +108 bearers (+2.7%) | Down 378 places |
| 2020 | #8,194 | 3,873 | 1.30 | -271 bearers (-6.5%) | Down 217 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 Treece 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 | #7,977 | #8,194 | -2.7% |
| Count | 4,144 | 3,873 | -6.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.40 | 1.30 | -7.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Treece bearers went from 4,144 to 3,873 (-6.5% change). The surname moved down 217 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,977 to #8,194.
FAQ
Treece surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Treece?
Name Census estimates that about 4,441 living Americans carry the surname Treece. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 77,180 residents.
How common is Treece?
Treece ranks #8,194 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.30 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 3,873 people with the surname Treece. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,441), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.3 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.30 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 Treece.
Has Treece become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Treece went from 4,144 recorded bearers to 3,873. That is a decrease of 271 (-6.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,977 to #8,194.
What does the Census say about the background of Treece?
Among Census respondents with the surname Treece, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.1%) and Black (5.1%). 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 Treece in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.3% (3,302 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Treece appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.3%), Two or More Races (5.1%), Black (5.1%). 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 Treece (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 Treece mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "homestead or village of trees" in Old English. 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 Treece (1.30 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 Treece?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.