2010
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Tremlett
A Cornish locational surname possibly derived from places called Tremblat or Trem-bleathen.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Tremlett. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tremlett 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 Tremlett with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Tremlett in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tremlett, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.7%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tremlett
The surname Tremlett is believed to have originated in Cornwall, England during the medieval period. It is derived from the old Cornish words "tre", meaning homestead, and "malu", meaning wolf. Thus, the name Tremlett likely referred to someone who lived near a homestead associated with wolves.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Assize Rolls of Cornwall from 1284, where a Hugo Tremalu is mentioned. This spelling variation highlights the name's Cornish origins and suggests it was initially pronounced more closely to "Tre-mah-loo".
By the 16th century, the spelling had evolved to something more akin to the modern Tremlett form, as evidenced by records of a John Tremlett in the parish registers of St. Columb Major, Cornwall in 1568.
The name Tremlett can also be linked to various place names in Cornwall, such as Tremallett and Tremellick, which further reinforces its regional roots. It's likely that the surname originally identified someone who lived in or near one of these locations.
Notable individuals with the surname Tremlett include Sir Walter Tremlett (1579-1636), a Member of Parliament for Cornwall during the reign of King James I. Another prominent figure was Sir John Tremlett (1642-1715), a wealthy merchant and landowner in Cornwall who served as High Sheriff of Cornwall in 1680.
In more recent history, David Tremlett (born 1945) is a celebrated British artist known for his minimalist wall drawings and installations. John Tremlett (1922-2005) was a British diplomat who served as the United Kingdom's ambassador to several countries, including Thailand and Pakistan.
Eileen Tremlett (1921-2009) was a renowned British actress who appeared in numerous television shows and films throughout her career, including roles in the popular series "Upstairs, Downstairs" and the film "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie".
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tremlett
Among Census respondents with the surname Tremlett, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.7%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Tremlett 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 Tremlett surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.6% · 112
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tremlett
Tremlett appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+11 bearers (+10.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 9,879 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | +11 bearers (+10.5%) | Up 9,879 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 Tremlett 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 | #154,907 | #145,028 | 6.4% |
| Count | 105 | 116 | 10.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tremlett bearers went from 105 to 116 (+10.5% change). The surname moved up 9,879 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #145,028.
FAQ
Tremlett surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tremlett?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Tremlett. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Tremlett?
Tremlett ranks #145,028 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 116 people with the surname Tremlett. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), 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 Tremlett.
Has Tremlett become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tremlett went from 105 recorded bearers to 116. That is an increase of 11 (+10.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #154,907 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Tremlett?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tremlett, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.7%) and Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Tremlett in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.6% (112 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tremlett appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.6%), Two or More Races (1.7%), Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Tremlett (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 Tremlett mean?
A Cornish locational surname possibly derived from places called Tremblat or Trem-bleathen. 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 Tremlett (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 people have the last name Tremlett?
You can see how many people have the surname Tremlett on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.