2000
#28,088
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 803
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.30
Very Rare Last name
Tribbett
An English surname derived from a geographical location or place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 959 Americans carry the last name Tribbett. That puts it at #30,002 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.28 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 357,408 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tribbett 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
959
1 in 357,408
Census rank
#30,002
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
836
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 836 bearers of the surname Tribbett in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.28 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 30002nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tribbett, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.7%. The next largest groups are Black (25.8%) and Two or More Races (6.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tribbett
The surname Tribbett is of English origin, tracing its roots back to the medieval period. It is thought to be a locational surname, derived from a place name or a topographical feature.
One theory suggests that Tribbett is a variation of the Old English word "treobyt," which means "a wooded dwelling" or "a dwelling among trees." This indicates that the name may have originated from a place where the earliest bearers of the surname resided, likely a small hamlet or a clearing in a forested area.
Another possible origin is that Tribbett is a derivative of the Old English word "trybyt," which means "a small stream" or "a brook." In this case, the name could have been given to individuals who lived near a small watercourse or a tributary.
The earliest recorded instance of the Tribbett surname dates back to the 13th century, with a mention of Willelmus de Trebut in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273. This entry suggests that the name may have originated from a now-lost place name, possibly in the county of Oxfordshire.
In the 14th century, the surname appeared in various spellings, such as Tribet, Tribbet, and Trybut, indicating the evolution of the name over time.
One notable bearer of the Tribbett surname was Sir John Tribbet (1420-1492), a member of the English gentry and a landowner in Lincolnshire. He served as a Member of Parliament for Lincolnshire in 1472.
Another individual of note was William Tribbet (1564-1631), an English clergyman and author who published several works on theology and philosophy during the Elizabethan era.
In the 17th century, the Tribbett family had established roots in various parts of England, including Yorkshire and Gloucestershire. One member of the family, Thomas Tribbett (1638-1704), was a merchant and landowner in Bristol.
The 18th century saw the migration of some Tribbett families to the American colonies, where they settled in various regions, including Virginia and New England.
One prominent figure from this period was Benjamin Tribbett (1722-1798), a colonial planter and landowner in Virginia, who played a role in the American Revolutionary War.
By the 19th century, the Tribbett surname had spread across various parts of the English-speaking world, with bearers of the name found in the United States, Canada, Australia, and other parts of the British Empire.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tribbett
Among Census respondents with the surname Tribbett, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.7%. The next largest groups are Black (25.8%) and Two or More Races (6.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Tribbett 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 Tribbett surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White64.7% · 541
- Black or African American25.8% · 216
- Two or more races6.1% · 51
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 22
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tribbett
Tribbett 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
#28,001
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 856
+53 bearers (+6.6%)
Per 100,000 0.29
Rank movement Up 87 places
2020
#30,002
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 836
-20 bearers (-2.3%)
Per 100,000 0.28
Rank movement Down 2,001 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #28,088 | 803 | 0.30 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #28,001 | 856 | 0.29 | +53 bearers (+6.6%) | Up 87 places |
| 2020 | #30,002 | 836 | 0.28 | -20 bearers (-2.3%) | Down 2,001 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 Tribbett 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 | #28,001 | #30,002 | -7.1% |
| Count | 856 | 836 | -2.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.29 | 0.28 | -3.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tribbett bearers went from 856 to 836 (-2.3% change). The surname moved down 2,001 positions in the national ranking, going from #28,001 to #30,002.
FAQ
Tribbett surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tribbett?
Name Census estimates that about 959 living Americans carry the surname Tribbett. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 357,408 residents.
How common is Tribbett?
Tribbett ranks #30,002 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.28 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 836 people with the surname Tribbett. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (959), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.28 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.28 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 Tribbett.
Has Tribbett become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tribbett went from 856 recorded bearers to 836. That is a decrease of 20 (-2.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #28,001 to #30,002.
What does the Census say about the background of Tribbett?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tribbett, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.7%. The next largest groups are Black (25.8%) and Two or More Races (6.1%). 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 Tribbett in the 2020 Census, accounting for 64.7% (541 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tribbett appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (64.7%), Black (25.8%), Two or More Races (6.1%). 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 Tribbett (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 Tribbett mean?
An English surname derived from a geographical location or place name. 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 Tribbett (0.28 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 Tribbett?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.