2000
#2,138
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,576
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.77
Uncommon Last name
Trimble
An English topographic surname for someone who lived near a crossroads or a distinctive road junction.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 17,658 Americans carry the last name Trimble. That puts it at #2,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.15 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 19,411 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Trimble 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 Trimble with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
18K
1 in 19,411
Census rank
#2,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
15K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 15,399 bearers of the surname Trimble in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.15 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Trimble, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.0%. The next largest groups are Black (14.0%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Trimble
The surname Trimble is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "trim" meaning "firm or strong" and "bill" meaning "sword or battle-axe." It likely originated as a nickname for a formidable warrior or soldier.
The name first appeared in historical records in the 13th century, with references to individuals bearing the name found in various counties across England, including Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Nottinghamshire. One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name is in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273, which lists a William Trimbold.
In the 14th century, the surname was also found in various spellings, such as Trymble, Trymbell, and Trimbell, reflecting the variations in pronunciation and orthography of the time. The name is believed to have been particularly prevalent in the northern regions of England, where many of its earliest bearers lived.
One notable historical figure bearing the surname Trimble was Hugh Trimble, an English clergyman who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He served as the Bishop of Norwich from 1619 until his death in 1623.
Another notable individual was Robert Trimble, an American jurist and politician born in 1776. He served as a Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Kentucky and later as an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court from 1826 to 1828.
In the 18th century, the surname Trimble was found in various place names across England, such as Trimble Grange in Lincolnshire and Trimble Farm in Yorkshire. These place names likely derived from individuals bearing the surname who owned or resided in those locations.
Additionally, the name Trimble has been associated with several notable people throughout history, including:
1. Allen Trimble (1783-1870), an American politician who served as the 12th Governor of Ohio from 1826 to 1830.
2. Isaac Ridgeway Trimble (1802-1888), an American soldier who served as a major general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War.
3. Joseph Trimble (1779-1865), an American businessman and politician who served as a United States Representative from Kentucky.
4. William Trimble (1786-1821), an American military officer who served in the War of 1812 and later as a United States Representative from Ohio.
5. James Trimble (1782-1865), an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States Representative from Kentucky.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Trimble
Among Census respondents with the surname Trimble, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.0%. The next largest groups are Black (14.0%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Trimble 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 Trimble surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.0% · 11,855
- Black or African American14.0% · 2,160
- Two or more races4.0% · 616
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 559
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 107
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 102
Timeline
Historical Census data for Trimble
Trimble 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
#2,235
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,306
+730 bearers (+4.7%)
Per 100,000 5.53
Rank movement Down 97 places
2020
#2,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,399
-907 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 5.15
Rank movement Down 74 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,138 | 15,576 | 5.77 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,235 | 16,306 | 5.53 | +730 bearers (+4.7%) | Down 97 places |
| 2020 | #2,309 | 15,399 | 5.15 | -907 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 74 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 Trimble 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 | #2,235 | #2,309 | -3.3% |
| Count | 16,306 | 15,399 | -5.6% |
| Per 100K | 5.53 | 5.15 | -6.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Trimble bearers went from 16,306 to 15,399 (-5.6% change). The surname moved down 74 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,235 to #2,309.
FAQ
Trimble surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Trimble?
Name Census estimates that about 17,658 living Americans carry the surname Trimble. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 19,411 residents.
How common is Trimble?
Trimble ranks #2,309 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.15 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 15,399 people with the surname Trimble. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (17,658), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.15 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.15 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Trimble.
Has Trimble become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Trimble went from 16,306 recorded bearers to 15,399. That is a decrease of 907 (-5.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,235 to #2,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Trimble?
Among Census respondents with the surname Trimble, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.0%. The next largest groups are Black (14.0%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Trimble in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.0% (11,855 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Trimble appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.0%), Black (14.0%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Trimble (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 Trimble mean?
An English topographic surname for someone who lived near a crossroads or a distinctive road junction. 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 Trimble (5.15 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 Trimble?
See how common the surname Trimble is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.