2000
#6,504
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,814
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.78
Rare Last name
Troxell
A topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a stream crossing or bridge.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,198 Americans carry the last name Troxell. That puts it at #7,112 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.52 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 65,940 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Troxell 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
5.2K
1 in 65,940
Census rank
#7,112
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,533 bearers of the surname Troxell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.52 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7112th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Troxell, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Troxell
The surname Troxell has its origins in Germany, with the earliest records of the name dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Middle High German word "trocke," which means "dry" or "arid." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived in a dry or arid area.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Hans Troxell, who was born in the town of Neustadt an der Weinstraße, in the region of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, in 1567. Records indicate that he worked as a vintner, which was a common occupation in the wine-producing regions of Germany at the time.
The Troxell name can also be found in various historical records from the 17th and 18th centuries in other parts of Germany, such as Saxony and Bavaria. For instance, there is a record of a Johann Troxell, who was born in the town of Meiningen, Thuringia, in 1685.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, many Germans emigrated to other parts of the world, including North America. This led to the spread of the Troxell name across different regions. One notable bearer of the name was Christian Troxell, who was born in Germany in 1783 and later settled in Pennsylvania, United States, in the early 19th century.
Another significant figure with the Troxell surname was Johann Friedrich Troxell, a German-American painter who was born in Wertheim am Main, Germany, in 1803. He is known for his landscape paintings depicting scenes from the American West.
In the 20th century, one of the most prominent individuals with the Troxell name was Loren C. Troxell, an American businessman and philanthropist who was born in 1901. He co-founded the Troxell Company, a major manufacturer of automotive and industrial products, and was also involved in various philanthropic endeavors.
Overall, the surname Troxell has a rich history that spans centuries and crosses borders, originating in the German-speaking regions of Europe and eventually spreading to other parts of the world through migration.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Troxell
Among Census respondents with the surname Troxell, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Troxell 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 Troxell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 4,155
- Two or more races3.6% · 165
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 131
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 43
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 27
- Black or African American0.3% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Troxell
Troxell 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
#7,008
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,780
-34 bearers (-0.7%)
Per 100,000 1.62
Rank movement Down 504 places
2020
#7,112
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,533
-247 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 1.52
Rank movement Down 104 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,504 | 4,814 | 1.78 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,008 | 4,780 | 1.62 | -34 bearers (-0.7%) | Down 504 places |
| 2020 | #7,112 | 4,533 | 1.52 | -247 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 104 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 Troxell 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 | #7,008 | #7,112 | -1.5% |
| Count | 4,780 | 4,533 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.62 | 1.52 | -6.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Troxell bearers went from 4,780 to 4,533 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 104 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,008 to #7,112.
FAQ
Troxell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Troxell?
Name Census estimates that about 5,198 living Americans carry the surname Troxell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 65,940 residents.
How common is Troxell?
Troxell ranks #7,112 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.52 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,533 people with the surname Troxell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,198), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.52 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.52 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Troxell.
Has Troxell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Troxell went from 4,780 recorded bearers to 4,533. That is a decrease of 247 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,008 to #7,112.
What does the Census say about the background of Troxell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Troxell, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Troxell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (4,155 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Troxell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Two or More Races (3.6%), Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Troxell (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 Troxell mean?
A topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a stream crossing or bridge. 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 Troxell (1.52 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 Troxell?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.