2000
#4,138
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,926
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.94
Rare Last name
True
An English surname derived from a nickname for a loyal or honest person, from the Old English word "treowe."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,019 Americans carry the last name True. That puts it at #4,359 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 38,004 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the True 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
9.0K
1 in 38,004
Census rank
#4,359
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,865 bearers of the surname True in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4359th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname True, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of True
The surname True originated in England, where it first emerged as an occupational name for someone who was particularly honest or trustworthy. The earliest known bearer of the name was William le True, who was recorded in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1208.
The name is derived from the Middle English word "trewe," which means "faithful" or "true." This word ultimately derives from the Old English word "trēowe," which has the same meaning. The True surname is also closely related to the German name Treu, which has a similar origin and meaning.
In medieval times, surnames were often adopted as a way to identify individuals beyond their given names. Occupational surnames like True were particularly common, as they helped to distinguish people based on their professions or personal qualities.
One of the earliest recorded references to the True surname can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire, which date back to 1327. The name is also mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Sussex in 1379, where a man named John True is listed.
Over the centuries, the True surname has been spelled in various ways, including Trew, Trewe, and Truw. Some of these variations can be traced back to specific regions of England, where local dialects and accents influenced the pronunciation and spelling of the name.
Notable individuals with the surname True include:
1. Ranulf le True (c. 1250 - c. 1320), an English landowner and knight who fought in the Wars of Scottish Independence.
2. William True (1616 - 1677), an early settler in the Massachusetts Bay Colony and one of the founders of Salem, Massachusetts.
3. Henry Pettes True (1775 - 1849), an English farmer and writer who published several works on agriculture and rural life.
4. Nathaniel True (1812 - 1887), an American botanist and professor at Harvard University.
5. Thaxter True (1885 - 1968), an American artist and illustrator known for his paintings of rural New England scenes.
The True surname has a long and fascinating history, reflecting the values of honesty and trustworthiness that were associated with its earliest bearers. While the name has evolved and spread throughout the English-speaking world, it remains a testament to the enduring importance of these virtues in society.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for True
Among Census respondents with the surname True, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how True 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 True surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.8% · 6,988
- Two or more races4.0% · 317
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 239
- Black or African American2.1% · 167
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 95
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 59
Timeline
Historical Census data for True
True 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
#4,303
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,261
+335 bearers (+4.2%)
Per 100,000 2.80
Rank movement Down 165 places
2020
#4,359
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,865
-396 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 2.63
Rank movement Down 56 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,138 | 7,926 | 2.94 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,303 | 8,261 | 2.80 | +335 bearers (+4.2%) | Down 165 places |
| 2020 | #4,359 | 7,865 | 2.63 | -396 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 56 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 True 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 | #4,303 | #4,359 | -1.3% |
| Count | 8,261 | 7,865 | -4.8% |
| Per 100K | 2.80 | 2.63 | -6.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of True bearers went from 8,261 to 7,865 (-4.8% change). The surname moved down 56 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,303 to #4,359.
FAQ
True surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname True?
Name Census estimates that about 9,019 living Americans carry the surname True. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 38,004 residents.
How common is True?
True ranks #4,359 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.63 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,865 people with the surname True. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,019), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.63 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname True.
Has True become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname True went from 8,261 recorded bearers to 7,865. That is a decrease of 396 (-4.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,303 to #4,359.
What does the Census say about the background of True?
Among Census respondents with the surname True, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.0%). 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 True in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.8% (6,988 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
True appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.8%), Two or More Races (4.0%), Hispanic (3.0%). 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 True (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 True mean?
An English surname derived from a nickname for a loyal or honest person, from the Old English word "treowe." 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 True (2.63 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 True?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.