2000
#10,133
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,925
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.08
Rare Last name
Truelove
An English surname derived from a nickname for a loyal or faithful person, or from a medieval pet name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,452 Americans carry the last name Truelove. That puts it at #10,191 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.01 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 99,292 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Truelove 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 Truelove with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.5K
1 in 99,292
Census rank
#10,191
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,010 bearers of the surname Truelove in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.01 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10191st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Truelove, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.1%) and Black (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Truelove
The surname Truelove is of English origin and dates back to the late medieval period. It is a descriptive surname derived from the Middle English words "true" meaning faithful or constant, and "love" meaning affection or devotion. The name likely referred to someone who was seen as a devoted or faithful lover.
In the 13th century, the surname was recorded in various spellings such as Trulove, Trowluffe, and Trewluffe. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Roger Trulove, whose name appeared in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1275.
The Truelove surname is found in several historical records, including the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1301, which mention a John Trulove. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 also contain references to individuals with the surname Truelove in counties such as Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire.
One of the most notable early bearers of the name was William Truelove, a merchant from Bristol who lived in the late 14th century. He is mentioned in various trade records and documents from the city's archives.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname Truelove was particularly prevalent in the counties of Warwickshire, Gloucestershire, and Worcestershire. Some examples of bearers from this period include John Truelove (born around 1550 in Warwickshire), and Mary Truelove (born circa 1620 in Gloucestershire).
In the 18th century, the name appears in parish records from various parts of England, such as the baptism of Thomas Truelove in 1712 in Worcestershire, and the marriage of Robert Truelove and Elizabeth Smith in 1746 in Gloucestershire.
One notable bearer of the surname Truelove was Edward Truelove, an English publisher and bookseller who lived from 1809 to 1899. He is known for publishing works by controversial authors such as Charles Bradlaugh and Annie Besant.
While the surname Truelove is not among the most common in England, it has a long and interesting history that reflects the values and traditions of medieval and early modern English society.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Truelove
Among Census respondents with the surname Truelove, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.1%) and Black (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Truelove 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 Truelove surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.1% · 2,562
- Two or more races5.1% · 155
- Black or African American4.8% · 145
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 102
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 26
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 20
Timeline
Historical Census data for Truelove
Truelove 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
#10,346
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,114
+189 bearers (+6.5%)
Per 100,000 1.06
Rank movement Down 213 places
2020
#10,191
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,010
-104 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 1.01
Rank movement Up 155 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,133 | 2,925 | 1.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,346 | 3,114 | 1.06 | +189 bearers (+6.5%) | Down 213 places |
| 2020 | #10,191 | 3,010 | 1.01 | -104 bearers (-3.3%) | Up 155 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 Truelove 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 | #10,346 | #10,191 | 1.5% |
| Count | 3,114 | 3,010 | -3.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.06 | 1.01 | -5.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Truelove bearers went from 3,114 to 3,010 (-3.3% change). The surname moved up 155 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,346 to #10,191.
FAQ
Truelove surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Truelove?
Name Census estimates that about 3,452 living Americans carry the surname Truelove. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 99,292 residents.
How common is Truelove?
Truelove ranks #10,191 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.01 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,010 people with the surname Truelove. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,452), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.01 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.01 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Truelove.
Has Truelove become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Truelove went from 3,114 recorded bearers to 3,010. That is a decrease of 104 (-3.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,346 to #10,191.
What does the Census say about the background of Truelove?
Among Census respondents with the surname Truelove, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.1%) and Black (4.8%). 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 Truelove in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.1% (2,562 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Truelove appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.1%), Two or More Races (5.1%), Black (4.8%). 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 Truelove (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 Truelove mean?
An English surname derived from a nickname for a loyal or faithful person, or from a medieval pet 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 Truelove (1.01 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 Truelove?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.