Find out how popular the last name Truesdale is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Truesdale.

Truesdale, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Truesdale surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Truesdale in America

Truesdale is the 7038th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Truesdale surname appeared 4,757 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Truesdale.

We can also compare 2010 data for Truesdale to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Truesdale

The surname Truesdale is believed to have originated in the northern English county of Cumberland, now part of modern-day Cumbria. The name is thought to date back to the 12th or 13th century and is derived from the Old English words "trew" meaning true or loyal, and "dale" meaning a valley or small valley.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Truesdale can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Cumberland from 1195, where a Richard de Truesdale is mentioned as a landowner. The name is also found in various other medieval records from the region, such as the Feet of Fines and the Assize Rolls, indicating that the Truesdale family had established roots in the area.

The name is believed to have originally referred to someone who lived in a particular valley or dale, possibly one known for its trustworthiness or loyalty to a local lord or ruler. This could have been a reference to the family's character or a description of the location itself.

In the 14th century, a John Truesdale is recorded as being a member of the Guild of Corpus Christi in York, which was a prominent religious and social organization at the time. This suggests that the Truesdale family had spread beyond Cumberland and established themselves in other parts of northern England.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, several notable individuals bearing the Truesdale name can be found in historical records. One such person was William Truesdale (c.1540-1618), who was a wealthy merchant and landowner in Newcastle upon Tyne. Another was Thomas Truesdale (1608-1679), a Puritan minister who served as a chaplain in the English Civil War.

In the late 17th century, a branch of the Truesdale family emigrated to Ireland, where they settled in County Antrim. One of the earliest recorded Truesdale in Ireland was John Truesdale (c.1670-1742), who was a successful linen merchant in Ballycastle.

Over the centuries, the Truesdale name has spread to various parts of the English-speaking world, including North America, Australia, and New Zealand. Some notable Truesdales in more recent history include:

1. John Truesdale (1797-1868), an American politician who served as a U.S. Congressman from New York.
2. Walter Truesdale (1910-1997), a Canadian lawyer and judge who served on the Supreme Court of British Columbia.
3. William Truesdale (1869-1949), an American railroad executive who served as the president of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad.
4. Herbert Truesdale (1905-1985), an American artist and illustrator known for his work in children's books.
5. Clive Truesdale (1931-2020), a British journalist and broadcaster who worked for the BBC and other media outlets.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Truesdale

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Truesdale.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Truesdale was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Truesdale has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Truesdale was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Truesdale, please contact us.

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