Truesdell last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Truesdell

A locational surname derived from a place name meaning "Truda's valley" in Old English.

Truesdell, 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 Truesdell surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Truesdell in America

Truesdell is the 11327th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Truesdell surname appeared 2,786 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Truesdell.

We can also compare 2010 data for Truesdell 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 11327 10591 6.72%
Count 2,786 2,777 0.32%
Proportion per 100k 0.94 1.03 -9.14%

The history of the last name Truesdell

The surname Truesdell has its origins in England, tracing back to the late 16th century. It is believed to be a locational name, derived from a place called Truesdell or Truesdail, which was likely a small hamlet or village in the northern regions of England. The name may have evolved from the Old English words "trēow" meaning "tree" and "dell" meaning "valley" or "hollow," suggesting it originated from a wooded valley or a place with a distinctive tree-lined dell.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Truesdell surname can be found in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Beverley, Yorkshire, dated 1598, where a certain John Truesdell was mentioned. The spelling variations in historical records include Trewsdell, Trewsdale, and Truesdale, reflecting the phonetic adaptations and regional dialects of the time.

In the 17th century, the Truesdell surname appeared in the Hearth Tax Rolls of 1662-1666, which recorded households and occupants for taxation purposes. This suggests that the Truesdell family had established itself across various regions of England by that time.

One notable individual bearing the Truesdell surname was Sir William Truesdell (1640-1707), a prominent English lawyer and Member of Parliament who served as the Chief Justice of the Common Pleas from 1701 until his death. He played a significant role in several landmark legal cases of his era.

Another historical figure was Thomas Truesdell (1736-1819), an English-born settler who emigrated to the American colonies in the mid-18th century. He served as a militiaman during the American Revolutionary War and later became a respected landowner and farmer in the state of Vermont.

In the 19th century, the Truesdell surname gained prominence in the United States, with several individuals making notable contributions. Reverend John Truesdell (1802-1876) was a prominent Methodist minister and author who served as the president of the Wesleyan Female College in Wilmington, Delaware.

Erastus Truesdell (1826-1897) was a successful businessman and inventor from New York, best known for his patented improvements to the agricultural seed drill, which revolutionized farming techniques of the time.

While the exact origins of the Truesdell surname may be shrouded in the mists of history, it remains a name with deep roots in England and a fascinating journey across continents and centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Truesdell

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

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 Truesdell was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 88.62% 2,469
Non-Hispanic Black Only 6.07% 169
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.90% 25
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.39% 11
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 1.54% 43
Hispanic Origin 2.48% 69

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 Truesdell has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 88.62% 90.53% -2.13%
Black 6.07% 5.29% 13.73%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.90% 0.61% 38.41%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.39% 0.40% -2.53%
Two or More Races 1.54% 1.58% -2.56%
Hispanic 2.48% 1.58% 44.33%

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 Truesdell was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

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"Truesdell last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on November 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/truesdell-surname-popularity/.

"Truesdell last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/truesdell-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 November, 2024

Truesdell last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/truesdell-surname-popularity/.

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