2000
#2,709
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,191
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.52
Uncommon Last name
Tubbs
Derived from a Middle English nickname for a plump or barrel-chested individual, from "tubba," meaning "tub" or "barrel."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 14,148 Americans carry the last name Tubbs. That puts it at #2,845 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.13 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 24,226 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tubbs 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 Tubbs with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
14K
1 in 24,226
Census rank
#2,845
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
12K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 12,338 bearers of the surname Tubbs in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.13 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2845th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tubbs, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.3%. The next largest groups are Black (23.4%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tubbs
The surname Tubbs is of English origin, and it is believed to have originated in the early medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century. The name is derived from the Old English word "tob," which means a hillock or a small mound.
In its earliest forms, the name was spelled as "Tobbe" or "Tob," and it was likely used as a descriptive name for someone who lived near a small hill or a mound. Over time, the name evolved into its current spelling, "Tubbs."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Hertfordshire from the year 1202, where a person named "Robert Tob" is mentioned. The Pipe Rolls were a series of financial records maintained by the English Exchequer during the medieval period.
The Tubbs surname is also found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of land ownership and taxation commissioned by William the Conqueror. In the Domesday Book, the name appears as "Tob," and it is recorded in several counties, including Lincolnshire and Gloucestershire.
One notable person with the surname Tubbs was Sir William Tubbs (c. 1619-1689), an English landowner and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Lincolnshire during the reign of Charles II. Another individual of historical significance was Edward Tubbs (1677-1751), a British merchant and philanthropist who helped establish the Foundling Hospital in London, one of the first institutions dedicated to caring for abandoned children.
In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the Tubbs surname dates back to the 17th century. John Tubbs (1632-1676) was an English colonist who settled in Massachusetts Bay Colony in the 1650s and became one of the founders of the town of Topsfield, Massachusetts.
Another notable American with the surname Tubbs was Hiram Tubbs (1795-1856), a successful businessman and politician from Ohio. He served as a member of the Ohio House of Representatives and was involved in various commercial enterprises, including the construction of canals and railroads.
Lastly, the Tubbs surname has been linked to several place names in England, such as Tubbs Hill in Lincolnshire and Tubbs Meadow in Gloucestershire, further reinforcing its connection to the Old English word "tob" and its association with geographical features like hills and mounds.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tubbs
Among Census respondents with the surname Tubbs, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.3%. The next largest groups are Black (23.4%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Tubbs 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 Tubbs surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White68.3% · 8,424
- Black or African American23.4% · 2,887
- Two or more races4.4% · 545
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 354
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 68
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 60
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tubbs
Tubbs 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
#2,810
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,828
+637 bearers (+5.2%)
Per 100,000 4.35
Rank movement Down 101 places
2020
#2,845
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,338
-490 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 4.13
Rank movement Down 35 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,709 | 12,191 | 4.52 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,810 | 12,828 | 4.35 | +637 bearers (+5.2%) | Down 101 places |
| 2020 | #2,845 | 12,338 | 4.13 | -490 bearers (-3.8%) | Down 35 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 Tubbs 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 | #2,810 | #2,845 | -1.2% |
| Count | 12,828 | 12,338 | -3.8% |
| Per 100K | 4.35 | 4.13 | -5.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tubbs bearers went from 12,828 to 12,338 (-3.8% change). The surname moved down 35 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,810 to #2,845.
FAQ
Tubbs surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tubbs?
Name Census estimates that about 14,148 living Americans carry the surname Tubbs. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 24,226 residents.
How common is Tubbs?
Tubbs ranks #2,845 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.13 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 12,338 people with the surname Tubbs. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (14,148), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.13 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.13 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Tubbs.
Has Tubbs become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tubbs went from 12,828 recorded bearers to 12,338. That is a decrease of 490 (-3.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,810 to #2,845.
What does the Census say about the background of Tubbs?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tubbs, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.3%. The next largest groups are Black (23.4%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Tubbs in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.3% (8,424 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tubbs appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (68.3%), Black (23.4%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Tubbs (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 Tubbs mean?
Derived from a Middle English nickname for a plump or barrel-chested individual, from "tubba," meaning "tub" or "barrel." 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 Tubbs (4.13 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 Tubbs?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.