2000
#27,618
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 821
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.30
Very Rare Last name
Tubman
An English surname derived from the Middle English "tub" and describing a maker or seller of tubs or barrels.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 873 Americans carry the last name Tubman. That puts it at #32,405 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.25 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 392,617 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tubman 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 Tubman with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
873
1 in 392,617
Census rank
#32,405
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
761
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 761 bearers of the surname Tubman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.25 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 32405th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tubman, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.8%. The next largest groups are Black (35.1%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tubman
The surname Tubman has its origins in England, with the earliest records dating back to the 13th century. The name is believed to be derived from the Old English word "tun," meaning an enclosure or a village, and the word "mann," meaning a person or an individual. This suggests that the name likely referred to someone who lived in or was associated with a particular village or settlement.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Tubman can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which were administrative records compiled during the reign of King Edward I. In these rolls, a person named William Tubman is mentioned as a resident of Hertfordshire.
The name Tubman also appears in several medieval manuscripts and records, including the Subsidy Rolls of 1327, where a John Tubman is listed as a taxpayer in Lincolnshire. Additionally, the name is found in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire, dating back to the 14th century.
In the 16th century, the Tubman surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk, and Essex in eastern England. One notable individual from this period was Thomas Tubman, who was born in Ipswich, Suffolk, around 1540 and served as a member of the local militia.
During the 17th century, the Tubman name spread to other parts of England, including London and the surrounding areas. A prominent figure from this time was Richard Tubman, a merchant and landowner who lived in the village of Hackney, near London, in the late 1600s.
In the 18th century, the Tubman surname continued to be found in various parts of England, with several individuals bearing the name achieving notable positions. One such person was William Tubman, born in 1728 in Northamptonshire, who became a renowned architect and designed several churches and public buildings in the region.
As the centuries progressed, the Tubman name also made its way across the Atlantic Ocean to the American colonies and, later, the United States. One notable American with this surname was Harriet Tubman, the famous abolitionist and political activist who was born into slavery in Maryland around 1822. Tubman played a crucial role in the Underground Railroad, helping to guide numerous enslaved individuals to freedom in the northern states and Canada.
Other notable individuals with the Tubman surname include John Tubman, a British politician who served as a member of Parliament for Southwark in the late 18th century, and Charles Tubman, an English cricketer who played for the Marylebone Cricket Club in the early 19th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tubman
Among Census respondents with the surname Tubman, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.8%. The next largest groups are Black (35.1%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Tubman 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 Tubman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White57.8% · 440
- Black or African American35.1% · 267
- Two or more races3.7% · 28
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 19
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tubman
Tubman 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
#30,013
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 782
-39 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 0.27
Rank movement Down 2,395 places
2020
#32,405
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 761
-21 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.25
Rank movement Down 2,392 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #27,618 | 821 | 0.30 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #30,013 | 782 | 0.27 | -39 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 2,395 places |
| 2020 | #32,405 | 761 | 0.25 | -21 bearers (-2.7%) | Down 2,392 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 Tubman 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 | #30,013 | #32,405 | -8.0% |
| Count | 782 | 761 | -2.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.27 | 0.25 | -5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tubman bearers went from 782 to 761 (-2.7% change). The surname moved down 2,392 positions in the national ranking, going from #30,013 to #32,405.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Tubman
FAQ
Tubman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tubman?
Name Census estimates that about 873 living Americans carry the surname Tubman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 392,617 residents.
How common is Tubman?
Tubman ranks #32,405 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.25 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 761 people with the surname Tubman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (873), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.25 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.25 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Tubman.
Has Tubman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tubman went from 782 recorded bearers to 761. That is a decrease of 21 (-2.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #30,013 to #32,405.
What does the Census say about the background of Tubman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tubman, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.8%. The next largest groups are Black (35.1%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Tubman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 57.8% (440 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tubman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (57.8%), Black (35.1%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Tubman (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 Tubman mean?
An English surname derived from the Middle English "tub" and describing a maker or seller of tubs or barrels. 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 Tubman (0.25 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 people are called Tubman?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Tubman on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.