2000
#3,385
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,666
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.58
Uncommon Last name
Tuck
Derived from a nickname for a clever or crafty person, from an Old English word meaning "to pull or draw."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,913 Americans carry the last name Tuck. That puts it at #3,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.18 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 31,408 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tuck 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 Tuck with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
11K
1 in 31,408
Census rank
#3,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.5K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,517 bearers of the surname Tuck in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.18 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tuck, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.3%. The next largest groups are Black (16.4%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tuck
The surname Tuck is believed to have originated in England, likely during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "tucc," meaning "coarse cloth" or "tunic." This suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational surname given to someone who worked with or produced coarse cloth.
One of the earliest records of the name Tuck can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Tuca." This reference indicates that the name was already in use during the Norman era in England. Over time, the spelling evolved to its more modern form of "Tuck."
In the 13th century, the name Tuck was associated with various place names in England, such as Tuckwell in Gloucestershire and Tuckfield in Sussex. These place names may have been derived from the surname or vice versa, reflecting the close relationship between surnames and locations during that period.
One notable individual with the surname Tuck was Robert Tuck, a 14th-century English clergyman who served as the Bishop of Lichfield from 1349 to 1358. Another early bearer of the name was John Tuck, a 15th-century English merchant and Member of Parliament for Gloucester in 1472.
In the 16th century, the name Tuck gained literary prominence through the character of Friar Tuck in the legendary tales of Robin Hood. Although a fictional character, Friar Tuck's name became closely associated with the English folklore surrounding Robin Hood's Merry Men.
During the 17th century, the name Tuck was found in various parts of England, including London, where Thomas Tuck, a prominent merchant and member of the Worshipful Company of Fishmongers, lived and worked.
As the British Empire expanded, the surname Tuck began to spread to other parts of the world. One notable example is Sir Ralph Tuck (1886-1973), a British civil engineer who played a significant role in the construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge in Australia.
Throughout history, the surname Tuck has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including clergymen, merchants, politicians, and engineers. While its origins can be traced back to medieval England, the name has since taken on a global presence, reflecting the diverse journeys and contributions of those who bear it.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tuck
Among Census respondents with the surname Tuck, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.3%. The next largest groups are Black (16.4%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Tuck 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 Tuck surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.3% · 7,068
- Black or African American16.4% · 1,557
- Two or more races4.5% · 426
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 328
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 70
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 68
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tuck
Tuck 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
#3,560
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,018
+352 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 3.40
Rank movement Down 175 places
2020
#3,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,517
-501 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 3.18
Rank movement Down 79 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,385 | 9,666 | 3.58 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,560 | 10,018 | 3.40 | +352 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 175 places |
| 2020 | #3,639 | 9,517 | 3.18 | -501 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 79 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 Tuck 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 | #3,560 | #3,639 | -2.2% |
| Count | 10,018 | 9,517 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 3.40 | 3.18 | -6.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tuck bearers went from 10,018 to 9,517 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 79 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,560 to #3,639.
FAQ
Tuck surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tuck?
Name Census estimates that about 10,913 living Americans carry the surname Tuck. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 31,408 residents.
How common is Tuck?
Tuck ranks #3,639 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.18 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,517 people with the surname Tuck. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,913), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.18 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.18 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Tuck.
Has Tuck become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tuck went from 10,018 recorded bearers to 9,517. That is a decrease of 501 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,560 to #3,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Tuck?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tuck, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.3%. The next largest groups are Black (16.4%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Tuck in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.3% (7,068 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tuck appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (74.3%), Black (16.4%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Tuck (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 Tuck mean?
Derived from a nickname for a clever or crafty person, from an Old English word meaning "to pull or draw." 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 Tuck (3.18 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 have the last name Tuck?
See how many people are called Tuck on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.