2000
#139
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 162,933
First available Census row
Per 100,000 60.40
Common Last name
Tucker
An occupational surname referring to a fabric pleater or fold-stitcher.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 184,142 Americans carry the last name Tucker. That puts it at #160 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 53.72 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,861 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tucker 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 Tucker with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
184K
1 in 1,861
Census rank
#160
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
53.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
161K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 160,581 bearers of the surname Tucker in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 53.72 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 160th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tucker, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.1%. The next largest groups are Black (23.8%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tucker
The surname Tucker has its origins in England, where it first emerged as an occupational name during the Middle Ages. The name is derived from the Old English word "tucian," which means "to make full" or "to tuck." It is believed that the name was initially given to those who worked as fullers, responsible for thickening and finishing woolen cloth.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Tucker surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive record of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The surname appears as "le Tuckere" and is associated with individuals residing in various counties, including Essex, Suffolk, and Wiltshire.
In the 13th century, the surname was often spelled as "Toukere" or "Towkere," reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and spelling at the time. As the Tucker family proliferated, they established roots in various parts of England, with concentrations in counties like Somerset, Devon, and Gloucestershire.
One notable figure bearing the Tucker surname was Thomas Tucker (1554-1629), an English poet and composer who served as a chaplain to Queen Elizabeth I. Another prominent individual was Benjamin Tucker (1642-1708), an English philosopher and influential thinker during the Age of Enlightenment.
The Tucker name also gained prominence in the American colonies, where several individuals made significant contributions. Samuel Tucker (1747-1833) was a renowned naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War, while John Tucker (1719-1792) was a prominent merchant and politician in colonial Virginia.
In the 19th century, the Tucker surname was associated with several notable figures, including John Randolph Tucker (1823-1897), a lawyer and politician who served as the United States Attorney General under President Grover Cleveland. Additionally, Benjamin Ricketson Tucker (1854-1939) was an influential American anarchist and publisher of the periodical "Liberty."
Throughout its history, the Tucker surname has been linked to various place names, such as Tuckersville in Pennsylvania and Tucker County in West Virginia. These place names likely originated from the presence of Tucker families in those areas, reflecting their influence and contributions to the local communities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tucker
Among Census respondents with the surname Tucker, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.1%. The next largest groups are Black (23.8%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Tucker 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 Tucker surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White67.1% · 107,760
- Black or African American23.8% · 38,175
- Two or more races4.5% · 7,293
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 5,367
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 1,086
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 900
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tucker
Tucker 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
#153
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 167,446
+4,513 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 56.77
Rank movement Down 14 places
2020
#160
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 160,581
-6,865 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 53.72
Rank movement Down 7 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #139 | 162,933 | 60.40 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #153 | 167,446 | 56.77 | +4,513 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 14 places |
| 2020 | #160 | 160,581 | 53.72 | -6,865 bearers (-4.1%) | Down 7 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 Tucker 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 | #153 | #160 | -4.6% |
| Count | 167,446 | 160,581 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 56.77 | 53.72 | -5.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tucker bearers went from 167,446 to 160,581 (-4.1% change). The surname moved down 7 positions in the national ranking, going from #153 to #160.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Tucker
FAQ
Tucker surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tucker?
Name Census estimates that about 184,142 living Americans carry the surname Tucker. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,861 residents.
How common is Tucker?
Tucker ranks #160 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 53.72 per 100,000 residents, which is about 54 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 160,581 people with the surname Tucker. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (184,142), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 53.72 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 53.72 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 54 of them to have the surname Tucker.
Has Tucker become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tucker went from 167,446 recorded bearers to 160,581. That is a decrease of 6,865 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #153 to #160.
What does the Census say about the background of Tucker?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tucker, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.1%. The next largest groups are Black (23.8%) 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 Tucker in the 2020 Census, accounting for 67.1% (107,760 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tucker appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (67.1%), Black (23.8%), 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 Tucker (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 Tucker mean?
An occupational surname referring to a fabric pleater or fold-stitcher. 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 Tucker (53.72 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 Tucker?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.