2000
#20,167
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,229
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.46
Rare Last name
Tuell
A surname potentially derived from a nickname for a stout or sturdy person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,464 Americans carry the last name Tuell. That puts it at #20,933 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.43 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 234,122 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tuell 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.
Bearers in the US
1.5K
1 in 234,122
Census rank
#20,933
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,277 bearers of the surname Tuell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.43 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 20933rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tuell, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tuell
The surname Tuell is believed to have originated in England, likely deriving from a place name or a topographical feature. One possible origin is from the Old English word "tol," meaning a parcel of land or a toll, combined with a diminutive suffix, giving it the meaning "a small piece of land."
Another theory suggests that Tuell is a variation of the surname Tuehill or Tewhill, which itself is derived from a place name referring to a hill or mound. This name may have originated in the county of Worcestershire, where similar place names exist.
In early records, the name appears with various spellings, such as Tuell, Tuill, Tuyll, and Tuel. One of the earliest recorded instances is found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where a landowner named Robert de Tuill is mentioned as holding lands in Derbyshire.
During the Middle Ages, the Tuell family held lands and properties in various parts of England, particularly in Staffordshire and Warwickshire. Notable individuals from this period include Sir John Tuell, who served as a knight in the army of King Edward III during the Hundred Years' War in the 14th century.
In the 16th century, a branch of the Tuell family settled in the county of Devon, where they acquired estates and became influential landowners. One prominent member was Sir Thomas Tuell (1520-1584), who served as a member of Parliament and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth I.
The Tuell name also has connections to the clergy, with several individuals serving as clergymen and holding positions within the Church of England. One example is Reverend William Tuell (1692-1768), who was a prominent minister in London and authored several religious texts.
In the literary world, the name Tuell is associated with the poet and writer John Tuell (1817-1885), who was born in Dorset and published several collections of poetry and prose works during the Victorian era.
Throughout history, the Tuell surname has been found across various regions of England, with families settling in counties such as Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Somerset, among others. While not as widespread as some other English surnames, the name has maintained a presence over the centuries and continues to be carried by individuals today.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tuell
Among Census respondents with the surname Tuell, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Tuell 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 Tuell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.9% · 1,072
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 59
- Two or more races4.2% · 54
- Black or African American4.1% · 52
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.3% · 30
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tuell
Tuell 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
#20,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,309
+80 bearers (+6.5%)
Per 100,000 0.44
Rank movement Down 142 places
2020
#20,933
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,277
-32 bearers (-2.4%)
Per 100,000 0.43
Rank movement Down 624 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #20,167 | 1,229 | 0.46 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #20,309 | 1,309 | 0.44 | +80 bearers (+6.5%) | Down 142 places |
| 2020 | #20,933 | 1,277 | 0.43 | -32 bearers (-2.4%) | Down 624 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 Tuell 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 | #20,309 | #20,933 | -3.1% |
| Count | 1,309 | 1,277 | -2.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.44 | 0.43 | -2.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tuell bearers went from 1,309 to 1,277 (-2.4% change). The surname moved down 624 positions in the national ranking, going from #20,309 to #20,933.
FAQ
Tuell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tuell?
Name Census estimates that about 1,464 living Americans carry the surname Tuell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 234,122 residents.
How common is Tuell?
Tuell ranks #20,933 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.43 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 1,277 people with the surname Tuell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,464), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.43 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.43 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 Tuell.
Has Tuell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tuell went from 1,309 recorded bearers to 1,277. That is a decrease of 32 (-2.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #20,309 to #20,933.
What does the Census say about the background of Tuell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tuell, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Tuell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.9% (1,072 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tuell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.9%), Hispanic (4.6%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Tuell (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 Tuell mean?
A surname potentially derived from a nickname for a stout or sturdy person. 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 Tuell (0.43 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 share the surname Tuell?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.