2000
#10,404
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,839
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.05
Rare Last name
Tufts
A surname referring to someone who lived near a clump of trees or bushes.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,098 Americans carry the last name Tufts. That puts it at #11,195 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.90 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 110,637 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tufts 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 Tufts with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.1K
1 in 110,637
Census rank
#11,195
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,702 bearers of the surname Tufts in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.90 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11195th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tufts, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Black (7.9%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tufts
The surname Tufts is of English origin and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English word "tuft," which referred to a clump or thicket of grass, bushes, or trees growing on a hilltop or elevated area of land.
The name likely originated as a topographic surname, describing a person who lived near or on a hillock or mound covered with tufts of vegetation. The earliest recorded spelling of the name was found in the Hundred Rolls of Huntingdonshire in 1273, which mentioned a William Tuft.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Returns of 1379 as Tuftys. This indicates the development of the surname from its original topographic meaning to a hereditary family name.
The Tufts surname is also associated with several place names in England, such as Tufton in Berkshire and Tufton in Hampshire. These locations may have derived their names from the same Old English word "tuft," suggesting that the surname could have originated from these areas.
One notable individual with the Tufts surname was Sir William Tufton (1616-1675), a member of the English gentry and a Royalist during the English Civil War. He fought for King Charles I and was knighted for his loyalty in 1644.
Another prominent figure was Thomas Tufts (1644-1724), a wealthy merchant and landowner in colonial Massachusetts. He donated a significant portion of his estate to establish Tufts College, now known as Tufts University, in 1852.
The Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landholdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the Tufts surname. However, it does mention several places with names derived from the Old English word "tuft," suggesting the topographic origins of the name.
Other notable individuals bearing the Tufts surname include John Tufts (1689-1750), a colonial American merchant and politician; Charles Tufts (1781-1876), a British naval officer and explorer; and Edward Tufts (1809-1886), an American inventor and engineer.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tufts
Among Census respondents with the surname Tufts, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Black (7.9%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Tufts 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 Tufts surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.0% · 2,298
- Black or African American7.9% · 213
- Two or more races3.3% · 89
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 68
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 25
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tufts
Tufts 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
#11,420
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,759
-80 bearers (-2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.94
Rank movement Down 1,016 places
2020
#11,195
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,702
-57 bearers (-2.1%)
Per 100,000 0.90
Rank movement Up 225 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,404 | 2,839 | 1.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,420 | 2,759 | 0.94 | -80 bearers (-2.8%) | Down 1,016 places |
| 2020 | #11,195 | 2,702 | 0.90 | -57 bearers (-2.1%) | Up 225 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 Tufts 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 | #11,420 | #11,195 | 2.0% |
| Count | 2,759 | 2,702 | -2.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.94 | 0.90 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tufts bearers went from 2,759 to 2,702 (-2.1% change). The surname moved up 225 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,420 to #11,195.
FAQ
Tufts surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tufts?
Name Census estimates that about 3,098 living Americans carry the surname Tufts. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 110,637 residents.
How common is Tufts?
Tufts ranks #11,195 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.90 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,702 people with the surname Tufts. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,098), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.9 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.90 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Tufts.
Has Tufts become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tufts went from 2,759 recorded bearers to 2,702. That is a decrease of 57 (-2.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,420 to #11,195.
What does the Census say about the background of Tufts?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tufts, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Black (7.9%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Tufts in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.0% (2,298 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tufts appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.0%), Black (7.9%), Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Tufts (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 Tufts mean?
A surname referring to someone who lived near a clump of trees or bushes. 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 Tufts (0.90 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 Tufts?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.