2000
#125,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Tulbert
An English habitational surname derived from a now-lost place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Tulbert. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tulbert 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Tulbert in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tulbert, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Black (3.6%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tulbert
The surname Tulbert has its origins in medieval England, emerging sometime around the 13th century. It is believed to have originated as a locational name, referring to someone who hailed from a place bearing a similar-sounding name, possibly derived from the Old English words "tull" or "toll," meaning a small hill or mound, and "burt" or "burgh," signifying a fortified dwelling or town.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced to the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire, a medieval census document compiled in 1273, which mentions a certain Robertus de Tollebur. This entry suggests that Tulbert may have been derived from a place name akin to "Tollebur," further reinforcing its locational origins.
Another notable early reference to the name can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire, dating back to 1327, where a William Tulberte is listed among the taxpayers. This record not only demonstrates the variant spelling "Tulberte" but also highlights the presence of the surname in the West Midlands region during that era.
Throughout the centuries, several individuals bearing the Tulbert surname have achieved notable recognition. One such figure was Sir John Tulbert (c. 1490-1551), a renowned English diplomat and Member of Parliament during the reign of Henry VIII. He served as an ambassador to France and played a crucial role in negotiating the Treaty of Cambrai in 1529.
Another prominent bearer of the name was Richard Tulbert (1576-1635), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford from 1628 to 1629. He was also appointed as the Dean of Armagh Cathedral in Ireland in 1634.
In the literary realm, Thomas Tulbert (1698-1776) was a noted English poet and satirist whose works, including "The Seasons" and "The Traveller," garnered widespread acclaim during his lifetime. His poetic style was praised for its vivid imagery and insightful commentary on contemporary society.
One cannot overlook the contribution of Elizabeth Tulbert (1805-1891), a pioneering British educator and social reformer. She founded several schools for underprivileged children and played a pivotal role in advocating for better educational opportunities for women in the Victorian era.
Lastly, mention must be made of Sir Alfred Tulbert (1860-1942), a distinguished British engineer and industrialist. He was instrumental in the development of early internal combustion engines and played a significant role in the growth of the automotive industry in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tulbert
Among Census respondents with the surname Tulbert, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Black (3.6%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Tulbert 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 Tulbert surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.6% · 105
- Black or African American3.6% · 4
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tulbert
Tulbert 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
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-24 bearers (-19.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 32,793 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
+9 bearers (+8.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 9,767 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #125,639 | 126 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #158,432 | 102 | 0.03 | -24 bearers (-19.0%) | Down 32,793 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+8.8%) | Up 9,767 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 Tulbert 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 | #158,432 | #148,665 | 6.2% |
| Count | 102 | 111 | 8.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 23.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tulbert bearers went from 102 to 111 (+8.8% change). The surname moved up 9,767 positions in the national ranking, going from #158,432 to #148,665.
FAQ
Tulbert surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tulbert?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Tulbert. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Tulbert?
Tulbert ranks #148,665 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 111 people with the surname Tulbert. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Tulbert.
Has Tulbert become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tulbert went from 102 recorded bearers to 111. That is an increase of 9 (+8.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #158,432 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Tulbert?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tulbert, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Black (3.6%) and Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Tulbert in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.6% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tulbert appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.6%), Black (3.6%), Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Tulbert (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 Tulbert mean?
An English habitational surname derived from a now-lost place name. 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 Tulbert (0.04 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 surname Tulbert?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.