2000
#16,859
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,558
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.58
Rare Last name
Tuller
A variant of the German surname Tüller, meaning someone from the town of Tull.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,513 Americans carry the last name Tuller. That puts it at #20,357 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.44 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 226,540 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tuller 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 Tuller with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.5K
1 in 226,540
Census rank
#20,357
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,319 bearers of the surname Tuller in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.44 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 20357th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tuller, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Black (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tuller
The surname Tuller is believed to have originated in Germany, dating back to the Middle Ages. It is thought to be derived from the Middle High German word "tülle," meaning "funnel" or "pipe," suggesting that the name may have been an occupational name for someone who worked with funnels or pipes, such as a pipe maker or a brewer.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Tuller can be found in the records of the city of Nuremberg in the 14th century. A certain Hans Tuller was mentioned in a document from 1369, indicating that the name was already in use at that time.
In the 15th century, the Tuller name appeared in various German regions, including Bavaria and Saxony. It is possible that the name was also influenced by the place name "Tüllingen" or "Tullingen," a village in Baden-Württemberg, which could have contributed to the spelling variations of the surname.
One notable bearer of the name Tuller was Johann Tuller, a German theologian and reformer who lived from 1486 to 1543. He was a prominent figure during the Protestant Reformation and played a role in the spread of Lutheran teachings in Germany.
Another historical figure with the Tuller surname was Michael Tuller, a German composer and organist who lived from 1644 to 1705. He is known for his contributions to the development of Protestant church music in the 17th century.
In the 18th century, the Tuller name can be found in various records across Germany, with some families also migrating to other parts of Europe and North America. One such individual was Johann Georg Tuller, a German immigrant who settled in Pennsylvania, United States, in the mid-1700s.
As the surname spread, it also underwent various spelling variations, including Tüller, Tuellner, and Tülner. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and scribal practices of the time.
Other notable individuals with the Tuller surname include Johann Tuller, a German painter and engraver active in the late 16th century, and Wilhelm Tuller, a German philosopher and writer who lived from 1811 to 1877.
While the Tuller surname has its roots in Germany, it has since been carried by families across various parts of the world, reflecting the migration patterns and cultural exchanges that have shaped surnames over centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tuller
Among Census respondents with the surname Tuller, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Black (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Tuller 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 Tuller surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.0% · 1,148
- Hispanic or Latino4.8% · 63
- Black or African American4.6% · 61
- Two or more races2.7% · 36
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tuller
Tuller 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
#16,984
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,673
+115 bearers (+7.4%)
Per 100,000 0.57
Rank movement Down 125 places
2020
#20,357
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,319
-354 bearers (-21.2%)
Per 100,000 0.44
Rank movement Down 3,373 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #16,859 | 1,558 | 0.58 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #16,984 | 1,673 | 0.57 | +115 bearers (+7.4%) | Down 125 places |
| 2020 | #20,357 | 1,319 | 0.44 | -354 bearers (-21.2%) | Down 3,373 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 Tuller 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 | #16,984 | #20,357 | -19.9% |
| Count | 1,673 | 1,319 | -21.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.57 | 0.44 | -22.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tuller bearers went from 1,673 to 1,319 (-21.2% change). The surname moved down 3,373 positions in the national ranking, going from #16,984 to #20,357.
FAQ
Tuller surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tuller?
Name Census estimates that about 1,513 living Americans carry the surname Tuller. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 226,540 residents.
How common is Tuller?
Tuller ranks #20,357 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.44 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 1,319 people with the surname Tuller. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,513), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.44 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.44 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 Tuller.
Has Tuller become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tuller went from 1,673 recorded bearers to 1,319. That is a decrease of 354 (-21.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #16,984 to #20,357.
What does the Census say about the background of Tuller?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tuller, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Black (4.6%). 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 Tuller in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.0% (1,148 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tuller appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.0%), Hispanic (4.8%), Black (4.6%). 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 Tuller (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 Tuller mean?
A variant of the German surname Tüller, meaning someone from the town of Tull. 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 Tuller (0.44 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 Tuller?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.