2000
#15,691
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,710
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.63
Rare Last name
Tulloch
A Scottish locational surname derived from places meaning "hillock" or "mound."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,409 Americans carry the last name Tulloch. That puts it at #13,781 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 142,281 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tulloch 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 Tulloch with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.4K
1 in 142,281
Census rank
#13,781
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,101 bearers of the surname Tulloch in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13781st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tulloch, the largest self-reported group is Black at 48.8%. The next largest groups are White (40.6%) and Two or More Races (5.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tulloch
The surname Tulloch is of Scottish origin, derived from the Gaelic words "tulach" meaning a hill or knoll, and "oiche" meaning night or darkness. It is believed to have originated in the Scottish Highlands, where it referred to a specific hill or high ground, indicating that the original bearers of this name likely resided near or on a hill known as Tulloch.
The earliest recorded reference to the name Tulloch can be found in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from the late 13th century. It appears as "de Tulochus" or "de Tuloch," which suggests that it was initially a territorial or locational surname, denoting someone who hailed from a place called Tulloch.
In the 14th century, the name Tulloch can be found in various Scottish records, including the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which documented Scottish nobles who swore fealty to King Edward I of England. One notable bearer of the name during this period was Sir John Tulloch, a Scottish knight who fought in the Scottish Wars of Independence against the English.
By the 16th century, the Tulloch surname had spread across various regions of Scotland, with notable families residing in Aberdeenshire, Perthshire, and the Highlands. One prominent figure was Alexander Tulloch (1520-1589), a Scottish clergyman who served as the Bishop of Dunkeld.
In the 17th century, the Tulloch name gained further prominence with the exploits of Sir Alexander Tulloch (1620-1687), a Scottish soldier and diplomat who served as the Governor of the Dutch East Indies and later became a member of the Scottish Parliament.
Another notable bearer of the Tulloch surname was Sir Thomas Tulloch (1776-1849), a Scottish statesman and judge who served as the Lord Provost of Edinburgh and later became a Senator of the College of Justice.
In the 19th century, Tulloch continued to be a well-established surname in Scotland, with several distinguished individuals bearing the name. One such figure was John Tulloch (1823-1886), a Scottish theologian and Principal of St. Mary's College at the University of St. Andrews.
Moreover, the name Tulloch has been associated with several place names in Scotland, including Tulloch Castle in Aberdeenshire, Tulloch Farm in Perthshire, and Tulloch Bridge in the Scottish Highlands, further reinforcing its Scottish origins and historical significance.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tulloch
Among Census respondents with the surname Tulloch, the largest self-reported group is Black at 48.8%. The next largest groups are White (40.6%) and Two or More Races (5.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Tulloch 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 Tulloch surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American48.8% · 1,026
- White40.6% · 853
- Two or more races5.2% · 110
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 93
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tulloch
Tulloch 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
#14,316
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,090
+380 bearers (+22.2%)
Per 100,000 0.71
Rank movement Up 1,375 places
2020
#13,781
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,101
+11 bearers (+0.5%)
Per 100,000 0.70
Rank movement Up 535 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,691 | 1,710 | 0.63 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,316 | 2,090 | 0.71 | +380 bearers (+22.2%) | Up 1,375 places |
| 2020 | #13,781 | 2,101 | 0.70 | +11 bearers (+0.5%) | Up 535 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 Tulloch 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 | #14,316 | #13,781 | 3.7% |
| Count | 2,090 | 2,101 | 0.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.71 | 0.70 | -1.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tulloch bearers went from 2,090 to 2,101 (+0.5% change). The surname moved up 535 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,316 to #13,781.
FAQ
Tulloch surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tulloch?
Name Census estimates that about 2,409 living Americans carry the surname Tulloch. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 142,281 residents.
How common is Tulloch?
Tulloch ranks #13,781 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.70 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 2,101 people with the surname Tulloch. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,409), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.70 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 Tulloch.
Has Tulloch become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tulloch went from 2,090 recorded bearers to 2,101. That is an increase of 11 (+0.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,316 to #13,781.
What does the Census say about the background of Tulloch?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tulloch, the largest self-reported group is Black at 48.8%. The next largest groups are White (40.6%) and Two or More Races (5.2%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Tulloch in the 2020 Census, accounting for 48.8% (1,026 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tulloch appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (48.8%), White (40.6%), Two or More Races (5.2%). 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 Tulloch (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 Tulloch mean?
A Scottish locational surname derived from places meaning "hillock" or "mound." 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 Tulloch (0.70 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 common is the surname Tulloch?
Want to know how many people have the surname Tulloch? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.