2000
#11,818
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,428
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.90
Rare Last name
Tuma
A Czech and Slovak surname derived from the word "tma," meaning "darkness" or "obscurity."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,764 Americans carry the last name Tuma. That puts it at #12,315 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.81 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 124,007 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tuma 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
2.8K
1 in 124,007
Census rank
#12,315
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,410 bearers of the surname Tuma in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.81 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12315th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tuma, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.5%) and Black (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tuma
The surname Tuma has its origins in Italy, specifically in the region of Tuscany, where it can be traced back to the 13th century. Derived from the Latin word "tuma," meaning "swelling" or "tumor," it was likely initially used as a descriptive nickname for someone with a prominent or distinctive physical characteristic.
In the early records of Tuscany, the name appears with various spellings, such as Tumi, Tummi, and Tummio, reflecting the regional dialects and the evolution of language over time. One of the earliest known references to the name is found in the medieval tax records of the city of Florence, where a certain Giovanni Tuma is mentioned in the year 1287.
The Tuma surname gained prominence in the 14th century, when a branch of the family established itself in the town of Arezzo. Here, the Tumas were involved in the local wool trade, which was a significant economic force in the region during the Renaissance period. In 1428, a Niccolò Tuma is recorded as a prominent merchant and landowner in Arezzo.
As the Tuma family grew and spread throughout Italy, they left their mark in various fields. In the 16th century, a renowned painter named Girolamo Tuma (1528-1597) hailed from the city of Verona and was celebrated for his religious works adorning churches across northern Italy.
The Tuma name also has a connection to the world of literature. Antonio Tuma (1612-1678), a poet and playwright from Naples, gained recognition for his comedic works and satires, which provided a glimpse into the social and cultural life of the time.
Another notable figure bearing the Tuma surname was Francesco Tuma (1742-1810), a Sicilian priest and scholar who made significant contributions to the study of ancient Greek and Latin texts, earning him a place among the great philologists of his era.
Throughout the centuries, the Tuma name has been carried across borders as families migrated and settled in different parts of Europe and beyond. While the origins of the name can be traced back to Italy, it has since become a part of the diverse tapestry of surnames found worldwide.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tuma
Among Census respondents with the surname Tuma, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.5%) and Black (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Tuma 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 Tuma surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.6% · 2,110
- Hispanic or Latino5.5% · 132
- Black or African American3.7% · 88
- Two or more races2.5% · 60
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tuma
Tuma 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
#12,488
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,484
+56 bearers (+2.3%)
Per 100,000 0.84
Rank movement Down 670 places
2020
#12,315
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,410
-74 bearers (-3.0%)
Per 100,000 0.81
Rank movement Up 173 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,818 | 2,428 | 0.90 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,488 | 2,484 | 0.84 | +56 bearers (+2.3%) | Down 670 places |
| 2020 | #12,315 | 2,410 | 0.81 | -74 bearers (-3.0%) | Up 173 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 Tuma 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 | #12,488 | #12,315 | 1.4% |
| Count | 2,484 | 2,410 | -3.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.84 | 0.81 | -4.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tuma bearers went from 2,484 to 2,410 (-3.0% change). The surname moved up 173 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,488 to #12,315.
FAQ
Tuma surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tuma?
Name Census estimates that about 2,764 living Americans carry the surname Tuma. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 124,007 residents.
How common is Tuma?
Tuma ranks #12,315 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.81 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 2,410 people with the surname Tuma. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,764), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.81 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.81 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 Tuma.
Has Tuma become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tuma went from 2,484 recorded bearers to 2,410. That is a decrease of 74 (-3.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,488 to #12,315.
What does the Census say about the background of Tuma?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tuma, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.5%) and Black (3.7%). 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 Tuma in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.6% (2,110 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tuma appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.6%), Hispanic (5.5%), Black (3.7%). 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 Tuma (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 Tuma mean?
A Czech and Slovak surname derived from the word "tma," meaning "darkness" or "obscurity." 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 Tuma (0.81 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 Tuma?
If you just want to know how many people are called Tuma, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.