2000
#11,200
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,595
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.96
Rare Last name
Tuthill
Derived from a place name meaning "lookout hill," likely referring to a person who lived near such a hill.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,711 Americans carry the last name Tuthill. That puts it at #12,517 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.79 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 126,431 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tuthill 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 Tuthill with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.7K
1 in 126,431
Census rank
#12,517
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,364 bearers of the surname Tuthill in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.79 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12517th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tuthill, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tuthill
The surname Tuthill originates from England, with its roots tracing back to the late Anglo-Saxon period. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "tun" meaning an enclosure or village, and "hyll" meaning a hill, suggesting that the name may have referred to someone who lived on a hill near a village.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Tuthill name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landowners and their holdings commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears in various spellings such as Tutehille, Tutehille, and Tutehull, indicating its presence in different regions of England during the Norman era.
In the 13th century, the Tuthill surname is mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire, which were records of financial transactions and accounts kept by the English Exchequer. This suggests that members of the Tuthill family held land or property in the county during that time.
Notable individuals with the Tuthill surname throughout history include:
1. Thomas Tuthill (c. 1590 - 1657), an English settler who arrived in Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1635. He is considered one of the founders of Southold, Long Island, and served as a magistrate and leader in the community.
2. John Tuthill (1633 - 1716), an English-born American Quaker minister and writer who settled in Westbury, Long Island. He authored several religious works and was a prominent figure in the Quaker community of the time.
3. Louisa Tuthill (1798 - 1879), an American educator and pioneer in the field of women's education. She founded the Tuthill Family Boarding School for Young Ladies in New Haven, Connecticut, which operated for several decades in the 19th century.
4. Edward Tuthill (1851 - 1923), an American lawyer and politician from New York. He served as a member of the New York State Assembly and was actively involved in various civic and legal organizations.
5. Frederic Bret Tuthill (1892 - 1970), an American architect and designer best known for his work on the Art Deco-style Chanin Building in New York City, completed in 1929.
Over the centuries, variations in the spelling of the Tuthill name have emerged, including Tutill, Tutthill, and Toothill, reflecting the regional dialects and linguistic influences of different areas in England and later in the United States.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tuthill
Among Census respondents with the surname Tuthill, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Tuthill 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 Tuthill surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.5% · 2,116
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 104
- Two or more races3.6% · 84
- Black or African American1.7% · 41
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tuthill
Tuthill 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
#12,242
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,541
-54 bearers (-2.1%)
Per 100,000 0.86
Rank movement Down 1,042 places
2020
#12,517
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,364
-177 bearers (-7.0%)
Per 100,000 0.79
Rank movement Down 275 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,200 | 2,595 | 0.96 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,242 | 2,541 | 0.86 | -54 bearers (-2.1%) | Down 1,042 places |
| 2020 | #12,517 | 2,364 | 0.79 | -177 bearers (-7.0%) | Down 275 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 Tuthill 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 | #12,242 | #12,517 | -2.2% |
| Count | 2,541 | 2,364 | -7.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.86 | 0.79 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tuthill bearers went from 2,541 to 2,364 (-7.0% change). The surname moved down 275 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,242 to #12,517.
FAQ
Tuthill surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tuthill?
Name Census estimates that about 2,711 living Americans carry the surname Tuthill. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 126,431 residents.
How common is Tuthill?
Tuthill ranks #12,517 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.79 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 2,364 people with the surname Tuthill. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,711), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.79 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.79 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 Tuthill.
Has Tuthill become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tuthill went from 2,541 recorded bearers to 2,364. That is a decrease of 177 (-7.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,242 to #12,517.
What does the Census say about the background of Tuthill?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tuthill, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Tuthill in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.5% (2,116 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tuthill appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.5%), Hispanic (4.4%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Tuthill (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 Tuthill mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "lookout hill," likely referring to a person who lived near such a hill. 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 Tuthill (0.79 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 share the surname Tuthill?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.