2000
#12,803
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,207
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.82
Rare Last name
Tutor
An occupational surname referring to a guardian, watchman, or private tutor.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,378 Americans carry the last name Tutor. That puts it at #13,928 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.69 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 144,136 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tutor 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
2.4K
1 in 144,136
Census rank
#13,928
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,074 bearers of the surname Tutor in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.69 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13928th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tutor, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tutor
The surname Tutor has its origins in medieval England, dating back to the late 12th century. It is derived from the Old French word "tuitour," which itself comes from the Latin "tutor," meaning "protector" or "guardian." This name was initially given to those who acted as tutors, instructors, or guardians to young children.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Tutor surname can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1195, where a certain William le Tuitur is mentioned. These official records provide valuable insights into the early use of the name and its variant spellings, such as Tutour and Tuitour.
The Tutor surname also appears in various historical manuscripts and records from the 13th century onwards. For example, a Richard le Tutour is mentioned in the Curia Regis Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1221. Additionally, the name is found in the Hundred Rolls of Buckinghamshire in 1275, where a John le Tutour is listed.
During the medieval period, the Tutor surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Gloucestershire, Lincolnshire, and Buckinghamshire, where many early bearers of the name lived and worked as tutors or guardians. However, it is important to note that the name could also have been adopted as a descriptive surname for someone who performed the role of a tutor or guardian, even if it was not their primary occupation.
One notable individual bearing the Tutor surname was Sir Nicholas Tutor (c. 1450-1515), who served as the tutor to Prince Arthur, the eldest son of King Henry VII. Sir Nicholas was a respected scholar and educator, and his association with the royal family highlights the significance of the Tutor name during the Tudor period.
Another prominent figure was John Tutor (c. 1510-1589), a renowned English mathematician and astronomer. He served as the tutor to several members of the nobility, including the Earl of Leicester and the Earl of Essex. Tutor made significant contributions to the fields of mathematics and astronomy, publishing works on navigation and astronomical calculations.
In the 17th century, Edward Tutor (1601-1670) was a notable English clergyman and theologian. He served as the tutor to Prince Charles, later King Charles II, during the turbulent years of the English Civil War. Tutor's association with the royal family and his role as a tutor further cemented the surname's connection to education and guardianship.
William Tutor (1635-1696) was an English philosopher and writer who gained recognition for his work on ethics and moral philosophy. He served as a tutor to several noble families, including the Dukes of Somerset and the Earls of Bedford.
Finally, Richard Tutor (1711-1793) was a prominent English author and playwright. Although not primarily a tutor, his literary works often explored themes of education and the role of mentors in shaping young minds, reflecting the significance of the Tutor name and its associations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tutor
Among Census respondents with the surname Tutor, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Tutor 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 Tutor surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.3% · 1,811
- Two or more races4.0% · 82
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.5% · 72
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 66
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.5% · 31
- Black or African American0.6% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tutor
Tutor 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
#13,483
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,254
+47 bearers (+2.1%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Down 680 places
2020
#13,928
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,074
-180 bearers (-8.0%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Down 445 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,803 | 2,207 | 0.82 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,483 | 2,254 | 0.76 | +47 bearers (+2.1%) | Down 680 places |
| 2020 | #13,928 | 2,074 | 0.69 | -180 bearers (-8.0%) | Down 445 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 Tutor 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 | #13,483 | #13,928 | -3.3% |
| Count | 2,254 | 2,074 | -8.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.76 | 0.69 | -8.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tutor bearers went from 2,254 to 2,074 (-8.0% change). The surname moved down 445 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,483 to #13,928.
FAQ
Tutor surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tutor?
Name Census estimates that about 2,378 living Americans carry the surname Tutor. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 144,136 residents.
How common is Tutor?
Tutor ranks #13,928 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.69 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 2,074 people with the surname Tutor. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,378), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.69 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.69 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 Tutor.
Has Tutor become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tutor went from 2,254 recorded bearers to 2,074. That is a decrease of 180 (-8.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,483 to #13,928.
What does the Census say about the background of Tutor?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tutor, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.5%). 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 Tutor in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.3% (1,811 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tutor appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.3%), Two or More Races (4.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.5%). 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 Tutor (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 Tutor mean?
An occupational surname referring to a guardian, watchman, or private tutor. 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 Tutor (0.69 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 Tutor?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.