2000
#8,004
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,826
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.42
Rare Last name
Tutt
A surname of English origin, derived from the Old English term for a lookout or spy.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,477 Americans carry the last name Tutt. That puts it at #8,119 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.31 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 76,559 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tutt 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 Tutt with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.5K
1 in 76,559
Census rank
#8,119
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,904 bearers of the surname Tutt in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.31 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8119th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tutt, the largest self-reported group is Black at 46.7%. The next largest groups are White (42.7%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tutt
The surname Tutt has its origins in England, with records dating back to the early medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "tot," which meant a small protrusion or projection, possibly referring to a physical characteristic or a geographical feature.
Tutt is considered a locational surname, indicating that the earliest bearers of this name hailed from a specific place or area. One possibility is that it originated from a location called Toot Hill, which can be found in various parts of England, such as Toot Hill in Essex and Toot Hill in Yorkshire.
The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landowners and their holdings commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the surname Tutt. However, it does mention several places with similar names, such as Tote in Cambridgeshire and Tothale in Worcestershire.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Tutt can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Huntingdonshire from 1195, which mentions a person named Roger Tutt. In the late 13th century, a John Tutt is recorded as living in Lincolnshire.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Tutt. One such figure is Sir John Tutt (1585-1657), an English lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Ipswich during the reign of King Charles I.
Another prominent bearer of this name was Reverend William Tutt (1629-1689), an English clergyman and author who wrote several religious works, including "The Life and Death of that Reverend Divine, and Excellent Poet, Mr. Francis Quarles."
In the 18th century, Thomas Tutt (1730-1811) was a well-known English engraver and painter who specialized in portraits and landscapes. His works can be found in various collections, including the British Museum.
During the 19th century, John Tutt (1801-1879) was a successful businessman and entrepreneur in London, where he established a prominent printing and publishing company.
One of the more recent historical figures with this surname is Sir Ralph Tutt (1906-1984), a British civil servant and diplomat who served as the Ambassador to Saudi Arabia from 1962 to 1967.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tutt
Among Census respondents with the surname Tutt, the largest self-reported group is Black at 46.7%. The next largest groups are White (42.7%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Tutt 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 Tutt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American46.7% · 1,822
- White42.7% · 1,667
- Two or more races5.3% · 205
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 129
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.4% · 55
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 26
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tutt
Tutt 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
#8,277
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,005
+179 bearers (+4.7%)
Per 100,000 1.36
Rank movement Down 273 places
2020
#8,119
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,904
-101 bearers (-2.5%)
Per 100,000 1.31
Rank movement Up 158 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,004 | 3,826 | 1.42 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,277 | 4,005 | 1.36 | +179 bearers (+4.7%) | Down 273 places |
| 2020 | #8,119 | 3,904 | 1.31 | -101 bearers (-2.5%) | Up 158 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 Tutt 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 | #8,277 | #8,119 | 1.9% |
| Count | 4,005 | 3,904 | -2.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.36 | 1.31 | -4.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tutt bearers went from 4,005 to 3,904 (-2.5% change). The surname moved up 158 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,277 to #8,119.
FAQ
Tutt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tutt?
Name Census estimates that about 4,477 living Americans carry the surname Tutt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 76,559 residents.
How common is Tutt?
Tutt ranks #8,119 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.31 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 3,904 people with the surname Tutt. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,477), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.31 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.31 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 Tutt.
Has Tutt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tutt went from 4,005 recorded bearers to 3,904. That is a decrease of 101 (-2.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,277 to #8,119.
What does the Census say about the background of Tutt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tutt, the largest self-reported group is Black at 46.7%. The next largest groups are White (42.7%) and Two or More Races (5.3%). 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 Tutt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 46.7% (1,822 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tutt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (46.7%), White (42.7%), Two or More Races (5.3%). 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 Tutt (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 Tutt mean?
A surname of English origin, derived from the Old English term for a lookout or spy. 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 Tutt (1.31 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 have the last name Tutt?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Tutt on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.