2000
#1,169
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 27,460
First available Census row
Per 100,000 10.18
Uncommon Last name
Tuttle
Derived from a place name meaning "lookout hill," likely referring to someone who lived near such a location.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 30,372 Americans carry the last name Tuttle. That puts it at #1,303 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 8.86 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 11,285 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tuttle 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 Tuttle with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
30K
1 in 11,285
Census rank
#1,303
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
8.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
26K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 26,486 bearers of the surname Tuttle in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 8.86 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1303rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tuttle, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tuttle
The surname Tuttle originated in England, primarily in the counties of Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire, during the Middle Ages. The name is derived from the Old English word "totyl," which means "to project" or "to look out." It likely referred to someone who lived on a prominent hill or ridge.
The earliest recorded instance of the Tuttle surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Totylla" and "Totyl." This suggests that the name was well-established in England by the 11th century.
In the 13th century, the name was commonly spelled as "Tothill" or "Totehill," reflecting its connection to the word "hill" and the geographic location of the name's bearers. The variant spelling "Tuttle" emerged in the 16th century and became the predominant form.
One notable figure bearing the Tuttle surname was Sir John Tuttle (1550-1622), a wealthy merchant and landowner in Lincolnshire. He served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1611 and was knighted by King James I.
Another prominent individual with the Tuttle name was William Tuttle (1619-1673), one of the founders of the New Haven Colony in Connecticut. He emigrated from England to the American colonies in 1635 and played a significant role in the early settlement of New Haven.
In the literary world, Mary Tuttle (1905-1986) was an American author and illustrator known for her children's books, including the popular "Mushroom in the Rain" series.
Thomas Tuttle (1654-1737), a descendant of William Tuttle, was a prominent figure in the early history of New Hampshire. He served as a selectman and deacon in the town of Dover and played a crucial role in the establishment of the local church.
During the American Revolutionary War, Jeremiah Tuttle (1747-1825) served as a captain in the Continental Army, participating in several major battles and contributing to the fight for American independence.
Throughout its history, the Tuttle surname has been associated with various locations, including the village of Tuttle Hill in Lincolnshire and the town of Tuttlebury in Nottinghamshire, both of which likely derived their names from the Tuttle family's presence in those areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tuttle
Among Census respondents with the surname Tuttle, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Tuttle 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 Tuttle surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.5% · 23,970
- Two or more races3.6% · 948
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 791
- Black or African American1.3% · 343
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 250
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 184
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tuttle
Tuttle 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
#1,267
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 27,751
+291 bearers (+1.1%)
Per 100,000 9.41
Rank movement Down 98 places
2020
#1,303
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 26,486
-1,265 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 8.86
Rank movement Down 36 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,169 | 27,460 | 10.18 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,267 | 27,751 | 9.41 | +291 bearers (+1.1%) | Down 98 places |
| 2020 | #1,303 | 26,486 | 8.86 | -1,265 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 36 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 Tuttle 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 | #1,267 | #1,303 | -2.8% |
| Count | 27,751 | 26,486 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 9.41 | 8.86 | -5.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tuttle bearers went from 27,751 to 26,486 (-4.6% change). The surname moved down 36 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,267 to #1,303.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Tuttle
FAQ
Tuttle surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tuttle?
Name Census estimates that about 30,372 living Americans carry the surname Tuttle. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 11,285 residents.
How common is Tuttle?
Tuttle ranks #1,303 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 8.86 per 100,000 residents, which is about 9 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 26,486 people with the surname Tuttle. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (30,372), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 8.86 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 8.86 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 9 of them to have the surname Tuttle.
Has Tuttle become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tuttle went from 27,751 recorded bearers to 26,486. That is a decrease of 1,265 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,267 to #1,303.
What does the Census say about the background of Tuttle?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tuttle, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Tuttle in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.5% (23,970 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tuttle appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.5%), Two or More Races (3.6%), Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Tuttle (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 Tuttle mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "lookout hill," likely referring to someone who lived near such a location. 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 Tuttle (8.86 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 Tuttle?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.