Find out how popular the last name Tweed is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Tweed.

Tweed, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Tweed surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tweed in America

Tweed is the 11456th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tweed surname appeared 2,750 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Tweed.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tweed to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Tweed

The surname TWEED originated in Scotland, tracing its roots back to the 12th century. It is a locational name derived from the River Tweed, which flows through the Scottish Borders region and forms part of the boundary between Scotland and England. The name likely referred to someone who lived near or was associated with the River Tweed.

The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in medieval Scottish records and charters. One notable example is the mention of a "William de Twede" in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a document recording the names of Scottish noblemen who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England.

In the 14th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as "Twedie," "Twedy," and "Tweedie," reflecting the different spellings used in earlier times. These variations likely originated from the Old English word "twæd," meaning "a border" or "a cloth made from wool."

The TWEED surname has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. In the 16th century, William Tweed (c. 1520-1589) was a Scottish clergyman who served as the Principal of the University of Glasgow. Another prominent figure was John Tweed (1776-1853), a Scottish-born American merchant and landowner who played a significant role in the early development of New York City.

In the 19th century, William M. Tweed (1823-1878), better known as "Boss Tweed," was a notorious American politician and the leader of the Tammany Hall political machine in New York City. His corruption and misuse of public funds led to his downfall and eventual imprisonment.

Other notable individuals with the TWEED surname include John Tweed (1842-1923), a Canadian politician and businessman, and James Tweed (1845-1922), a Scottish-born American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives.

The TWEED surname has also been associated with various locations, including the town of Tweedmouth in Northumberland, England, and the Tweed Valley region in Scotland, further reinforcing its connection to the River Tweed and the area surrounding it.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tweed

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Tweed.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Tweed was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Tweed has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Tweed was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Tweed, please contact us.

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