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

Tweedy, 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 Tweedy surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tweedy in America

Tweedy is the 9258th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tweedy surname appeared 3,516 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 Tweedy.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tweedy 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 Tweedy

The surname Tweedy is thought to have originated in England, specifically in the northern counties of Northumberland and Durham. It is believed to date back to the 12th or 13th century. The name is derived from the Old English word "twede," which referred to a coarse woolen cloth manufactured in the region.

The earliest known record of the name appears in the Pipe Rolls of Northumberland in 1195, where it is spelled "Twede." This suggests that the name was likely associated with someone involved in the production or trade of tweed cloth during that time period.

In the 13th century, the name appears in various records as "Twedi" and "Tuede," further indicating its connection to the textile industry in northern England. The surname may have also been influenced by place names such as Tweed, a river that flows through the Scottish Borders and Northumberland.

One notable historical figure with the surname Tweedy was John Tweedy, a 17th-century English merchant and politician who served as Lord Mayor of York in 1681. Another was William Tweedy, a 19th-century English clergyman and author who wrote extensively on religious topics.

In the United States, the Tweedy family has a long history dating back to the colonial era. Benjamin Tweedy, born in 1714 in Pennsylvania, was a prominent Quaker and landowner. His descendants went on to establish themselves in various fields, including law, medicine, and education.

Another notable American with this surname was Edmund Tweedy, born in 1809 in Ohio. He was a successful businessman and philanthropist who founded the Tweedy Produce Company, which became one of the largest produce distributors in the Midwest.

In the literary world, Christopher Tweedy, born in 1877 in England, was a respected author and journalist who wrote for various publications, including The Times and The Spectator. His works covered a range of topics, from travel to literary criticism.

Overall, the surname Tweedy has a rich history rooted in the textile industry of northern England, with various branches of the family establishing themselves across different professions and locations over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tweedy

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

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 Tweedy 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 Tweedy 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 Tweedy was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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