2000
#9,032
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,327
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.23
Rare Last name
Tweedy
Derived from a nickname referring to a hardy, muscular person or someone who sold or made a coarse woolen cloth.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,735 Americans carry the last name Tweedy. That puts it at #9,545 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 91,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tweedy 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 Tweedy with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.7K
1 in 91,768
Census rank
#9,545
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,257 bearers of the surname Tweedy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9545th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tweedy, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.5%. The next largest groups are Black (8.3%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tweedy
Among Census respondents with the surname Tweedy, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.5%. The next largest groups are Black (8.3%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Tweedy 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 Tweedy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.5% · 2,718
- Black or African American8.3% · 271
- Two or more races3.6% · 118
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 94
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 31
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 25
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tweedy
Tweedy 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
#9,258
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,516
+189 bearers (+5.7%)
Per 100,000 1.19
Rank movement Down 226 places
2020
#9,545
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,257
-259 bearers (-7.4%)
Per 100,000 1.09
Rank movement Down 287 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,032 | 3,327 | 1.23 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,258 | 3,516 | 1.19 | +189 bearers (+5.7%) | Down 226 places |
| 2020 | #9,545 | 3,257 | 1.09 | -259 bearers (-7.4%) | Down 287 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 Tweedy 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 | #9,258 | #9,545 | -3.1% |
| Count | 3,516 | 3,257 | -7.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.19 | 1.09 | -8.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tweedy bearers went from 3,516 to 3,257 (-7.4% change). The surname moved down 287 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,258 to #9,545.
FAQ
Tweedy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tweedy?
Name Census estimates that about 3,735 living Americans carry the surname Tweedy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 91,768 residents.
How common is Tweedy?
Tweedy ranks #9,545 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.09 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 3,257 people with the surname Tweedy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,735), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.09 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 Tweedy.
Has Tweedy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tweedy went from 3,516 recorded bearers to 3,257. That is a decrease of 259 (-7.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,258 to #9,545.
What does the Census say about the background of Tweedy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tweedy, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.5%. The next largest groups are Black (8.3%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Tweedy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.5% (2,718 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tweedy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.5%), Black (8.3%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Tweedy (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 Tweedy mean?
Derived from a nickname referring to a hardy, muscular person or someone who sold or made a coarse woolen cloth. 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 Tweedy (1.09 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 surname Tweedy?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.