2010
#150,452
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Tweel
A surname derived from a Scottish topographic name, possibly referring to someone living near a hill or small hill.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Tweel. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tweel 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.
Bearers in the US
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Tweel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tweel, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Black (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tweel
The surname "TWEEL" is of Scottish origin, with its roots tracing back to the 16th century. It is believed to have originated from the village of Tweedhill, located in the Scottish Borders region. The name is derived from the Old English word "twidd," meaning a boundary or border, and "hyll," meaning a hill or elevated ground.
One of the earliest known records of the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a collection of homage renderings made to King Edward I of England. The entry mentions a John de Twedill, which is likely an early variation of the surname. Another notable reference is in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from 1508, where a Robert Twedy is mentioned.
The earliest known bearer of the surname Tweel was Sir William Tweel, a Scottish nobleman who lived in the late 15th century. He was knighted for his bravery in the Battle of Sauchieburn in 1488, where he fought alongside King James IV against the forces of King James III.
In the 17th century, the Tweels were prominent landowners in the Scottish Borders region. One notable member was Sir Robert Tweel (1620-1692), a prominent lawyer and judge who served as Lord Advocate of Scotland from 1677 to 1688.
Another significant figure was Captain James Tweel (1745-1820), a Scottish sailor and explorer who commanded several voyages to the South Pacific. He is credited with discovering several islands in the region and mapping uncharted territories.
During the Victorian era, the Tweel family produced several notable figures in the fields of literature and academia. Examples include Sir Walter Tweel (1819-1892), a renowned Scottish poet and playwright, and Professor Elizabeth Tweel (1845-1921), one of the first female academics at the University of Edinburgh.
Throughout history, the surname Tweel has been spelled in various ways, including Twedill, Twedy, Twedel, and Tweddle, reflecting the regional variations and phonetic interpretations of the name. Despite its Scottish origins, the name has since spread to other parts of the world, carried by emigrants and descendants of the Tweel family.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tweel
Among Census respondents with the surname Tweel, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Black (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Tweel 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 Tweel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.2% · 100
- Two or more races2.9% · 3
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tweel
Tweel appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-4 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,537 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #150,452 | 109 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.7%) | Down 2,537 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 Tweel 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 | #150,452 | #152,989 | -1.7% |
| Count | 109 | 105 | -3.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tweel bearers went from 109 to 105 (-3.7% change). The surname moved down 2,537 positions in the national ranking, going from #150,452 to #152,989.
FAQ
Tweel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tweel?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Tweel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Tweel?
Tweel ranks #152,989 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 105 people with the surname Tweel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Tweel.
Has Tweel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tweel went from 109 recorded bearers to 105. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #150,452 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Tweel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tweel, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Black (1.0%). 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 Tweel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.2% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tweel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.2%), Two or More Races (2.9%), Black (1.0%). 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 Tweel (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 Tweel mean?
A surname derived from a Scottish topographic name, possibly referring to someone living near a hill or small hill. 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 Tweel (0.04 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 are called Tweel?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Tweel? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.