2000
#11,057
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,637
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.98
Rare Last name
Twitchell
Derived from an Old English place name meaning "bridge over the River Twyche."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,108 Americans carry the last name Twitchell. That puts it at #11,168 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.91 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 110,281 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Twitchell 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 Twitchell with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.1K
1 in 110,281
Census rank
#11,168
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,710 bearers of the surname Twitchell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.91 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11168th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Twitchell, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Twitchell
The surname Twitchell is of English origin, derived from a place name. It is believed to have originated in the late 12th or early 13th century in the county of Dorset, England. The name Twitchell likely comes from the Old English words "twiccen" meaning "fork" or "divide" and "hyll" meaning "hill", referring to a forked or divided hill.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Twitchell can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Wiltshire from the year 1230, where a Robert de Twychull is mentioned. The Pipe Rolls were financial records maintained by the English Exchequer during the medieval period.
In the 14th century, the name appears in various spellings such as Twitchell, Twychull, and Twychel in various records from Dorset and neighboring counties. For example, a William Twitchel is mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Somerset from 1327.
During the 16th century, the surname Twitchell can be found in various parish records and manorial documents from the counties of Dorset, Somerset, and Wiltshire. One notable bearer of the name was John Twitchell, a yeoman farmer from the village of Melbury Osmond in Dorset, who lived from around 1520 to 1585.
In the late 17th century, a John Twitchell (1676-1738) was a prominent member of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in America, serving as a selectman and a deacon in the town of Sherborn.
Another notable bearer of the surname was Giner Twitchell (1805-1883), an American inventor and manufacturer from Massachusetts, known for his contributions to the development of early sewing machines.
Other historical figures with the surname Twitchell include William Twitchell (1776-1857), an American lawyer and politician from Vermont, and Joseph Homer Twitchell (1868-1929), an American historian and author from New Hampshire.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Twitchell
Among Census respondents with the surname Twitchell, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Twitchell 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 Twitchell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.8% · 2,406
- Two or more races3.9% · 106
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 89
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.2% · 88
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 16
- Black or African American0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Twitchell
Twitchell 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
#11,319
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,789
+152 bearers (+5.8%)
Per 100,000 0.95
Rank movement Down 262 places
2020
#11,168
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,710
-79 bearers (-2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.91
Rank movement Up 151 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,057 | 2,637 | 0.98 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,319 | 2,789 | 0.95 | +152 bearers (+5.8%) | Down 262 places |
| 2020 | #11,168 | 2,710 | 0.91 | -79 bearers (-2.8%) | Up 151 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 Twitchell 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 | #11,319 | #11,168 | 1.3% |
| Count | 2,789 | 2,710 | -2.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.95 | 0.91 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Twitchell bearers went from 2,789 to 2,710 (-2.8% change). The surname moved up 151 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,319 to #11,168.
FAQ
Twitchell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Twitchell?
Name Census estimates that about 3,108 living Americans carry the surname Twitchell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 110,281 residents.
How common is Twitchell?
Twitchell ranks #11,168 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.91 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 2,710 people with the surname Twitchell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,108), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.91 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.91 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 Twitchell.
Has Twitchell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Twitchell went from 2,789 recorded bearers to 2,710. That is a decrease of 79 (-2.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,319 to #11,168.
What does the Census say about the background of Twitchell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Twitchell, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Twitchell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.8% (2,406 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Twitchell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.8%), Two or More Races (3.9%), Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Twitchell (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 Twitchell mean?
Derived from an Old English place name meaning "bridge over the River Twyche." 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 Twitchell (0.91 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 Twitchell?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.