2000
#10,948
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,667
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.99
Rare Last name
Twitty
Derived from the Old English word "twicga," meaning a fork or branch in a road.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,120 Americans carry the last name Twitty. That puts it at #11,127 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.91 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 109,857 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Twitty 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 Twitty with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.1K
1 in 109,857
Census rank
#11,127
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,721 bearers of the surname Twitty in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.91 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11127th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Twitty, the largest self-reported group is Black at 49.6%. The next largest groups are White (40.7%) and Two or More Races (6.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Twitty
The surname Twitty is an English surname that originated in the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old English word "twitor," which referred to someone who was a restless or fidgety person. The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 13th century in various English records and manuscripts.
One of the earliest known references to the name Twitty can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1275, where a person named William Twytour was recorded. Another early record is the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1279, which mentions a Johannes Twitere.
During the medieval period, the name Twitty was primarily concentrated in the counties of Worcestershire, Cambridgeshire, and Oxfordshire. It is believed that the name may have been associated with certain occupations or trades that required restless or fidgety movements, such as weaving or metalworking.
Over the centuries, the surname Twitty has undergone various spelling variations, including Twitty, Twitye, Twitere, Twytor, and Twitor. These variations often reflected regional dialects and the inconsistent spelling practices of the time.
One notable historical figure with the surname Twitty was Sir William Twitty, a member of the English gentry who lived in the late 16th century. He was a prominent landowner and served as a Justice of the Peace in Oxfordshire.
In the 17th century, a family of Twittys settled in the village of Long Compton in Warwickshire. One of their descendants, John Twitty (1663-1738), became a respected local figure and served as the village's parish clerk.
Another notable Twitty was Thomas Twitty (1735-1804), a British soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War. He served in the British Army and was captured by the Continental forces during the Battle of Saratoga in 1777.
Moving into the 19th century, the name Twitty gained prominence in the United States. One of the most famous individuals with this surname was Conway Twitty (1933-1993), an American country music singer and songwriter. He had numerous hit songs and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Other notable individuals with the surname Twitty include William Twitty (1909-1993), an American baseball player who played for the Philadelphia Athletics and the Boston Red Sox in the 1930s, and Charles Twitty (1932-2007), an American football player who played for the Detroit Lions and the Los Angeles Rams in the 1950s.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Twitty
Among Census respondents with the surname Twitty, the largest self-reported group is Black at 49.6%. The next largest groups are White (40.7%) and Two or More Races (6.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Twitty 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 Twitty surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American49.6% · 1,349
- White40.7% · 1,108
- Two or more races6.8% · 186
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 59
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Twitty
Twitty 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
#10,809
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,947
+280 bearers (+10.5%)
Per 100,000 1.00
Rank movement Up 139 places
2020
#11,127
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,721
-226 bearers (-7.7%)
Per 100,000 0.91
Rank movement Down 318 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,948 | 2,667 | 0.99 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,809 | 2,947 | 1.00 | +280 bearers (+10.5%) | Up 139 places |
| 2020 | #11,127 | 2,721 | 0.91 | -226 bearers (-7.7%) | Down 318 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 Twitty 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 | #10,809 | #11,127 | -2.9% |
| Count | 2,947 | 2,721 | -7.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.00 | 0.91 | -9.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Twitty bearers went from 2,947 to 2,721 (-7.7% change). The surname moved down 318 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,809 to #11,127.
FAQ
Twitty surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Twitty?
Name Census estimates that about 3,120 living Americans carry the surname Twitty. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 109,857 residents.
How common is Twitty?
Twitty ranks #11,127 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 2,721 people with the surname Twitty. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,120), 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 Twitty.
Has Twitty become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Twitty went from 2,947 recorded bearers to 2,721. That is a decrease of 226 (-7.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,809 to #11,127.
What does the Census say about the background of Twitty?
Among Census respondents with the surname Twitty, the largest self-reported group is Black at 49.6%. The next largest groups are White (40.7%) and Two or More Races (6.8%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Twitty in the 2020 Census, accounting for 49.6% (1,349 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Twitty appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (49.6%), White (40.7%), Two or More Races (6.8%). 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 Twitty (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 Twitty mean?
Derived from the Old English word "twicga," meaning a fork or branch in a road. 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 Twitty (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 common is the surname Twitty?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Twitty, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.