2000
#10,426
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,831
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.05
Rare Last name
Twyman
An English occupational surname for a servant or guard of two men, derived from "twy" meaning "two" and "man."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,433 Americans carry the last name Twyman. That puts it at #10,241 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.00 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 99,841 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Twyman 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 Twyman with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.4K
1 in 99,841
Census rank
#10,241
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,994 bearers of the surname Twyman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.00 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10241st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Twyman, the largest self-reported group is Black at 47.3%. The next largest groups are White (42.3%) and Two or More Races (7.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Twyman
The surname Twyman is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "twi" meaning "two" and "mann" meaning "man". It likely emerged as an occupational surname, referring to a man who worked as a pair with another, possibly in agriculture or a trade.
The earliest recorded instances of the Twyman surname date back to the 13th century in county records from Lincolnshire and Oxfordshire. Variations in spelling included Twiman, Twymann, and Twyeman. Some of the earliest bearers of the name were Roger Twyman, recorded in the Hundredorum Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273, and John Twyman, listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1301.
In the 16th century, the Twyman surname appeared in the parish records of several villages in Gloucestershire, including Tewkesbury and Winchcombe. A notable bearer from this era was William Twyman, born in 1541 in Tewkesbury, who served as a member of the local parish council.
During the 17th century, the Twyman name was found in various parts of England, including London and the counties of Somerset, Warwickshire, and Yorkshire. A prominent figure was Thomas Twyman, born in 1623 in London, who was a merchant and alderman of the City of London.
In the 18th century, the Twyman surname continued to be present across England, with concentrations in the Midlands and the South West. A notable bearer was John Twyman, born in 1712 in Bristol, who was a renowned clockmaker and inventor of an improved escapement mechanism for clocks.
The 19th century saw the Twyman name spread further across the British Isles and into the colonies. One notable figure was Sir Thomas Twyman, born in 1840 in Gloucestershire, who was a successful industrialist and philanthropist, serving as the High Sheriff of Gloucestershire in 1888.
Throughout its history, the Twyman surname has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including farmers, tradesmen, merchants, and professionals. While not an extremely common name, it has maintained a presence in England and other parts of the English-speaking world for several centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Twyman
Among Census respondents with the surname Twyman, the largest self-reported group is Black at 47.3%. The next largest groups are White (42.3%) and Two or More Races (7.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Twyman 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 Twyman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American47.3% · 1,416
- White42.3% · 1,266
- Two or more races7.3% · 218
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 81
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Twyman
Twyman 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
#10,531
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,046
+215 bearers (+7.6%)
Per 100,000 1.03
Rank movement Down 105 places
2020
#10,241
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,994
-52 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 1.00
Rank movement Up 290 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,426 | 2,831 | 1.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,531 | 3,046 | 1.03 | +215 bearers (+7.6%) | Down 105 places |
| 2020 | #10,241 | 2,994 | 1.00 | -52 bearers (-1.7%) | Up 290 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 Twyman 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 | #10,531 | #10,241 | 2.8% |
| Count | 3,046 | 2,994 | -1.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.03 | 1.00 | -2.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Twyman bearers went from 3,046 to 2,994 (-1.7% change). The surname moved up 290 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,531 to #10,241.
FAQ
Twyman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Twyman?
Name Census estimates that about 3,433 living Americans carry the surname Twyman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 99,841 residents.
How common is Twyman?
Twyman ranks #10,241 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.00 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 2,994 people with the surname Twyman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,433), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.00 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 Twyman.
Has Twyman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Twyman went from 3,046 recorded bearers to 2,994. That is a decrease of 52 (-1.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,531 to #10,241.
What does the Census say about the background of Twyman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Twyman, the largest self-reported group is Black at 47.3%. The next largest groups are White (42.3%) and Two or More Races (7.3%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Twyman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 47.3% (1,416 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Twyman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (47.3%), White (42.3%), Two or More Races (7.3%). 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 Twyman (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 Twyman mean?
An English occupational surname for a servant or guard of two men, derived from "twy" meaning "two" and "man." 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 Twyman (1.00 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 share the surname Twyman?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.