2000
#127,948
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Twyne
An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "between the woods".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Twyne. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Twyne 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
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Twyne in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Twyne, the largest self-reported group is Black at 76.9%. The next largest groups are White (18.3%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Twyne
The surname Twyne is of English origin, with roots tracing back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "twyn," meaning "double" or "twin." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who was a twin or perhaps a reference to a pair or double of something.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Twyne can be found in the Hundredorum Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, where a Robert le Twyne is mentioned. This suggests that the name was already in use by the late 13th century in England.
In the 14th century, the name appears in various historical records, such as the Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1327, where a John Twyne is listed in the county of Sussex. Similarly, in the Subsidy Rolls of 1381, a William Twyne is recorded in Worcestershire.
The Twyne surname is also mentioned in the Visitation of London in 1568, where the family is recorded as being from the county of Cambridgeshire. This record provides details about the family's coat of arms and lineage.
One notable individual with the surname Twyne was Brian Twyne (1542-1644), an English antiquarian and scholar from Cambridgeshire. He was a fellow of Corpus Christi College, Oxford, and wrote several works on the history and antiquities of the university.
Another prominent figure was John Twyne (1501-1581), an English scholar and schoolmaster from Kent. He served as the headmaster of the prestigious Canterbury School and was known for his translations of classical works.
In the 17th century, the name appears in the Hearth Tax Rolls of 1665, with a Thomas Twyne listed in the county of Buckinghamshire. Around this time, variations such as Twyne and Twyn were also recorded.
The Twyne surname has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Twyneham in Dorset and Twyning in Gloucestershire, though the direct connection between these place names and the surname is uncertain.
Throughout history, the Twyne surname has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including scholars, academics, and landowners. While not a particularly common surname, it has persisted over the centuries as a distinct English surname with roots dating back to the Middle Ages.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Twyne
Among Census respondents with the surname Twyne, the largest self-reported group is Black at 76.9%. The next largest groups are White (18.3%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Twyne 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 Twyne surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American76.9% · 80
- White18.3% · 19
- Two or more races3.8% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Twyne
Twyne 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
#123,796
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 139
+16 bearers (+13.0%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 4,152 places
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-35 bearers (-25.2%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 29,794 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #127,948 | 123 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #123,796 | 139 | 0.05 | +16 bearers (+13.0%) | Up 4,152 places |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | -35 bearers (-25.2%) | Down 29,794 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 Twyne 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 | #123,796 | #153,590 | -24.1% |
| Count | 139 | 104 | -25.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.03 | -30.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Twyne bearers went from 139 to 104 (-25.2% change). The surname moved down 29,794 positions in the national ranking, going from #123,796 to #153,590.
FAQ
Twyne surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Twyne?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Twyne. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Twyne?
Twyne ranks #153,590 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 104 people with the surname Twyne. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Twyne.
Has Twyne become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Twyne went from 139 recorded bearers to 104. That is a decrease of 35 (-25.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #123,796 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Twyne?
Among Census respondents with the surname Twyne, the largest self-reported group is Black at 76.9%. The next largest groups are White (18.3%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Twyne in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.9% (80 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Twyne appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (76.9%), White (18.3%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Twyne (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 Twyne mean?
An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "between the woods". 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 Twyne (0.03 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 Twyne?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Twyne at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.