2000
#13,723
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,026
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.75
Rare Last name
Tynan
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Tennáin," meaning "descendant of Tennán," a personal name of unknown meaning.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,244 Americans carry the last name Tynan. That puts it at #14,611 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.65 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 152,743 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tynan 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 Tynan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.2K
1 in 152,743
Census rank
#14,611
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,957 bearers of the surname Tynan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.65 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14611th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tynan, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.3%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tynan
The surname Tynan originated in Ireland and is derived from the Gaelic name Ó Tionnáin, meaning "descendant of Tionnán." Tionnán was an Irish personal name derived from the word "tonn," meaning "wave" or "billow." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this name may have lived near the sea or had some connection to the ocean.
The name is thought to have emerged in County Westmeath, Ireland, in the 12th or 13th century. Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the 17th century.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Donnell O'Tynan, a Gaelic poet and historian who lived in the 15th century. He is mentioned in several ancient Irish manuscripts for his scholarly works.
In the 16th century, the Tynan family established themselves as landowners in County Westmeath, particularly in the baronies of Rathconrath and Corkaree. The Tynan Castle, located near the town of Castlepollard, was once the family's ancestral seat.
Notable individuals with the surname Tynan throughout history include:
1. John Tynan (1725-1792), an Irish historian and writer who authored several works on Irish antiquities and genealogy.
2. Patrick Tynan (1773-1834), an Irish Catholic priest and writer who served as the Bishop of Dromore from 1828 until his death.
3. Katharine Tynan (1859-1931), an Irish novelist and poet who wrote extensively on Irish themes and published over 100 books during her lifetime.
4. James Tynan (1879-1923), an Irish revolutionary and member of the Irish Republican Brotherhood who participated in the 1916 Easter Rising.
5. Kenneth Tynan (1927-1980), an influential English theatre critic and writer known for his provocative and influential reviews and essays on contemporary theatre and culture.
While the surname Tynan is primarily associated with Ireland, it has also been found in other parts of the world due to Irish emigration over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tynan
Among Census respondents with the surname Tynan, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.3%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Tynan 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 Tynan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.2% · 1,746
- Hispanic or Latino5.3% · 104
- Two or more races3.6% · 70
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 25
- Black or African American0.4% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tynan
Tynan 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
#14,549
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,048
+22 bearers (+1.1%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Down 826 places
2020
#14,611
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,957
-91 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.65
Rank movement Down 62 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,723 | 2,026 | 0.75 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,549 | 2,048 | 0.69 | +22 bearers (+1.1%) | Down 826 places |
| 2020 | #14,611 | 1,957 | 0.65 | -91 bearers (-4.4%) | Down 62 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 Tynan 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 | #14,549 | #14,611 | -0.4% |
| Count | 2,048 | 1,957 | -4.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.69 | 0.65 | -5.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tynan bearers went from 2,048 to 1,957 (-4.4% change). The surname moved down 62 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,549 to #14,611.
FAQ
Tynan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tynan?
Name Census estimates that about 2,244 living Americans carry the surname Tynan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 152,743 residents.
How common is Tynan?
Tynan ranks #14,611 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.65 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 1,957 people with the surname Tynan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,244), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.65 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.65 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 Tynan.
Has Tynan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tynan went from 2,048 recorded bearers to 1,957. That is a decrease of 91 (-4.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,549 to #14,611.
What does the Census say about the background of Tynan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tynan, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.3%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Tynan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.2% (1,746 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tynan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.2%), Hispanic (5.3%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Tynan (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 Tynan mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Tennáin," meaning "descendant of Tennán," a personal name of unknown meaning. 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 Tynan (0.65 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 Tynan?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.