2010
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Tyran
A surname likely derived from the French word "tyran", meaning one who rules with cruelty or oppression.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 115 Americans carry the last name Tyran. That puts it at #155,682 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,980,473 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tyran 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
115
1 in 2,980,473
Census rank
#155,682
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
100
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 100 bearers of the surname Tyran in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155682nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tyran, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Black (10.0%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tyran
The surname Tyran is of French origin, with its earliest known bearers hailing from the northern regions of France during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old French word "tiran," which itself comes from the Latin word "tyrannus," meaning "sovereign" or "ruler." This suggests that the name may have originally been given as a nickname or descriptive term for someone who exhibited authoritative or domineering behavior.
One of the earliest known recorded instances of the name Tyran can be found in the Cartulaire de l'abbaye de Redon, a medieval manuscript dating back to the 9th century, where a certain "Tyrannus de Brocéliande" is mentioned. This individual's name likely evolved into the modern surname Tyran over the centuries.
In the 12th century, a man named Renaud Tyran is recorded as having lived in the village of Montreuil-sur-Mer in northern France. This is one of the earliest known examples of the name being used as a hereditary surname.
The name Tyran is also linked to several place names in France, such as Tiran-sur-Mer in Normandy and Tiran in the Auvergne region. These place names may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Tyran. One such person was Jean Tyran (c. 1470-1542), a French composer and musician during the Renaissance period, who served as a court musician to King Louis XII.
Another notable bearer of the name was Pierre Tyran (1594-1668), a French mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the development of logarithms and the study of celestial bodies.
In the 18th century, Marie-Jeanne Tyran (1731-1810) was a French botanist and naturalist known for her extensive work in cataloging and studying plant species native to the region around Montpellier.
The 19th century saw the birth of Auguste Tyran (1836-1903), a French architect who designed several prominent buildings in Paris, including the Palais de la Porte Dorée.
Finally, in the early 20th century, Marcel Tyran (1901-1979) was a French painter and sculptor known for his cubist and abstract works, which were exhibited in galleries across Europe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tyran
Among Census respondents with the surname Tyran, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Black (10.0%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Tyran 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 Tyran surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.0% · 85
- Black or African American10.0% · 10
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.0% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tyran
Tyran appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#155,682
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-2 bearers (-2.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 2,750 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #158,432 | 102 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #155,682 | 100 | 0.03 | -2 bearers (-2.0%) | Up 2,750 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 Tyran 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 | #158,432 | #155,682 | 1.7% |
| Count | 102 | 100 | -2.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 11.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tyran bearers went from 102 to 100 (-2.0% change). The surname moved up 2,750 positions in the national ranking, going from #158,432 to #155,682.
FAQ
Tyran surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tyran?
Name Census estimates that about 115 living Americans carry the surname Tyran. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,980,473 residents.
How common is Tyran?
Tyran ranks #155,682 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 100 people with the surname Tyran. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (115), 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 Tyran.
Has Tyran become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tyran went from 102 recorded bearers to 100. That is a decrease of 2 (-2.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #158,432 to #155,682.
What does the Census say about the background of Tyran?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tyran, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Black (10.0%) and Hispanic (2.0%). 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 Tyran in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.0% (85 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tyran appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.0%), Black (10.0%), Hispanic (2.0%). 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 Tyran (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 Tyran mean?
A surname likely derived from the French word "tyran", meaning one who rules with cruelty or oppression. 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 Tyran (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 many people have the surname Tyran?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.