2000
#11,737
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,444
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.91
Rare Last name
Tyre
An occupational surname referring to a person who made or sold tires or wheels.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,696 Americans carry the last name Tyre. That puts it at #12,570 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.79 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 127,134 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tyre 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 Tyre with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.7K
1 in 127,134
Census rank
#12,570
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,351 bearers of the surname Tyre in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.79 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12570th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tyre, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.8%. The next largest groups are Black (13.9%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tyre
The surname Tyre has its origins in England, and it is believed to have emerged around the 13th century. The name is derived from the Old English word "tir," which means a rank or dignity, suggesting that the original bearers of this surname may have held positions of authority or respect within their communities.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Tyre can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire, a census-like record from the late 13th century. This document mentions a person named William Tyre, indicating that the name was already in use during that period.
The name Tyre may also have its roots in various place names across England. For example, there is a village called Tyre in Dorset, and it's possible that some individuals adopted the name based on their association with this location.
In the 14th century, the surname Tyre appears in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire, a collection of financial records from the county. This entry provides further evidence of the name's presence in medieval England.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Tyre. One such figure was Sir Edward Tyre (1590-1673), an English politician and lawyer who served as a Member of Parliament for Shaftesbury during the English Civil War.
Another prominent bearer of the name was Richard Tyre (1670-1733), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Provost of Oriel College, Oxford, from 1718 until his death.
In the realm of literature, Thomas Tyre (1782-1855) was a British author and poet who published several works, including "The Wanderer of Switzerland" and "The Gypsy's Dream."
Moving into the 19th century, John Tyre (1810-1888) was a British architect who designed notable buildings such as the Royal Dramatic College in London and the Church of St. Silas in Nottingham.
Lastly, Sir William Tyre (1867-1945) was a distinguished British lawyer and judge who served as the Lord Chief Justice of England from 1940 to 1945, presiding over several high-profile cases during his tenure.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tyre
Among Census respondents with the surname Tyre, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.8%. The next largest groups are Black (13.9%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Tyre 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 Tyre surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.8% · 1,852
- Black or African American13.9% · 327
- Two or more races3.8% · 90
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 61
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 14
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tyre
Tyre 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
#12,079
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,581
+137 bearers (+5.6%)
Per 100,000 0.87
Rank movement Down 342 places
2020
#12,570
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,351
-230 bearers (-8.9%)
Per 100,000 0.79
Rank movement Down 491 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,737 | 2,444 | 0.91 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,079 | 2,581 | 0.87 | +137 bearers (+5.6%) | Down 342 places |
| 2020 | #12,570 | 2,351 | 0.79 | -230 bearers (-8.9%) | Down 491 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 Tyre 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 | #12,079 | #12,570 | -4.1% |
| Count | 2,581 | 2,351 | -8.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.87 | 0.79 | -9.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tyre bearers went from 2,581 to 2,351 (-8.9% change). The surname moved down 491 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,079 to #12,570.
FAQ
Tyre surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tyre?
Name Census estimates that about 2,696 living Americans carry the surname Tyre. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 127,134 residents.
How common is Tyre?
Tyre ranks #12,570 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.79 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 2,351 people with the surname Tyre. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,696), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.79 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.79 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 Tyre.
Has Tyre become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tyre went from 2,581 recorded bearers to 2,351. That is a decrease of 230 (-8.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,079 to #12,570.
What does the Census say about the background of Tyre?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tyre, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.8%. The next largest groups are Black (13.9%) 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Tyre in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.8% (1,852 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tyre appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.8%), Black (13.9%), 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 Tyre (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 Tyre mean?
An occupational surname referring to a person who made or sold tires or wheels. 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 Tyre (0.79 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 Americans have the surname Tyre?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.