2000
#3,459
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,451
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.50
Uncommon Last name
Tyree
Derived from the ancient Gaelic surname "Mac an tSaoir," meaning "son of the carpenter."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,317 Americans carry the last name Tyree. That puts it at #3,843 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.01 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 33,222 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tyree 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
10K
1 in 33,222
Census rank
#3,843
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.0K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,997 bearers of the surname Tyree in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.01 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3843rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tyree, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.0%. The next largest groups are Black (16.6%) and Two or More Races (5.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tyree
The surname TYREE originates from Ireland and is believed to have derived from the Irish Gaelic word "tír" meaning "land" or "territory." It is thought to have first emerged as a surname in the 12th or 13th century in County Mayo, Ireland.
The earliest recorded instance of the name TYREE can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, where it appears as "Tír Í" in reference to a territory in County Mayo. This suggests that the name may have originally been a descriptive term used to identify someone from that particular region.
In the 16th century, the surname TYREE appears in the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns, a collection of official records from the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary I, and Elizabeth I. Here, it is spelled as "Tyrye" and "Tyrry," indicating that the spelling had not yet been standardized.
One notable figure with the surname TYREE was Sir John Tyree (1550-1623), an Irish landowner and Member of Parliament who served as the High Sheriff of County Mayo in 1597. Another was Patrick Tyree (1643-1718), a Catholic priest who was executed for his religious beliefs during the Williamite War in Ireland.
In the 18th century, the TYREE surname appears in the records of the Irish Rebellion of 1798, where several individuals with this name are listed as participants in the uprising against British rule. One such individual was Michael Tyree (1770-1805), a rebel leader from County Mayo who was captured and executed for his involvement.
Moving into the 19th century, the surname TYREE can be found in various historical documents and records, such as the Griffith's Valuation, a survey of property ownership in Ireland conducted in the mid-1800s. This indicates that the name had become well-established in Ireland by this time.
Throughout history, the TYREE surname has also been associated with various place names in Ireland, such as Tyree Island (now known as Tory Island) off the coast of County Donegal, and the townland of Tyree in County Mayo.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tyree
Among Census respondents with the surname Tyree, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.0%. The next largest groups are Black (16.6%) and Two or More Races (5.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Tyree 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 Tyree surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.0% · 6,662
- Black or African American16.6% · 1,494
- Two or more races5.4% · 489
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 267
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 49
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 36
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tyree
Tyree 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
#3,695
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,613
+162 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 3.26
Rank movement Down 236 places
2020
#3,843
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,997
-616 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 3.01
Rank movement Down 148 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,459 | 9,451 | 3.50 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,695 | 9,613 | 3.26 | +162 bearers (+1.7%) | Down 236 places |
| 2020 | #3,843 | 8,997 | 3.01 | -616 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 148 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 Tyree 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 | #3,695 | #3,843 | -4.0% |
| Count | 9,613 | 8,997 | -6.4% |
| Per 100K | 3.26 | 3.01 | -7.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tyree bearers went from 9,613 to 8,997 (-6.4% change). The surname moved down 148 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,695 to #3,843.
FAQ
Tyree surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tyree?
Name Census estimates that about 10,317 living Americans carry the surname Tyree. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 33,222 residents.
How common is Tyree?
Tyree ranks #3,843 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.01 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,997 people with the surname Tyree. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,317), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.01 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.01 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Tyree.
Has Tyree become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tyree went from 9,613 recorded bearers to 8,997. That is a decrease of 616 (-6.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,695 to #3,843.
What does the Census say about the background of Tyree?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tyree, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.0%. The next largest groups are Black (16.6%) and Two or More Races (5.4%). 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 Tyree in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.0% (6,662 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tyree appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (74.0%), Black (16.6%), Two or More Races (5.4%). 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 Tyree (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 Tyree mean?
Derived from the ancient Gaelic surname "Mac an tSaoir," meaning "son of the carpenter." 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 Tyree (3.01 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 Tyree?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Tyree is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.