Tyson last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Tyson is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Tyson.

Meaning of Tyson

Derived from a Middle English nickname meaning "fiery-tempered" or "impetuous," from Old French tison, meaning "firebrand."

Tyson, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Tyson surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tyson in America

Tyson is the 1221st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tyson surname appeared 28,947 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 10 people would have the surname Tyson.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tyson to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 1221 1152 5.82%
Count 28,947 27,911 3.64%
Proportion per 100k 9.81 10.35 -5.36%

The history of the last name Tyson

The surname Tyson originated in England during the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English personal name Tydus or Tidus, which itself is thought to have come from the Old English word "tida" meaning "time" or "season". This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who was born at a particular time or season.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Tidus" and "Tidas". Over time, the spelling evolved into various forms such as Tideson, Tydeson, and eventually Tyson.

The Tyson surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Yorkshire and Lancashire in northern England. Several notable individuals bearing this name can be found throughout history, including:

  1. Sir John Tyson (c. 1505-1551), an English politician and Member of Parliament during the reign of King Henry VIII.

  2. Thomas Tyson (1647-1718), an English physician and writer who published works on medical and scientific subjects.

  3. Michael Tyson (1740-1780), a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War.

  4. William Tyson (1789-1852), an English geologist and mineralogist known for his contributions to the study of crystallography.

  5. Job Tyson (1810-1892), an American farmer and entrepreneur who founded the town of Tyson's Mill, which later became part of Baltimore County, Maryland.

The name Tyson has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Tyson's Croft and Tyson's Green, reflecting the historical presence of families bearing this surname in certain areas.

While the Tyson name can trace its roots back to medieval England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through immigration to countries like the United States and Canada. However, it is important to note that this report focuses solely on the historical origins and significance of the surname Tyson, rather than its modern-day distribution or usage.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tyson

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Tyson.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Tyson was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 52.86% 15,301
Non-Hispanic Black Only 41.40% 11,984
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.46% 133
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.67% 194
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 2.37% 686
Hispanic Origin 2.24% 648

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Tyson has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 52.86% 55.61% -5.07%
Black 41.40% 40.26% 2.79%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.46% 0.37% 21.69%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.67% 0.62% 7.75%
Two or More Races 2.37% 1.81% 26.79%
Hispanic 2.24% 1.34% 50.28%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Tyson was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Tyson, please contact us.

Reference this page

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Tyson last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on December 13, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/tyson-surname-popularity/.

"Tyson last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/tyson-surname-popularity/. Accessed 13 December, 2024

Tyson last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/tyson-surname-popularity/.

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