2000
#1,152
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 27,911
First available Census row
Per 100,000 10.35
Uncommon Last name
Tyson
Derived from a Middle English nickname meaning "fiery-tempered" or "impetuous," from Old French tison, meaning "firebrand."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 31,962 Americans carry the last name Tyson. That puts it at #1,240 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 9.32 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 10,724 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tyson 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 Tyson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
32K
1 in 10,724
Census rank
#1,240
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
9.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
28K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 27,872 bearers of the surname Tyson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 9.32 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1240th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tyson, the largest self-reported group is White at 51.5%. The next largest groups are Black (39.3%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tyson
Among Census respondents with the surname Tyson, the largest self-reported group is White at 51.5%. The next largest groups are Black (39.3%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Tyson 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 Tyson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White51.5% · 14,344
- Black or African American39.3% · 10,954
- Two or more races4.5% · 1,264
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 964
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 173
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 173
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tyson
Tyson 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
#1,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 28,947
+1,036 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 9.81
Rank movement Down 69 places
2020
#1,240
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 27,872
-1,075 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 9.32
Rank movement Down 19 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,152 | 27,911 | 10.35 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,221 | 28,947 | 9.81 | +1,036 bearers (+3.7%) | Down 69 places |
| 2020 | #1,240 | 27,872 | 9.32 | -1,075 bearers (-3.7%) | Down 19 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 Tyson 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 | #1,221 | #1,240 | -1.6% |
| Count | 28,947 | 27,872 | -3.7% |
| Per 100K | 9.81 | 9.32 | -4.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tyson bearers went from 28,947 to 27,872 (-3.7% change). The surname moved down 19 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,221 to #1,240.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Tyson
FAQ
Tyson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tyson?
Name Census estimates that about 31,962 living Americans carry the surname Tyson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 10,724 residents.
How common is Tyson?
Tyson ranks #1,240 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 9.32 per 100,000 residents, which is about 9 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 27,872 people with the surname Tyson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (31,962), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 9.32 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 9.32 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 9 of them to have the surname Tyson.
Has Tyson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tyson went from 28,947 recorded bearers to 27,872. That is a decrease of 1,075 (-3.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,221 to #1,240.
What does the Census say about the background of Tyson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tyson, the largest self-reported group is White at 51.5%. The next largest groups are Black (39.3%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Tyson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 51.5% (14,344 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tyson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (51.5%), Black (39.3%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Tyson (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 Tyson mean?
Derived from a Middle English nickname meaning "fiery-tempered" or "impetuous," from Old French tison, meaning "firebrand." 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 Tyson (9.32 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 Tyson?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Tyson on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.