2000
#1,371
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 23,731
First available Census row
Per 100,000 8.80
Uncommon Last name
Teague
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Taidg," meaning "descendant of Tadhg," a personal name meaning "poet" or "philosopher."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 26,477 Americans carry the last name Teague. That puts it at #1,509 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 7.72 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 12,945 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Teague 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 Teague with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
26K
1 in 12,945
Census rank
#1,509
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
7.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
23K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 23,089 bearers of the surname Teague in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 7.72 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1509th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Teague, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.2%. The next largest groups are Black (14.2%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Teague
The surname Teague originated in Ireland, with the first known records dating back to the 12th century. It is an anglicized form of the Irish Gaelic name "Ó Tuathaigh," which translates to "descendant of Tuathalach." The name Tuathalach itself is derived from the Old Irish word "tuath," meaning "people" or "territory."
The Teague family was historically associated with Counties Westmeath, Longford, and Roscommon in the central region of Ireland. The name appeared in various spellings, such as Tuithe, Tuohy, Tuohig, and Toohey, reflecting regional dialectal variations.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. In the year 1170, a man named Tuathal Ua Tuathaigh is mentioned as the chief of Muintir Anghaile, a territory in County Longford.
During the Norman invasion of Ireland in the 12th century, the Teague family was among those who resisted the invading forces. In the 14th century, a prominent member of the family, Maolmuire Ó Tuathaigh, served as the Bishop of Ardagh in County Longford.
In the 16th century, the Teague family played a significant role in the Gaelic resistance against English rule. Conn Ó Tuathaigh, also known as Conn Teague, was a notable chieftain who fought alongside the Earl of Tyrone in the Nine Years' War (1594-1603) against Queen Elizabeth I.
Another notable figure with the surname Teague was John Teague (1590-1661), an Irish Catholic priest who served as the Bishop of Meath during the tumultuous period of the Confederate Wars and the Cromwellian Conquest of Ireland.
In the 18th century, Denis Taaffe (also spelled Teague) (1670-1737) was an Irish soldier who served in the armies of Louis XIV and later became a Marshal of France. He was a prominent member of the Irish Brigade, a formation of Irish soldiers who served in the French military after the Flight of the Wild Geese.
Edward Teague (1590-1659) was an English pirate and privateer who operated in the Caribbean during the 17th century. He is known for his association with the infamous pirate Henry Morgan and his involvement in the sacking of Panama City in 1671.
Throughout history, the surname Teague has been associated with various place names, such as Tuohyville in County Mayo, Ireland, and Tuohygara, a townland in County Roscommon. The name has also been recorded in various forms, including Tew, Tewgh, and Tughie, reflecting its evolution over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Teague
Among Census respondents with the surname Teague, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.2%. The next largest groups are Black (14.2%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Teague 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 Teague surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.2% · 17,591
- Black or African American14.2% · 3,281
- Two or more races4.8% · 1,118
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 753
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 204
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 142
Timeline
Historical Census data for Teague
Teague 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
#1,456
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 24,514
+783 bearers (+3.3%)
Per 100,000 8.31
Rank movement Down 85 places
2020
#1,509
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 23,089
-1,425 bearers (-5.8%)
Per 100,000 7.72
Rank movement Down 53 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,371 | 23,731 | 8.80 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,456 | 24,514 | 8.31 | +783 bearers (+3.3%) | Down 85 places |
| 2020 | #1,509 | 23,089 | 7.72 | -1,425 bearers (-5.8%) | Down 53 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 Teague 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 | #1,456 | #1,509 | -3.6% |
| Count | 24,514 | 23,089 | -5.8% |
| Per 100K | 8.31 | 7.72 | -7.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Teague bearers went from 24,514 to 23,089 (-5.8% change). The surname moved down 53 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,456 to #1,509.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Teague
FAQ
Teague surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Teague?
Name Census estimates that about 26,477 living Americans carry the surname Teague. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 12,945 residents.
How common is Teague?
Teague ranks #1,509 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 7.72 per 100,000 residents, which is about 8 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 23,089 people with the surname Teague. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (26,477), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 7.72 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 7.72 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 8 of them to have the surname Teague.
Has Teague become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Teague went from 24,514 recorded bearers to 23,089. That is a decrease of 1,425 (-5.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,456 to #1,509.
What does the Census say about the background of Teague?
Among Census respondents with the surname Teague, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.2%. The next largest groups are Black (14.2%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Teague in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.2% (17,591 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Teague appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.2%), Black (14.2%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Teague (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 Teague mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Taidg," meaning "descendant of Tadhg," a personal name meaning "poet" or "philosopher." 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 Teague (7.72 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 are called Teague?
Want to know how many people have the surname Teague? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.