2000
#104,819
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 158
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Tesla
A Serbian surname possibly derived from the Serbian word "Tесля" meaning woodcutter or carpenter.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 216 Americans carry the last name Tesla. That puts it at #102,164 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,586,826 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tesla 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
216
1 in 1,586,826
Census rank
#102,164
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
188
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 188 bearers of the surname Tesla in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 102164th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tesla, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tesla
The surname Tesla is of Croatian origin, deriving from the Slavic word "tâlo" or "tâla", meaning "soil" or "earth". It is believed to have originated in the 15th or 16th century in the region that is now modern-day Croatia.
The earliest known records of the name Tesla date back to the late 16th century in the village of Smiljan, located in the Lika region of Croatia. The name was initially associated with families involved in agricultural or farming activities, as it was a common practice to adopt surnames based on occupations or geographical locations.
One of the earliest documented individuals with the surname Tesla was Milutin Tesla, born in the late 16th century in Smiljan. He was a Serbian Orthodox priest and is considered one of the ancestors of the famous inventor Nikola Tesla.
The surname Tesla gained wider recognition in the 19th century with the birth of Nikola Tesla (1856-1943), a Serbian-American inventor, electrical engineer, and futurist. Nikola Tesla is renowned for his contributions to the design of the modern alternating current (AC) electricity supply system, as well as his pioneering work in the fields of electromagnetism and wireless communication.
Another notable individual with the surname Tesla was Josip Tesla (1858-1926), a Croatian physicist and electrical engineer who made significant contributions to the development of electrical engineering and alternating current technology. He was a contemporary of Nikola Tesla and worked closely with him on several projects.
In the early 20th century, the surname Tesla also appeared in historical records in the United States, particularly among Serbian and Croatian immigrants. One such individual was Dane Tesla (1901-1980), an American electrical engineer and inventor who held numerous patents in the field of electrical engineering.
Milan Tesla (1879-1966), a Serbian-American engineer and inventor, is another prominent figure associated with the surname Tesla. He was a cousin of Nikola Tesla and worked closely with him on various projects, including the development of wireless communication systems.
While the surname Tesla has its roots in Croatia and the former Yugoslavia, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and intermarriage. However, the name remains closely tied to its Slavic origins and the notable contributions of individuals like Nikola Tesla to the fields of science and engineering.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tesla
Among Census respondents with the surname Tesla, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Tesla 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 Tesla surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.8% · 167
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 8
- Two or more races3.7% · 7
- Black or African American1.6% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tesla
Tesla 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
#142,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-41 bearers (-25.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 37,289 places
2020
#102,164
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 188
+71 bearers (+60.7%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Up 39,944 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #104,819 | 158 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #142,108 | 117 | 0.04 | -41 bearers (-25.9%) | Down 37,289 places |
| 2020 | #102,164 | 188 | 0.06 | +71 bearers (+60.7%) | Up 39,944 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 Tesla 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 | #142,108 | #102,164 | 28.1% |
| Count | 117 | 188 | 60.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.06 | 57.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tesla bearers went from 117 to 188 (+60.7% change). The surname moved up 39,944 positions in the national ranking, going from #142,108 to #102,164.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Tesla
FAQ
Tesla surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tesla?
Name Census estimates that about 216 living Americans carry the surname Tesla. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,586,826 residents.
How common is Tesla?
Tesla ranks #102,164 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 188 people with the surname Tesla. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (216), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.06 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Tesla.
Has Tesla become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tesla went from 117 recorded bearers to 188. That is an increase of 71 (+60.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #142,108 to #102,164.
What does the Census say about the background of Tesla?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tesla, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Tesla in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.8% (167 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tesla appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.8%), Hispanic (4.3%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Tesla (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 Tesla mean?
A Serbian surname possibly derived from the Serbian word "Tесля" meaning woodcutter or 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 Tesla (0.06 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 have the last name Tesla?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Tesla? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.