2000
#34,711
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 616
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.23
Very Rare Last name
Tewes
A topographic surname derived from a Norman French word meaning "thicket" or "grove".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 742 Americans carry the last name Tewes. That puts it at #37,075 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.22 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 461,933 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tewes 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
742
1 in 461,933
Census rank
#37,075
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
647
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 647 bearers of the surname Tewes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.22 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 37075th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tewes, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tewes
The surname Tewes is believed to have originated in Germany, likely during the late medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Germanic personal name Theodoric, which was composed of the elements "theud" meaning "people" and "ric" meaning "ruler" or "powerful." This name was later shortened to various forms such as Theo, Teo, and Tewo, which eventually evolved into the surname Tewes.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Tewes can be found in the Cologne Archbishopric records from the 14th century, where a person named Tewo von Aachen is mentioned. This suggests that the name was already in use in the Rhineland region of Germany during that time.
In the 15th century, a man named Tewes Eyssinck was documented as a member of the Hanseatic League, a powerful commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in Northwestern and Central Europe.
The name Tewes also appeared in various historical records from the Netherlands, which was influenced by German migration and cultural exchange. In the 16th century, a Dutch painter named Tewes van Hillegaert was known for his religious and portrait works.
In the 17th century, a German theologian and philosopher named Tewes Brouwer made significant contributions to the fields of logic and metaphysics. He was born in Leeuwarden, Netherlands in 1598 and died in Groningen in 1677.
During the 18th century, a notable figure named Tewes Gerritsz van Strien served as a mayor and alderman in the city of Leiden, Netherlands. He was born in 1712 and played an influential role in local governance.
In the 19th century, a German musician and composer named Tewes Reuter gained recognition for his contributions to the development of church music. He was born in Hanover in 1818 and died in 1892.
Throughout its history, the surname Tewes has been associated with various places and regions, particularly in Germany and the Netherlands, where it has been documented for several centuries. While not a particularly common name, it has left its mark on various aspects of society, from art and philosophy to local governance and music.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tewes
Among Census respondents with the surname Tewes, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Tewes 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 Tewes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.9% · 601
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 23
- Two or more races1.9% · 12
- Black or African American1.2% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tewes
Tewes 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
#34,390
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 659
+43 bearers (+7.0%)
Per 100,000 0.22
Rank movement Up 321 places
2020
#37,075
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 647
-12 bearers (-1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.22
Rank movement Down 2,685 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #34,711 | 616 | 0.23 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #34,390 | 659 | 0.22 | +43 bearers (+7.0%) | Up 321 places |
| 2020 | #37,075 | 647 | 0.22 | -12 bearers (-1.8%) | Down 2,685 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 Tewes 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 | #34,390 | #37,075 | -7.8% |
| Count | 659 | 647 | -1.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.22 | 0.22 | -1.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tewes bearers went from 659 to 647 (-1.8% change). The surname moved down 2,685 positions in the national ranking, going from #34,390 to #37,075.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Tewes
FAQ
Tewes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tewes?
Name Census estimates that about 742 living Americans carry the surname Tewes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 461,933 residents.
How common is Tewes?
Tewes ranks #37,075 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.22 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 647 people with the surname Tewes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (742), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.22 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.22 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 Tewes.
Has Tewes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tewes went from 659 recorded bearers to 647. That is a decrease of 12 (-1.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #34,390 to #37,075.
What does the Census say about the background of Tewes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tewes, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Tewes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.9% (601 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tewes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.9%), Hispanic (3.6%), Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Tewes (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 Tewes mean?
A topographic surname derived from a Norman French word meaning "thicket" or "grove". 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 Tewes (0.22 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 Americans have the surname Tewes?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.