2000
#23,762
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 994
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.37
Very Rare Last name
Timlin
A locational surname derived from a place name meaning "the timely or fortunate meadow."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 993 Americans carry the last name Timlin. That puts it at #29,143 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.29 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 345,171 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Timlin 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 Timlin with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
993
1 in 345,171
Census rank
#29,143
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
866
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 866 bearers of the surname Timlin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.29 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 29143rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Timlin, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Timlin
The surname Timlin finds its origins in Ireland, emerging in the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Irish Gaelic word "timcheall," which translates to "around" or "circuit." The name likely referred to someone who lived near a circular enclosure or settlement.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Timlin appears in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the early 17th century. The entry mentions a "Timlin O'Donnell" who was a member of the O'Donnell clan, a prominent family in County Donegal.
The Timlin surname was particularly concentrated in the northern counties of Ireland, such as Antrim, Derry, and Tyrone. However, it also had a presence in other parts of the country, including County Cork.
In the 17th century, a notable figure named Thomas Timlin (1633-1704) was a Protestant minister and author who served as the Dean of Ardagh in County Longford. His works included religious treatises and sermons.
During the 18th century, the name Timlin appeared in various records, including parish registers and land deeds. One example is John Timlin (1725-1795), a landowner from County Tyrone, whose estate was mentioned in the Griffith's Valuation, a 19th-century survey of property values in Ireland.
In the 19th century, the Timlin surname gained recognition through the achievements of individuals like William Timlin (1810-1886), a successful businessman and philanthropist from County Antrim. He made substantial donations to educational institutions and charitable organizations.
Another notable figure was Patrick Timlin (1842-1921), a Irish-American Catholic priest who served as the Bishop of Scranton, Pennsylvania. He played a significant role in the growth of the Catholic Church in northeastern Pennsylvania.
As the Irish diaspora spread worldwide, the Timlin surname traveled to various countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. However, its roots can be traced back to the ancient Gaelic traditions of Ireland.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Timlin
Among Census respondents with the surname Timlin, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Timlin 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 Timlin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.7% · 803
- Two or more races3.8% · 33
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 19
- Black or African American0.7% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Timlin
Timlin 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
#23,576
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,077
+83 bearers (+8.4%)
Per 100,000 0.37
Rank movement Up 186 places
2020
#29,143
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 866
-211 bearers (-19.6%)
Per 100,000 0.29
Rank movement Down 5,567 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #23,762 | 994 | 0.37 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #23,576 | 1,077 | 0.37 | +83 bearers (+8.4%) | Up 186 places |
| 2020 | #29,143 | 866 | 0.29 | -211 bearers (-19.6%) | Down 5,567 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 Timlin 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 | #23,576 | #29,143 | -23.6% |
| Count | 1,077 | 866 | -19.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.37 | 0.29 | -21.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Timlin bearers went from 1,077 to 866 (-19.6% change). The surname moved down 5,567 positions in the national ranking, going from #23,576 to #29,143.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Timlin
FAQ
Timlin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Timlin?
Name Census estimates that about 993 living Americans carry the surname Timlin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 345,171 residents.
How common is Timlin?
Timlin ranks #29,143 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.29 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 866 people with the surname Timlin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (993), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.29 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.29 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 Timlin.
Has Timlin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Timlin went from 1,077 recorded bearers to 866. That is a decrease of 211 (-19.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #23,576 to #29,143.
What does the Census say about the background of Timlin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Timlin, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (2.2%). 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 Timlin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.7% (803 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Timlin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.7%), Two or More Races (3.8%), Hispanic (2.2%). 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 Timlin (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 Timlin mean?
A locational surname derived from a place name meaning "the timely or fortunate meadow." 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 Timlin (0.29 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 Timlin?
Want to know how many people have the last name Timlin? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.