2000
#1,345
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 24,110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 8.94
Uncommon Last name
Tomlinson
Derived from the given name Thomas, meaning "twin," combined with the patronymic suffix "-son," denoting "son of Thomas."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 27,189 Americans carry the last name Tomlinson. That puts it at #1,465 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 7.93 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 12,606 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tomlinson 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 Tomlinson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
27K
1 in 12,606
Census rank
#1,465
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
7.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
24K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 23,710 bearers of the surname Tomlinson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 7.93 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1465th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tomlinson, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.9%. The next largest groups are Black (10.7%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tomlinson
The surname Tomlinson has its origins in England, and it dates back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English personal name "Tomlin," which is a diminutive form of the name "Thomas." The suffix "-son" was commonly added to personal names to indicate "son of."
Tomlinson is considered a patronymic surname, meaning it originally identified the bearer as the son of a man named Tomlin or Thomas. This type of surname was prevalent in the Middle Ages when families sought to distinguish themselves from others in the same area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Tomlinson can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where it appears as "Tomlynson." The Hundred Rolls were administrative records compiled in England during the reign of King Edward I.
The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land and property ownership in England and parts of Wales, completed in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror, does not contain the surname Tomlinson. However, it includes variations of the name Thomas, such as "Toma" and "Tomi."
In the 13th century, a man named John Tomlynson was recorded as living in Yorkshire, England. Another early example is Richard Tomlynson, who was mentioned in the Lancashire Assize Rolls of 1285.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Tomlinson. One of the earliest was Sir Griffith Tomlinson (1580-1652), an English lawyer and Member of Parliament during the reign of King Charles I.
Another prominent figure was Thomas Tomlinson (1808-1892), an English businessman and philanthropist who founded the Tomlinson Institute in Burnley, Lancashire, to provide education and cultural enrichment for the local community.
In the realm of literature, H.M. Tomlinson (1873-1958) was a renowned English writer and journalist known for his travel narratives and novels, including "The Sea and the Jungle" and "Gallions Reach."
In the field of sports, Graham Tomlinson (1915-1991) was an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Yorkshire County Cricket Club in the 1930s and 1940s.
More recently, Louis Tomlinson (born 1991) is an English singer and songwriter, best known as a member of the popular boy band One Direction.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tomlinson
Among Census respondents with the surname Tomlinson, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.9%. The next largest groups are Black (10.7%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Tomlinson 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 Tomlinson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.9% · 18,955
- Black or African American10.7% · 2,533
- Two or more races4.2% · 995
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 945
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 185
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 97
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tomlinson
Tomlinson 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
#1,407
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 25,274
+1,164 bearers (+4.8%)
Per 100,000 8.57
Rank movement Down 62 places
2020
#1,465
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 23,710
-1,564 bearers (-6.2%)
Per 100,000 7.93
Rank movement Down 58 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,345 | 24,110 | 8.94 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,407 | 25,274 | 8.57 | +1,164 bearers (+4.8%) | Down 62 places |
| 2020 | #1,465 | 23,710 | 7.93 | -1,564 bearers (-6.2%) | Down 58 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 Tomlinson 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 | #1,407 | #1,465 | -4.1% |
| Count | 25,274 | 23,710 | -6.2% |
| Per 100K | 8.57 | 7.93 | -7.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tomlinson bearers went from 25,274 to 23,710 (-6.2% change). The surname moved down 58 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,407 to #1,465.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Tomlinson
FAQ
Tomlinson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tomlinson?
Name Census estimates that about 27,189 living Americans carry the surname Tomlinson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 12,606 residents.
How common is Tomlinson?
Tomlinson ranks #1,465 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 7.93 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 23,710 people with the surname Tomlinson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (27,189), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 7.93 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 7.93 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 Tomlinson.
Has Tomlinson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tomlinson went from 25,274 recorded bearers to 23,710. That is a decrease of 1,564 (-6.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,407 to #1,465.
What does the Census say about the background of Tomlinson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tomlinson, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.9%. The next largest groups are Black (10.7%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Tomlinson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.9% (18,955 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tomlinson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.9%), Black (10.7%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Tomlinson (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 Tomlinson mean?
Derived from the given name Thomas, meaning "twin," combined with the patronymic suffix "-son," denoting "son of Thomas." 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 Tomlinson (7.93 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 Tomlinson?
You can see how many people have the last name Tomlinson on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.