2000
#10,809
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,707
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.00
Rare Last name
Tweed
A textile pattern or fabric originating from the Scottish Borders, traditionally woven from wool.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,933 Americans carry the last name Tweed. That puts it at #11,717 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.86 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 116,861 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tweed 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 Tweed with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.9K
1 in 116,861
Census rank
#11,717
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,558 bearers of the surname Tweed in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.86 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11717th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tweed, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Black (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tweed
The surname TWEED originated in Scotland, tracing its roots back to the 12th century. It is a locational name derived from the River Tweed, which flows through the Scottish Borders region and forms part of the boundary between Scotland and England. The name likely referred to someone who lived near or was associated with the River Tweed.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in medieval Scottish records and charters. One notable example is the mention of a "William de Twede" in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a document recording the names of Scottish noblemen who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as "Twedie," "Twedy," and "Tweedie," reflecting the different spellings used in earlier times. These variations likely originated from the Old English word "twæd," meaning "a border" or "a cloth made from wool."
The TWEED surname has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. In the 16th century, William Tweed (c. 1520-1589) was a Scottish clergyman who served as the Principal of the University of Glasgow. Another prominent figure was John Tweed (1776-1853), a Scottish-born American merchant and landowner who played a significant role in the early development of New York City.
In the 19th century, William M. Tweed (1823-1878), better known as "Boss Tweed," was a notorious American politician and the leader of the Tammany Hall political machine in New York City. His corruption and misuse of public funds led to his downfall and eventual imprisonment.
Other notable individuals with the TWEED surname include John Tweed (1842-1923), a Canadian politician and businessman, and James Tweed (1845-1922), a Scottish-born American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives.
The TWEED surname has also been associated with various locations, including the town of Tweedmouth in Northumberland, England, and the Tweed Valley region in Scotland, further reinforcing its connection to the River Tweed and the area surrounding it.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tweed
Among Census respondents with the surname Tweed, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Black (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Tweed 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 Tweed surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.3% · 2,309
- Two or more races3.8% · 96
- Black or African American2.7% · 70
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 61
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 12
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tweed
Tweed 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
#11,456
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,750
+43 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 0.93
Rank movement Down 647 places
2020
#11,717
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,558
-192 bearers (-7.0%)
Per 100,000 0.86
Rank movement Down 261 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,809 | 2,707 | 1.00 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,456 | 2,750 | 0.93 | +43 bearers (+1.6%) | Down 647 places |
| 2020 | #11,717 | 2,558 | 0.86 | -192 bearers (-7.0%) | Down 261 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 Tweed 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 | #11,456 | #11,717 | -2.3% |
| Count | 2,750 | 2,558 | -7.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.93 | 0.86 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tweed bearers went from 2,750 to 2,558 (-7.0% change). The surname moved down 261 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,456 to #11,717.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Tweed
FAQ
Tweed surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tweed?
Name Census estimates that about 2,933 living Americans carry the surname Tweed. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 116,861 residents.
How common is Tweed?
Tweed ranks #11,717 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.86 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,558 people with the surname Tweed. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,933), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.86 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.86 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Tweed.
Has Tweed become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tweed went from 2,750 recorded bearers to 2,558. That is a decrease of 192 (-7.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,456 to #11,717.
What does the Census say about the background of Tweed?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tweed, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Black (2.7%). 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 Tweed in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.3% (2,309 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tweed appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.3%), Two or More Races (3.8%), Black (2.7%). 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 Tweed (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 Tweed mean?
A textile pattern or fabric originating from the Scottish Borders, traditionally woven from wool. 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 Tweed (0.86 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 Tweed?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Tweed at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.