Explore the Family Name Tee

The meaning of Tee

1. English: variant of Tye. 2. English: topographic name from a misdivision of Middle English atte e ‘at the stream’. 3. Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 鄭, see Zheng 1. 4. Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 池, possibly based on its Hokkien or Teochew pronunciation, see Chi 1.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Tee in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Tee saw a slight increase in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Tee ranked as the 18,461st most common surname, with a count of 1,381 and a proportion of 0.51 per 100k. By 2010, it moved up to the 17,951st position, represented by 1,557 individuals or 0.53 per 100k, marking a growth rate of 2.76% in ranking and a 12.74% increase in count over the decade.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#18,461	#17,951	2.76%
Count	1,381	1,557	12.74%
Proportion per 100k	0.51	0.53	3.92%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Tee

In terms of ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals several shifts between 2000 and 2010. The percentage of individuals with the surname Tee identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander increased by 16.22%, from 43.66% to 50.74%. Meanwhile, the proportion identifying as White decreased by 17.60% to 30.25%. Representation among individuals of two or more ethnic identities remained stable at around 2.9%, while those identifying as Hispanic experienced a significant rise of 34.81% to reach 2.44%. Conversely, the proportions identifying as Black and as American Indian and Alaskan Native declined by 6.48% and 15.46% respectively.

	2000	2010	Change
Asian/Pacific Islander	43.66%	50.74%	16.22%
White	36.71%	30.25%	-17.6%
Black	11.88%	11.11%	-6.48%
Two or More Races	2.9%	2.89%	-0.34%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	3.04%	2.57%	-15.46%
Hispanic	1.81%	2.44%	34.81%