Explore the Family Name Tory

The meaning of Tory

1. English (Lincolnshire and Dorset): from the Middle English personal name T(h)ori, T(h)uri (Old Norse Thórir, Thōrir, Thōri, a derivative of Thórr ‘Thor’, the name of the god of thunder in Scandinavian mythology). 2. Scottish: variant of Torrie.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Tory has seen a marginal increase in the last decade. In 2000, it was ranked 47,120th and climbed up to the 46,568th position by 2010, marking a 1.17% change. The number of people bearing this surname also rose from 424 in 2000 to 457 in 2010, reflecting a 7.78% increase. However, when compared to every 100,000 people, the proportion of individuals with the Tory surname decreased by 6.25%.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#47,120	#46,568	1.17%
Count	424	457	7.78%
Proportion per 100k	0.16	0.15	-6.25%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Tory

The ethnicity breakdown for the surname Tory, as per the Decennial U.S. Census, shows some notable shifts between 2000 and 2010. While those identifying as White held the largest share in both years, their proportion dropped from 34.43% to 29.76%, a decline of 13.56%. The percentage of Black individuals with this surname also fell from 59.43% to 55.36%, marking a decrease of 6.85%. On the other hand, the Hispanic representation saw a significant surge of 165.15%, from 3.3% to 8.75%. Those identifying with two or more races emerged in 2010 at 2.84%, whereas the Asian/Pacific Islander category recorded no individuals in 2010, down from 1.18% in 2000. There were no individuals who identified as American Indian and Alaskan Native in either year.

	2000	2010	Change
Black	59.43%	55.36%	-6.85%
White	34.43%	29.76%	-13.56%
Hispanic	3.3%	8.75%	165.15%
Two or More Races	0%	2.84%	0%
Asian/Pacific Islander	1.18%	0%	0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0%	0%