Explore the Family Name Toward

The meaning of Toward

1. English and Scottish: nickname from Middle English toward ‘compliant, docile, gentle’. 2. Scottish: habitational name from Toward in Dunoon (Argyll). The placename, pronounced in Scottish Standard English as /ˊtauərd/, is from Gaelic toll ‘hole, hollow’ + àrd ‘high’.

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

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

Based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the Toward surname has seen a decrease in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it was ranked 78,035 and by 2010, its rank had slipped to 95,115, marking a drop of 21.89%. The count of individuals with the surname also dropped during this period, moving from 228 in 2000 to 192 in 2010, indicating a decrease of 15.79%. The proportion of the surname per 100,000 people also fell by 12.5%.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#78,035	#95,115	-21.89%
Count	228	192	-15.79%
Proportion per 100k	0.08	0.07	-12.5%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Toward

Regarding the ethnic identity associated with the Toward surname, it is predominantly White according to the Decennial U.S. Census data. In 2000, it was found that 94.74% identified as White, which slightly decreased to 91.15% in 2010. Over this decade, there was a notable increase in those identifying as Hispanic, going from 2.19% in 2000 to 6.77% in 2010, marking a growth of 209.13%. However, no significant change was noted within the Asian/Pacific Islander, Two or more races, and American Indian and Alaskan Native categories during this period. Interestingly, while in 2000, 2.19% identified as Black, by 2010, none of the individuals with the Toward surname identified as such.

	2000	2010	Change
White	94.74%	91.15%	-3.79%
Hispanic	2.19%	6.77%	209.13%
Asian/Pacific Islander	0%	0%	0%
Two or More Races	0%	0%	0%
Black	2.19%	0%	0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0%	0%