Given name & surname

Tillman

“one who plows the earth”

Tillman is a variant of Tilman. One English interpretation is “one who plows the earth.”

Meaning & origin

What it means

Tillman is a variant of Tilman. One English interpretation is “one who plows the earth.”

Explained through its name family

Where it comes from

Tillman is a variant of Tilman. An origin associated with Tilman is English.

Explained through its name family

The story

Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.

From dated birth records

Tillman through the years

Babies since 1880
3,739
3,732 boys · 7 girls
Most popular year
1917
75 babies
2025
27
#4,034 for boys
2021–25 vs 2016–20
−13%
Easing
05010015020018801900192019401960198020002025Highest share 189116
Tillman in U.S. Social Security birth records, 1880–2025, per million boys born. Years with fewer than five births for a sex are not published and appear as zero. Use the arrow keys to step through years.

Where it’s given

Most at home inSouth Carolina, Georgia
FewerMore, relative to births Not published
2025 births by state of birth. Tiles are equal-sized so small states stay visible. Highest rates: South Carolina (7), Georgia (5).

By the numbers

In 2025, this name appeared in 27 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 4,034 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 9.2% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 75 in 1917. In 2025, South Carolina had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (7). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,536 as a first name in 2020; 29,796 as a surname in 2020.

From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.

Tillman’s family of names

Tillman has a related form in Tilman. In German usage, Tillman has a related form in TILLMANN. In German usage, Tillman as a surname has a related form in Thillmann.

Walk Tillman’s family in the name graph

TillmanThillmanTilmanTilghmanTillmannThillmann

Inner ring: spellings · outer: nicknames and forms.

Hover or tab through the constellation to see how each name is related. Bigger dots are names more people in the U.S. share.

Nicknames & forms 4

Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.

Spellings & scripts 1

The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.

People named Tillman

Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.

Similar names

If you love Tillman, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.

English · Old-fashioned

Freeman

“one who is free”

25RareSteady

>99% boys

Old-fashioned

Olan

“the last of the ancestors”

19Very rareSteady

>99% boys

Hebrew · Old-fashioned

Hyman

“a giver of life”

0Not recently recorded

>99% boys

German · Old-fashioned

Herman

“a soldier”

33RareEasing

>99% boys

German · Old-fashioned

Furman

“a ferryman”

0Not recently recorded

>99% boys

Gaelic · Old-fashioned

Oran

“surrounded by light” · “a pale-skinned man”

22RareRising

>99% boys

English · Old-fashioned

Hilton

“a wealthy woman” · “from the town on the hill”

21RareSteady

85% boys · 15% girls

Old Norse · Old-fashioned

Thurman

“protected by Thor”

0Not recently recordedCooling

>99% boys

Sibling ideas

Names that share Tillman’s feel without repeating its first letter or rhyming with it.

A brother for Tillman

A sister for Tillman