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BACKGROUND: Trichotillomania (TTM) onset may occur across the lifespan; however, adolescent onset is most frequently reported. Several studies have explored clinical differences between TTM age of onset groups with mixed results. We investigated empirically defined age of onset groups in adults with TTM and clinical differences between groups. METHODS: Participants were 1604 adult respondents to an internet survey, who endorsed DSM-IV-TR TTM criteria. Latent profile analysis was performed to identify TTM age of onset subgroups, which were then compared on demographic and clinical features. RESULTS: The most optimal model was a two-class solution comprised of a large group with average TTM onset during adolescence (n = 1539; 95.9% of the sample; Mean age of onset = 12.4 years) and a small group with average onset in middle adulthood (n = 65; 4.1% of the sample; Mean age of onset = 35.6 years). The late-onset group differed from the early-onset group on several clinical variables (e.g., less likely to report co-occurring body-focused repetitive behaviors). CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest the presence of at least two distinct TTM age of onset subgroups: an early-onset group with onset during adolescence and a late-onset group with onset in middle adulthood. Future research is needed to further validate these subgroups and explore their clinical utility.