Tarlton
From an English surname meaning "farmstead of the thorn trees or brambles."
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Tarlton. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Tarlton today is around 49 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tarlton births was 1927 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tarlton. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Tarlton. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
1927
5 babies that year
Average age
49
years old
1977 SSA rank
#6,751
Tracked since 1927
Popularity
Tarlton: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Tarlton from the 1920s through to the 1970s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 5 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Tarlton by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Tarlton during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Tarlton
The name Tarlton is an English surname that has been used as a given name in some instances. Its origins can be traced back to the Old English word 'tær-leah-tun', which means 'the farm or enclosure where tar was made'. This suggests that the name was initially associated with people who were involved in the production of tar or lived in areas where tar was produced.
The earliest recorded use of the name Tarlton dates back to the 13th century in England. One of the earliest known individuals with this name was Richard Tarlton, a famous English comedian and actor who lived from around 1530 to 1588. He was a member of Queen Elizabeth I's court and renowned for his improvisational skills and comic performances.
Another notable bearer of the name Tarlton was Benjamin Tarlton, an English actor and playwright who lived from 1663 to 1698. He was known for his roles in several popular plays of the time, including "The Constant Couple" and "The Relapse."
In the 18th century, Tarlton Woodhouse was a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War. He was born in 1752 and played a significant role in several naval battles against the French and Spanish fleets.
In the 19th century, Tarlton Hoffman Ray was an American judge and politician who served as a United States Representative from North Carolina from 1839 to 1845. He was born in 1808 and was also a prominent lawyer and landowner in his home state.
Tarlton Fleming Munson was an American soldier and lawyer who lived from 1835 to 1903. He fought in the American Civil War and served as a colonel in the Union Army. After the war, he pursued a career in law and held several government positions, including that of a United States district attorney.
While the name Tarlton has not been as widely used as some other English names, it has a rich history and has been borne by several notable individuals throughout the centuries, particularly in the fields of entertainment, politics, and the military.
People
Tarlton + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tarlton as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with T
Other first names starting with T with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Tarlton: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tarlton?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tarlton going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Tarlton a common name?
We classify Tarlton as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 10 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tarlton most popular?
The single biggest year for Tarlton was 1927, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tarlton is about 49 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Tarlton in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Tarlton a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Tarlton in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Tarlton still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Tarlton in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Tarlton can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are called Tarlton?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.