Find out how popular the last name Tabak is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Tabak.

Tabak, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Tabak surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tabak in America

Tabak is the 25381st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tabak surname appeared 975 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Tabak.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tabak to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Tabak

The surname Tabak originates from the Polish language and is believed to have first appeared in the 16th century in the regions of modern-day Poland and parts of western Ukraine. It is derived from the Polish word "tabaka," which means "tobacco" or "tobacco plant."

Records indicate that the name was often associated with individuals involved in the cultivation, processing, or trading of tobacco during the early stages of the tobacco industry's development in these regions. The earliest known reference to the surname Tabak can be found in a 1587 land registry document from the town of Krakow, where a merchant named Jan Tabak is mentioned.

In the 17th century, the Tabak surname began to spread across other parts of Central and Eastern Europe due to the migration patterns of Polish families and individuals. The name appeared in various historical records and documents, including church registers, tax rolls, and military enlistment records.

One notable figure bearing the Tabak surname was Jakub Tabak, a Polish military commander who fought in the Polish-Swedish War of 1626-1629. He was born in 1590 and played a significant role in defending the city of Gdansk against Swedish forces.

Another historical figure was Zofia Tabak, a Polish noblewoman and philanthropist who lived in the late 18th century. She was known for her charitable work and for establishing a school for underprivileged children in the city of Lublin.

In the 19th century, the Tabak surname was found in various parts of the Russian Empire, particularly in regions with significant Polish populations, such as Belarus and Lithuania. One prominent individual was Andrzej Tabak, a Polish-Belarusian lawyer and political activist who was born in 1832 and fought for the rights of the Polish minority in the Russian Empire.

Another notable figure was Jan Tabak, a Polish-Lithuanian writer and journalist who lived from 1878 to 1956. He was known for his works exploring themes of national identity and cultural heritage.

The Tabak surname also made its way to other parts of the world through emigration, particularly to the United States and Canada, where it can be found among families of Polish descent.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tabak

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Tabak.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Tabak was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Tabak has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Tabak was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Tabak, please contact us.

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