2010
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Tabanico
A Spanish surname likely derived from the word "tabanco" meaning an attic or loft area.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Tabanico. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tabanico surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Tabanico in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tabanico, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.6%. The next largest groups are White (4.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tabanico
The surname "TABANICO" is believed to have originated in Spain during the late 15th century. It is likely derived from the Spanish word "tabano," which means "horsefly" or "gadfly." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived or worked near areas where these insects were prevalent.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in various Spanish documents from the 16th and 17th centuries. For example, in 1562, a man named Juan Tabanico was listed as a resident of the town of Alcalá de Henares, near Madrid. Another early reference is to a Francisco Tabanico, who was born in Seville in 1598.
In the late 17th century, the name appears to have spread to other parts of Europe and the Americas, likely due to Spanish colonization and migration. One notable figure was Pedro Tabanico, a Spanish explorer who accompanied Hernán Cortés on his expedition to Mexico in the early 1500s.
Another individual of note was María Tabanico, a Spanish-born woman who settled in colonial Peru in the late 1600s. She is mentioned in several historical records as being a prominent landowner and influential member of the local community.
In the 18th century, the name can be found in various parts of the Spanish empire, including the Philippines. One example is José Tabanico, a Spanish soldier who served in the Philippine Islands in the 1770s.
Moving into the 19th century, there are records of a Miguel Tabanico, who was born in Madrid in 1812 and later became a renowned artist and painter. His works can still be seen in several Spanish museums today.
It is worth noting that the name "TABANICO" has also been associated with certain place names in Spain, such as the village of Tabanique in the province of Cuenca. This may suggest that the surname could have been derived from a specific geographic location, rather than directly from the word for "horsefly."
Overall, while not a particularly common surname, "TABANICO" has a rich history and can be traced back to its Spanish roots several centuries ago. It has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including explorers, landowners, artists, and soldiers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tabanico
Among Census respondents with the surname Tabanico, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.6%. The next largest groups are White (4.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Tabanico bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Tabanico surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino90.6% · 106
- White4.3% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.6% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tabanico
Tabanico appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+1 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,121 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 1,121 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Tabanico surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #143,149 | #144,270 | -0.8% |
| Count | 116 | 117 | 0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tabanico bearers went from 116 to 117 (+0.9% change). The surname moved down 1,121 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #144,270.
FAQ
Tabanico surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tabanico?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Tabanico. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Tabanico?
Tabanico ranks #144,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 117 people with the surname Tabanico. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Tabanico.
Has Tabanico become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tabanico went from 116 recorded bearers to 117. That is an increase of 1 (+0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #143,149 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Tabanico?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tabanico, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.6%. The next largest groups are White (4.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.6%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Tabanico in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.6% (106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tabanico appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (90.6%), White (4.3%), American Indian/Alaska Native (2.6%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Tabanico (2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Tabanico mean?
A Spanish surname likely derived from the word "tabanco" meaning an attic or loft area. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Tabanico (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Tabanico?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Tabanico, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.