2000
#7,292
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,215
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.56
Rare Last name
Tabb
A surname of English origin, derived from a nickname meaning "one who plays the tabor" (a small drum).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,906 Americans carry the last name Tabb. That puts it at #7,507 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.43 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 69,864 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tabb 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Tabb with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.9K
1 in 69,864
Census rank
#7,507
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,278 bearers of the surname Tabb in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.43 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7507th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tabb, the largest self-reported group is Black at 47.3%. The next largest groups are White (44.8%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tabb
The surname Tabb has its origins in England, with records dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "taebba," meaning a maker or weaver of a coarse cloth called "tabb." The name was likely an occupational surname given to those who worked in the cloth-making trade.
One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, which lists a Richard Tabb residing in Oxfordshire. The surname also appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327, where a John Tabb is recorded as a taxpayer.
The Tabb surname can be traced to various parts of England, including Oxfordshire, Worcestershire, and Kent. In the 16th century, the name was particularly prominent in the village of Tabb's Green, located in the parish of Brasted, Kent. This location may have contributed to the widespread use of the surname in the region.
In terms of notable individuals bearing the Tabb surname, one of the earliest recorded was Sir William Tabb (c. 1415-1485), a prominent landowner and Member of Parliament for Kent during the reign of King Henry VI. Another notable figure was John Tabb (1615-1675), an early settler in Virginia who became a prosperous planter and landowner in Gloucester County.
During the 17th century, the Tabb surname also appeared in various historical records, such as the Protestation Returns of 1641-1642, which listed individuals who swore allegiance to the Protestant religion. In this document, several members of the Tabb family are recorded, including George Tabb and John Tabb from Oxfordshire, and Thomas Tabb from Kent.
Other notable individuals with the Tabb surname include John Banister Tabb (1845-1909), an American poet and educator who was one of the first prominent literary figures from the American South after the Civil War. Additionally, Wilbur Cortez Tabb (1859-1940) was a renowned American architect who designed several notable buildings in New York City, including the Manhattan Bridge Anchorage and the First Church of Christ, Scientist.
Throughout its history, the Tabb surname has been associated with various places and individuals, reflecting its English origins and contributions to various fields, including politics, literature, and architecture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tabb
Among Census respondents with the surname Tabb, the largest self-reported group is Black at 47.3%. The next largest groups are White (44.8%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Tabb 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 Tabb surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American47.3% · 2,022
- White44.8% · 1,918
- Two or more races4.5% · 194
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 125
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tabb
Tabb appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#7,698
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,312
+97 bearers (+2.3%)
Per 100,000 1.46
Rank movement Down 406 places
2020
#7,507
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,278
-34 bearers (-0.8%)
Per 100,000 1.43
Rank movement Up 191 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,292 | 4,215 | 1.56 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,698 | 4,312 | 1.46 | +97 bearers (+2.3%) | Down 406 places |
| 2020 | #7,507 | 4,278 | 1.43 | -34 bearers (-0.8%) | Up 191 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 Tabb 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 | #7,698 | #7,507 | 2.5% |
| Count | 4,312 | 4,278 | -0.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.46 | 1.43 | -2.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tabb bearers went from 4,312 to 4,278 (-0.8% change). The surname moved up 191 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,698 to #7,507.
FAQ
Tabb surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tabb?
Name Census estimates that about 4,906 living Americans carry the surname Tabb. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 69,864 residents.
How common is Tabb?
Tabb ranks #7,507 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.43 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,278 people with the surname Tabb. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,906), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.43 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.43 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Tabb.
Has Tabb become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tabb went from 4,312 recorded bearers to 4,278. That is a decrease of 34 (-0.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,698 to #7,507.
What does the Census say about the background of Tabb?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tabb, the largest self-reported group is Black at 47.3%. The next largest groups are White (44.8%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Tabb in the 2020 Census, accounting for 47.3% (2,022 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tabb appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (47.3%), White (44.8%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Tabb (2000, 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 Tabb mean?
A surname of English origin, derived from a nickname meaning "one who plays the tabor" (a small drum). 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 Tabb (1.43 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 Tabb?
You can see how common the surname Tabb is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.