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

Taber, 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 Taber surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Taber in America

Taber is the 4550th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Taber surname appeared 7,788 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Taber.

We can also compare 2010 data for Taber 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 Taber

The surname Taber is of English origin and dates back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old French word 'tabor', which referred to a small portable drum. This suggests that the name may have been initially given to a drummer or someone who played the tabor.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Taber can be found in various medieval documents, such as the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where it appears as 'le Tabur'. In the Subsidy Rolls of Suffolk from 1327, the name is listed as 'Thabor'. These variations in spelling were common during that time period.

One notable historical reference to the Taber name is in the renowned Domesday Book, which was commissioned in 1086 by William the Conqueror. The book mentions a place called 'Taber' in Gloucestershire, which may have been named after someone with the surname or possibly derived from the same root word.

In the 14th century, there is a record of a man named John Taber, who was a merchant in Bristol. His sons, William and Richard Taber, were prominent figures in the city during the late 1300s. Another early bearer of the name was Sir Robert Taber, a knight who fought alongside King Edward III in the Battle of Crécy in 1346.

During the 16th century, the Taber family established themselves in the county of Hertfordshire, where they owned land and property. One notable member was Thomas Taber, who was born in 1555 and served as a magistrate in the town of St Albans.

In the 17th century, a family branch of the Tabers migrated to colonial America, with Philip Taber being among the first settlers in New England. He arrived in Massachusetts in 1635 and later played a role in the founding of the town of Yarmouth on Cape Cod.

Over the centuries, several other individuals with the Taber surname have left their mark in various fields. These include John Taber (1615-1675), an early settler of Rhode Island; Benjamin Taber (1673-1715), a Quaker minister and abolitionist; and Henry Taber (1858-1936), an American businessman and co-founder of the Taber Prang Art Company.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Taber

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

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 Taber 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 Taber 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 Taber was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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