2000
#150,436
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Tabita
A variant spelling of the biblical female name Tabitha.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Tabita. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tabita 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Tabita in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tabita, the largest self-reported group is White at 38.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (27.4%) and Hispanic (22.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tabita
The surname TABITA is believed to have originated from the Hebrew name Tabitha, which means "gazelle" or "graceful." The name first appeared in the Bible's New Testament in the Book of Acts, where it referred to a woman named Tabitha from Joppa, a town in ancient Palestine.
The TABITA surname likely emerged in the Middle Ages, possibly among Jewish communities in the Iberian Peninsula (modern-day Spain and Portugal) or the Levant region (modern-day Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and parts of Jordan). As Jews migrated across Europe and the Mediterranean, variations of the name, such as Tavita, Tabitha, and Tabita, became more widespread.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the TABITA surname can be found in the 14th century Catalan poetry anthology, the "Cançoner de l'Ateneu." In this work, a poet named Francesc de la Via composed a poem dedicated to a woman named Tabita.
In the 16th century, a Jewish scholar named Tabita Benveniste was born in Salonika, Greece (now Thessaloniki). She is notable for her contributions to Jewish philosophy and her writings on the Kabbalah.
During the 17th century, a prominent Italian physician named Tabita Salomoni practiced medicine in Florence. She was highly regarded for her medical knowledge and her work in treating patients during outbreaks of plague and other epidemics.
In the 18th century, a Jewish merchant named Tabita Cohen lived in Amsterdam, where he was involved in the city's thriving trade networks. Records from this period also mention a woman named Tabita Mendes, who was a philanthropist and supporter of Jewish charities in London.
In the 19th century, a Spanish writer and activist named Tabita Romero Flores was born in Seville. She was known for her advocacy for women's rights and her contributions to the feminist movement in Spain.
Throughout its history, the TABITA surname has maintained its connection to its Hebrew roots, with variations in spelling and pronunciation reflecting the cultural and linguistic influences of the regions where it has been found. While not a particularly common surname, it has appeared across various countries and communities, leaving a lasting legacy as a unique and meaningful name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tabita
Among Census respondents with the surname Tabita, the largest self-reported group is White at 38.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (27.4%) and Hispanic (22.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Tabita 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 Tabita surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White38.9% · 44
- Asian and Pacific Islander27.4% · 31
- Hispanic or Latino22.1% · 25
- Two or more races7.1% · 8
- Black or African American4.4% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tabita
Tabita 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
#141,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+18 bearers (+18.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 9,296 places
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-5 bearers (-4.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,081 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #150,436 | 100 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #141,140 | 118 | 0.04 | +18 bearers (+18.0%) | Up 9,296 places |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.2%) | Down 6,081 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 Tabita 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 | #141,140 | #147,221 | -4.3% |
| Count | 118 | 113 | -4.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tabita bearers went from 118 to 113 (-4.2% change). The surname moved down 6,081 positions in the national ranking, going from #141,140 to #147,221.
FAQ
Tabita surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tabita?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Tabita. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Tabita?
Tabita ranks #147,221 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 113 people with the surname Tabita. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), 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 Tabita.
Has Tabita become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tabita went from 118 recorded bearers to 113. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #141,140 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Tabita?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tabita, the largest self-reported group is White at 38.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (27.4%) and Hispanic (22.1%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Tabita in the 2020 Census, accounting for 38.9% (44 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tabita appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (38.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (27.4%), Hispanic (22.1%). 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 Tabita (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 Tabita mean?
A variant spelling of the biblical female name Tabitha. 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 Tabita (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 common is the surname Tabita?
If you just want to know how many people are called Tabita, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.