2000
#1,800
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,332
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.80
Uncommon Last name
Tackett
A habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "a house with a thatched roof" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 21,161 Americans carry the last name Tackett. That puts it at #1,909 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.17 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 16,197 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tackett 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
21K
1 in 16,197
Census rank
#1,909
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
18K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 18,453 bearers of the surname Tackett in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.17 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1909th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tackett, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tackett
The surname Tackett is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "taca," meaning "boundary marker" or "sign." It is believed to have originated in the counties of Gloucestershire and Somerset in the southwest of England during the medieval period.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Tacheht." This entry suggests that the name was already established in England by the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, the name appeared in various spellings, such as "Tacket," "Takett," and "Tackitt," reflecting the phonetic variations common in that era. The surname was often associated with individuals who lived near boundary markers or landmarks, or those who were responsible for maintaining them.
In the 15th century, records show a William Tackett from Somerset, born around 1420, who was a landowner and farmer. Another notable figure was John Tackett, born in Gloucestershire in 1512, who served as a member of the local militia during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
One of the earliest known members of the Tackett family in America was Thomas Tackett, who arrived in Virginia from England in the early 1600s. He established a successful tobacco plantation and played a role in the colonial government.
During the 18th century, the Tacketts were prominent in various areas of the American colonies. Joseph Tackett, born in 1725 in Pennsylvania, was a respected militia captain and played a significant role in the French and Indian War.
In the 19th century, the Tackett name gained further recognition with individuals like Samuel Tackett (1810-1892), a renowned educator and abolitionist from Ohio, and William Tackett (1838-1914), a successful businessman and philanthropist from Kentucky.
Throughout history, the Tackett surname has been associated with various occupations, including farming, military service, education, and business. While the name originated in southwestern England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through immigration to the Americas and other English-speaking regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tackett
Among Census respondents with the surname Tackett, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Tackett 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 Tackett surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.9% · 16,771
- Two or more races4.2% · 776
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 531
- Black or African American0.9% · 159
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 147
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 69
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tackett
Tackett 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
#1,818
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,737
+1,405 bearers (+7.7%)
Per 100,000 6.69
Rank movement Down 18 places
2020
#1,909
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,453
-1,284 bearers (-6.5%)
Per 100,000 6.17
Rank movement Down 91 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,800 | 18,332 | 6.80 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,818 | 19,737 | 6.69 | +1,405 bearers (+7.7%) | Down 18 places |
| 2020 | #1,909 | 18,453 | 6.17 | -1,284 bearers (-6.5%) | Down 91 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 Tackett 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 | #1,818 | #1,909 | -5.0% |
| Count | 19,737 | 18,453 | -6.5% |
| Per 100K | 6.69 | 6.17 | -7.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tackett bearers went from 19,737 to 18,453 (-6.5% change). The surname moved down 91 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,818 to #1,909.
FAQ
Tackett surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tackett?
Name Census estimates that about 21,161 living Americans carry the surname Tackett. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 16,197 residents.
How common is Tackett?
Tackett ranks #1,909 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.17 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 18,453 people with the surname Tackett. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (21,161), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.17 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.17 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Tackett.
Has Tackett become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tackett went from 19,737 recorded bearers to 18,453. That is a decrease of 1,284 (-6.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,818 to #1,909.
What does the Census say about the background of Tackett?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tackett, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Tackett in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.9% (16,771 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tackett appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.9%), Two or More Races (4.2%), Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Tackett (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 Tackett mean?
A habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "a house with a thatched roof" in Old English. 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 Tackett (6.17 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 share the surname Tackett?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.