2000
#17,170
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,522
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.56
Rare Last name
Tadeo
A Spanish surname derived from the given name Tadeo, a variant of Thaddeus, meaning "heart" or "courageous heart."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,914 Americans carry the last name Tadeo. That puts it at #11,789 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.85 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 117,623 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tadeo 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
2.9K
1 in 117,623
Census rank
#11,789
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,541 bearers of the surname Tadeo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.85 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11789th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tadeo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 73.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (18.1%) and White (5.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tadeo
The surname TADEO has its origins in Spain, dating back to the medieval period around the 12th century. It is derived from the Spanish personal name Tadeo, which in turn comes from the Latin Thaddaeus, meaning "heart" or "courageous." This name traces its roots to the Aramaic name Taddai, borne by one of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname TADEO can be found in various Spanish documents from the 13th and 14th centuries, particularly in regions like Castile and Aragon. It is believed that the name was initially adopted as a patronymic, indicating descent from an ancestor named Tadeo.
One notable historical reference to the surname TADEO appears in the Libro de la Montería, a 14th-century manuscript commissioned by King Alfonso XI of Castile, which contains a list of participants in royal hunts. The name Tadeo is mentioned among the attendees, suggesting the presence of individuals bearing this surname during that period.
In the 15th century, a prominent figure with the surname TADEO was Juan Tadeo de Rojas (c. 1450-1521), a Spanish nobleman and military commander who served as the Governor of Galicia and played a significant role in the conquest of Granada. His exploits were documented in various historical accounts from that era.
Another noteworthy individual was Diego Tadeo González de Samano (1744-1814), a Spanish lawyer, politician, and judge who served as the President of the Supreme Council of Spain and the Indies during the early 19th century, a position of great importance in the Spanish colonial administration.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the TADEO surname was also found in various regions of Spain, including Catalonia and Valencia, where it was sometimes spelled as "Tedeo" or "Thadeo," reflecting regional variations in pronunciation and spelling.
One remarkable figure from this period was Fray Tadeo de San Elíseo (1570-1638), a Spanish Carmelite friar and mystic who lived in the convent of San Hermenegildo in Madrid. He was known for his spiritual writings and his reputation for sanctity.
In the 18th century, the surname TADEO gained prominence in the Spanish colonies of the Americas. One notable bearer was José Tadeo Bravo (1778-1818), a Venezuelan military leader and patriot who fought in the Venezuelan War of Independence against Spanish rule.
These are just a few examples of individuals who carried the surname TADEO throughout history, reflecting its Spanish origins and its presence across various regions and time periods.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tadeo
Among Census respondents with the surname Tadeo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 73.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (18.1%) and White (5.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Tadeo 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 Tadeo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino73.4% · 1,865
- Asian and Pacific Islander18.1% · 461
- White5.4% · 138
- Two or more races2.2% · 55
- Black or African American0.6% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tadeo
Tadeo 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
#11,970
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,610
+1,088 bearers (+71.5%)
Per 100,000 0.88
Rank movement Up 5,200 places
2020
#11,789
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,541
-69 bearers (-2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.85
Rank movement Up 181 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #17,170 | 1,522 | 0.56 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,970 | 2,610 | 0.88 | +1,088 bearers (+71.5%) | Up 5,200 places |
| 2020 | #11,789 | 2,541 | 0.85 | -69 bearers (-2.6%) | Up 181 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 Tadeo 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 | #11,970 | #11,789 | 1.5% |
| Count | 2,610 | 2,541 | -2.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.88 | 0.85 | -3.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tadeo bearers went from 2,610 to 2,541 (-2.6% change). The surname moved up 181 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,970 to #11,789.
FAQ
Tadeo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tadeo?
Name Census estimates that about 2,914 living Americans carry the surname Tadeo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 117,623 residents.
How common is Tadeo?
Tadeo ranks #11,789 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.85 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 2,541 people with the surname Tadeo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,914), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.85 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.85 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 Tadeo.
Has Tadeo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tadeo went from 2,610 recorded bearers to 2,541. That is a decrease of 69 (-2.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,970 to #11,789.
What does the Census say about the background of Tadeo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tadeo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 73.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (18.1%) and White (5.4%). 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 Tadeo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.4% (1,865 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tadeo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (73.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (18.1%), White (5.4%). 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 Tadeo (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 Tadeo mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the given name Tadeo, a variant of Thaddeus, meaning "heart" or "courageous heart." 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 Tadeo (0.85 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 are called Tadeo?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Tadeo? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.