2010
#157,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Tafalla
A Spanish surname derived from the town name Tafalla, located in Navarre, Spain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Tafalla. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tafalla 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
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Tafalla in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tafalla, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 53.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (30.3%) and White (15.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tafalla
The surname Tafalla has its origins in the Navarra region of Spain, dating back to the medieval period. It is derived from the town of Tafalla, located in the northern part of Navarra. The name Tafalla is believed to have its roots in the Basque language, possibly from the words "ata" meaning "door" and "falla" meaning "defective" or "flawed", suggesting a connection to a specific location or landmark.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Tafalla can be found in the Becerro de Remigio Salazar, a medieval manuscript from the 13th century, which mentions individuals with this name living in the area around Tafalla. The Tafalla family is also mentioned in the Libro de Armería, a 16th-century book of heraldry compiled by Juan de Marquina.
In the 14th century, a notable figure bearing the surname Tafalla was Garcí Fernández de Tafalla, a nobleman and military leader who fought in the War of the Two Peters between the kingdoms of Castile and Aragon. In the 15th century, Juan de Tafalla was a prominent architect who was involved in the construction of several important buildings, including the Cathedral of Pamplona.
During the 16th century, Sancho de Tafalla, born in 1510, was a renowned painter and sculptor who worked in the Renaissance style. His works can be found in various churches and monasteries throughout Navarra and neighboring regions. Another notable individual from this period was Martín de Tafalla, born in 1535, a scholar and theologian who served as a professor at the University of Salamanca.
In the 17th century, Diego de Tafalla, born in 1612, was a prominent military commander who participated in the Thirty Years' War and the Catalan Revolt. He was known for his strategic skills and bravery on the battlefield.
While the surname Tafalla may have originated in the Navarra region, it has since spread to other parts of Spain and beyond due to migration and various historical events. However, its roots can be traced back to the medieval town of Tafalla and its possible Basque linguistic origins.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tafalla
Among Census respondents with the surname Tafalla, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 53.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (30.3%) and White (15.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Tafalla 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 Tafalla surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander53.2% · 58
- Hispanic or Latino30.3% · 33
- White15.6% · 17
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tafalla
Tafalla appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
+6 bearers (+5.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 7,029 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #157,234 | 103 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.8%) | Up 7,029 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 Tafalla 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 | #157,234 | #150,205 | 4.5% |
| Count | 103 | 109 | 5.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 21.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tafalla bearers went from 103 to 109 (+5.8% change). The surname moved up 7,029 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #150,205.
FAQ
Tafalla surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tafalla?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Tafalla. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Tafalla?
Tafalla ranks #150,205 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 109 people with the surname Tafalla. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), 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 Tafalla.
Has Tafalla become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tafalla went from 103 recorded bearers to 109. That is an increase of 6 (+5.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Tafalla?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tafalla, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 53.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (30.3%) and White (15.6%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Tafalla in the 2020 Census, accounting for 53.2% (58 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tafalla appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (53.2%), Hispanic (30.3%), White (15.6%). 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 Tafalla (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 Tafalla mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the town name Tafalla, located in Navarre, Spain. 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 Tafalla (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 many people have the last name Tafalla?
See how many people have the surname Tafalla on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.