2000
#3,621
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,014
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.34
Uncommon Last name
Tafoya
A Spanish surname derived from the place name Tafolla, referring to someone from the town of Tafalla in Navarre.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 11,160 Americans carry the last name Tafoya. That puts it at #3,575 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.26 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 30,713 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tafoya 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
11K
1 in 30,713
Census rank
#3,575
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.7K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,732 bearers of the surname Tafoya in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.26 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3575th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tafoya, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 78.3%. The next largest groups are White (14.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tafoya
The surname Tafoya originated in Spain and is believed to have derived from the Arabic word "tafoya," meaning pottery maker or potter. This name likely came into existence during the period of Moorish rule in parts of Spain, which lasted from the 8th to the 15th century.
The earliest recorded use of the name Tafoya can be traced back to the 13th century in parts of Andalusia, a region in southern Spain that was under Moorish control for several centuries. During this time, the name was likely associated with individuals or families involved in the pottery-making trade, which was a significant industry in the region.
As the Reconquista progressed, and the Moors were gradually expelled from Spain, many families with Arabic-derived names, including Tafoya, migrated to other parts of the Iberian Peninsula and eventually to the Americas during the Spanish colonization of the New World.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Tafoya surname appears in the Libro de las Bienandanzas e Fortunas, a 14th-century manuscript written by Lope García de Salazar, a Spanish historian and nobleman. The manuscript mentions a certain Juan Tafoya, who was involved in a military conflict during that period.
In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the Tafoya surname was Diego Tafoya, a Spanish explorer and conquistador who accompanied Hernán Cortés during the conquest of Mexico. He was born in Seville, Spain, around 1490 and participated in several expeditions and battles against the Aztecs.
Another prominent individual with the Tafoya surname was Fray Juan de Tafoya, a Spanish Franciscan friar who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He was instrumental in the establishment of several missions and churches in New Mexico, which was then part of the Spanish colonial territory known as New Spain.
In the 18th century, Juan Antonio Tafoya y Luján was a notable figure in colonial New Mexico. He served as a military officer and held various administrative positions in the region, including that of the Alcalde Mayor (Mayor) of Santa Fe.
In the 19th century, one of the most notable individuals with the Tafoya surname was Manuel Antonio Chacón Tafoya, a prominent politician and landowner in New Mexico. He served as a delegate to the United States Congress and played a crucial role in the transition of New Mexico from a Spanish colony to a U.S. territory.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tafoya
Among Census respondents with the surname Tafoya, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 78.3%. The next largest groups are White (14.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Tafoya 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 Tafoya surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino78.3% · 7,618
- White14.7% · 1,429
- American Indian and Alaska Native4.4% · 425
- Two or more races1.7% · 169
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 53
- Black or African American0.4% · 38
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tafoya
Tafoya 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
#3,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,114
+1,100 bearers (+12.2%)
Per 100,000 3.43
Rank movement Up 89 places
2020
#3,575
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,732
-382 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 3.26
Rank movement Down 43 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,621 | 9,014 | 3.34 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,532 | 10,114 | 3.43 | +1,100 bearers (+12.2%) | Up 89 places |
| 2020 | #3,575 | 9,732 | 3.26 | -382 bearers (-3.8%) | Down 43 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 Tafoya 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 | #3,532 | #3,575 | -1.2% |
| Count | 10,114 | 9,732 | -3.8% |
| Per 100K | 3.43 | 3.26 | -5.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tafoya bearers went from 10,114 to 9,732 (-3.8% change). The surname moved down 43 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,532 to #3,575.
FAQ
Tafoya surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tafoya?
Name Census estimates that about 11,160 living Americans carry the surname Tafoya. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 30,713 residents.
How common is Tafoya?
Tafoya ranks #3,575 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.26 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,732 people with the surname Tafoya. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (11,160), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.26 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.26 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Tafoya.
Has Tafoya become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tafoya went from 10,114 recorded bearers to 9,732. That is a decrease of 382 (-3.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,532 to #3,575.
What does the Census say about the background of Tafoya?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tafoya, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 78.3%. The next largest groups are White (14.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (4.4%). 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 Tafoya in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.3% (7,618 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tafoya appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (78.3%), White (14.7%), American Indian/Alaska Native (4.4%). 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 Tafoya (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 Tafoya mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the place name Tafolla, referring to someone from the town of Tafalla in Navarre. 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 Tafoya (3.26 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 surname Tafoya?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.