2010
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Taguba
A surname of Filipino origin meaning "a gathering place or plaza".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Taguba. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Taguba 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Taguba in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Taguba, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 82.7%. The next largest groups are White (9.1%) and Two or More Races (5.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Taguba
The surname Taguba originated in the Philippines, with its earliest known roots dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Tagalog language, which is one of the major languages spoken in the Philippines. The name may have originated from a combination of Tagalog words or from a specific location or place name within the Philippine archipelago.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Taguba surname can be found in the Spanish colonial records of the Philippines during the late 16th and early 17th centuries. These records often documented the names of local inhabitants, which were typically of Tagalog or other indigenous Philippine origins.
During the Spanish colonial period in the Philippines, which lasted from the 16th to the late 19th century, the Taguba name may have been associated with individuals or families who played a role in the local governance, trade, or cultural affairs of the region. However, specific historical references or prominent individuals bearing this surname from that era are difficult to trace with certainty.
In the 19th century, there are records of a few notable individuals with the Taguba surname. One such figure was Juan Taguba, born in 1832, who was a prominent landowner and community leader in the province of Bulacan, located in the central Luzon region of the Philippines.
Another notable individual was Maria Taguba, born in 1856, who was a renowned educator and advocate for women's education in the Philippines during the latter part of the Spanish colonial era and the early American colonial period.
In the 20th century, one of the most prominent individuals with the Taguba surname was Antonio Taguba, born in 1950. He served as a United States Army Major General and was best known for leading the investigation into the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal in Iraq in 2004.
Other individuals with the Taguba surname include Ernesto Taguba, born in 1925, who was a respected Philippine diplomat and served as the country's ambassador to several nations, and Rosario Taguba, born in 1938, a prominent Filipino author and literary figure.
While the Taguba surname has its roots in the Philippines and can be traced back several centuries, it has also gained recognition in other parts of the world, particularly among Filipino communities and individuals with Philippine heritage in various countries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Taguba
Among Census respondents with the surname Taguba, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 82.7%. The next largest groups are White (9.1%) and Two or More Races (5.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Taguba 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 Taguba surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander82.7% · 91
- White9.1% · 10
- Two or more races5.5% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Taguba
Taguba 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
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-2 bearers (-1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,193 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.8%) | Down 2,193 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 Taguba 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 | #147,253 | #149,446 | -1.5% |
| Count | 112 | 110 | -1.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Taguba bearers went from 112 to 110 (-1.8% change). The surname moved down 2,193 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #149,446.
FAQ
Taguba surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Taguba?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Taguba. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Taguba?
Taguba ranks #149,446 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 110 people with the surname Taguba. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), 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 Taguba.
Has Taguba become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Taguba went from 112 recorded bearers to 110. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #147,253 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Taguba?
Among Census respondents with the surname Taguba, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 82.7%. The next largest groups are White (9.1%) and Two or More Races (5.5%). 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 Taguba in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.7% (91 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Taguba appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (82.7%), White (9.1%), Two or More Races (5.5%). 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 Taguba (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 Taguba mean?
A surname of Filipino origin meaning "a gathering place or plaza". 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 Taguba (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 surname Taguba?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.