2000
#135,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Tahaney
A variant spelling of Irish surname Taheny, likely derived from Irish Gaelic Ó Tathgáin meaning "descendent of Tathgán".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Tahaney. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tahaney 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
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Tahaney in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tahaney, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.6%) and Black (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tahaney
The surname Tahaney has its origins in Ireland, dating back to the 12th century. It is thought to have derived from the old Gaelic word "taisidheanaigh," which translates to "frequenter of thick bushy places." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this name may have lived in heavily wooded or forested areas.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Tahaney surname can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the early 17th century. The name is mentioned in connection with a clan that resided in County Mayo in the western part of Ireland.
The Tahaney name can also be traced back to the Petty's Census of Ireland, conducted in 1659, which lists several families with variations of the spelling, including Taheny and Tahany. This indicates that the name had already begun to take on different forms by the mid-17th century.
In the 18th century, a notable figure bearing the Tahaney surname was Michael Tahaney, a prominent landowner and politician from County Mayo. He served as a member of the Irish Parliament in the 1760s and was known for his advocacy of Catholic rights during a time of religious tensions in Ireland.
Another historical figure with the Tahaney name was Bridget Tahaney, born in County Mayo in 1812. She was a renowned traditional Irish singer and storyteller, responsible for preserving many ancient Irish ballads and folk tales that may have otherwise been lost to history.
The name Tahaney can also be found in connection with several place names in Ireland, such as Tahaney Beg and Tahaney More, both of which are townlands located in County Mayo. These place names likely stem from the same linguistic roots as the surname itself.
In the early 20th century, a notable bearer of the Tahaney name was Patrick Tahaney, born in 1888 in County Mayo. He was a respected teacher and headmaster who dedicated his life to educating the youth of his local community.
While the Tahaney surname may not be as widely known as some other Irish names, it has a rich and diverse history that spans several centuries and reflects the cultural heritage of the Irish people.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tahaney
Among Census respondents with the surname Tahaney, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.6%) and Black (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Tahaney 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 Tahaney surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.8% · 95
- Hispanic or Latino11.6% · 13
- Black or African American1.8% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tahaney
Tahaney 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
#132,206
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
+14 bearers (+12.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 3,631 places
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
-16 bearers (-12.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,748 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #135,837 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #132,206 | 128 | 0.04 | +14 bearers (+12.3%) | Up 3,631 places |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | -16 bearers (-12.5%) | Down 15,748 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 Tahaney 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 | #132,206 | #147,954 | -11.9% |
| Count | 128 | 112 | -12.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tahaney bearers went from 128 to 112 (-12.5% change). The surname moved down 15,748 positions in the national ranking, going from #132,206 to #147,954.
FAQ
Tahaney surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tahaney?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Tahaney. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Tahaney?
Tahaney ranks #147,954 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 112 people with the surname Tahaney. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), 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 Tahaney.
Has Tahaney become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tahaney went from 128 recorded bearers to 112. That is a decrease of 16 (-12.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #132,206 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Tahaney?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tahaney, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.6%) and Black (1.8%). 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 Tahaney in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.8% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tahaney appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.8%), Hispanic (11.6%), Black (1.8%). 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 Tahaney (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 Tahaney mean?
A variant spelling of Irish surname Taheny, likely derived from Irish Gaelic Ó Tathgáin meaning "descendent of Tathgán". 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 Tahaney (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 Americans have the surname Tahaney?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.