2000
#107,565
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 153
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Talaber
A French surname derived from the Medieval Latin word "talabrum" meaning a tambourine or small drum.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Talaber. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Talaber 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Talaber in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Talaber, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Talaber
The surname "TALABER" is believed to have originated in the region of Catalonia, in northeastern Spain, during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Catalan word "talabard," which referred to a type of leather armor or protective garment worn by soldiers and knights. This suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational surname, associated with individuals involved in the manufacture or repair of such armor.
One of the earliest recorded instances of this surname can be found in the "Llibre de Repartiment," a historical document from the 13th century that documented the distribution of lands and properties in the Kingdom of Valencia after its conquest by the Crown of Aragon. In this record, a certain "Pere Talaber" is mentioned as a participant in the conquest and subsequent settlement of the region.
During the 14th and 15th centuries, the name appears to have spread beyond Catalonia to other parts of the Iberian Peninsula, including the regions of Aragon and Valencia. Several historical documents from this period, such as municipal records and notarial documents, contain references to individuals bearing the surname Talaber or variations like "Tallaber" or "Tallavera."
One notable figure from this era was Francesc Talaber (c. 1380-1450), a renowned sculptor and architect who worked on several important ecclesiastical buildings in Barcelona and its surrounding areas. His contributions to the Gothic architectural style of the time were highly regarded, and some of his works, such as the cloister of the Monastery of Pedralbes, are still standing today.
In the 16th century, as the Spanish Empire expanded across the Atlantic, the name Talaber also made its way to the Americas. One of the earliest recorded individuals with this surname in the New World was Juan Talaber (c. 1525-1590), a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Peru alongside Francisco Pizarro. He later became a prominent landowner and settler in the region.
Another notable figure from this period was María Talaber (c. 1560-1635), a prominent philanthropist and benefactor in the city of Seville. She was responsible for founding several charitable institutions, including a hospital and a school for underprivileged children, which bore her name.
As the centuries passed, the Talaber surname continued to spread across various parts of the Spanish-speaking world, with individuals bearing this name making notable contributions in various fields, including literature, politics, and the arts.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Talaber
Among Census respondents with the surname Talaber, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Talaber 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 Talaber surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.5% · 108
- Hispanic or Latino5.1% · 6
- Two or more races2.5% · 3
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Talaber
Talaber 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
#139,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
-33 bearers (-21.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 31,663 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-2 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,283 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #107,565 | 153 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #139,228 | 120 | 0.04 | -33 bearers (-21.6%) | Down 31,663 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 4,283 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 Talaber 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 | #139,228 | #143,511 | -3.1% |
| Count | 120 | 118 | -1.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Talaber bearers went from 120 to 118 (-1.7% change). The surname moved down 4,283 positions in the national ranking, going from #139,228 to #143,511.
FAQ
Talaber surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Talaber?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Talaber. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Talaber?
Talaber ranks #143,511 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 118 people with the surname Talaber. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), 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 Talaber.
Has Talaber become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Talaber went from 120 recorded bearers to 118. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #139,228 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Talaber?
Among Census respondents with the surname Talaber, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Talaber in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (108 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Talaber appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.5%), Hispanic (5.1%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Talaber (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 Talaber mean?
A French surname derived from the Medieval Latin word "talabrum" meaning a tambourine or small drum. 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 Talaber (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 common is the surname Talaber?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Talaber is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.