2000
#146,011
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Talabera
A variant of the Spanish place name Talavera, denoting a resident of that town.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Talabera. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Talabera 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
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Talabera in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Talabera, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 97.5%. The next largest groups are Black (0.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Talabera
The surname Talabera has its origins in Spain, dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Arabic word "at-talaberah," which referred to a fortified place or a watchtower. This suggests that the name may have been associated with individuals who lived near or worked in such structures during the period of Moorish rule in parts of Spain.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the "Libro de Repartimiento," a document from the 13th century that recorded the distribution of land and property in the region of Andalusia following the Christian conquest. The name is listed as "Talabera," indicating its presence in southern Spain at that time.
During the 14th and 15th centuries, the name appeared in various records and manuscripts from the regions of Castile and Aragon. One notable example is the mention of a Juan de Talabera in a document from the city of Seville, dated 1437.
The name Talabera is also linked to the town of Talavera de la Reina in the province of Toledo, which was known for its renowned ceramics industry. It is possible that some individuals with this surname may have been associated with this town or its pottery tradition.
Among the notable historical figures with the surname Talabera, one can mention:
1. Hernando de Talabera (c. 1430-1507), a Spanish friar and confessor to Queen Isabella I of Castile.
2. Juan de Talabera (fl. 15th century), a Spanish explorer and conquistador who participated in the conquest of the Canary Islands.
3. Diego de Talabera (c. 1460-1516), a Spanish cleric who served as the Bishop of Jaén and played a role in the early years of the Spanish Inquisition.
4. Alonso de Talabera (c. 1490-1560), a Spanish soldier and colonial administrator who served as the governor of the province of Cartagena (present-day Colombia) in the mid-16th century.
5. Beatriz de Talabera (c. 1520-1585), a Spanish noblewoman and landowner known for her philanthropic work and support of religious institutions in the city of Seville.
While the surname Talabera may have evolved or been altered over time, its roots can be traced back to the medieval period in Spain, reflecting the rich cultural and linguistic influences that shaped the country's history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Talabera
Among Census respondents with the surname Talabera, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 97.5%. The next largest groups are Black (0.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Talabera 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 Talabera surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino97.5% · 117
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
- Two or more races0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Talabera
Talabera 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
#114,424
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 153
+49 bearers (+47.1%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 31,587 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
-33 bearers (-21.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 27,625 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #146,011 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #114,424 | 153 | 0.05 | +49 bearers (+47.1%) | Up 31,587 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | -33 bearers (-21.6%) | Down 27,625 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 Talabera 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 | #114,424 | #142,049 | -24.1% |
| Count | 153 | 120 | -21.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -19.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Talabera bearers went from 153 to 120 (-21.6% change). The surname moved down 27,625 positions in the national ranking, going from #114,424 to #142,049.
FAQ
Talabera surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Talabera?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Talabera. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Talabera?
Talabera ranks #142,049 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 120 people with the surname Talabera. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), 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 Talabera.
Has Talabera become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Talabera went from 153 recorded bearers to 120. That is a decrease of 33 (-21.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #114,424 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Talabera?
Among Census respondents with the surname Talabera, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 97.5%. The next largest groups are Black (0.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.8%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Talabera in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.5% (117 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Talabera appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (97.5%), Black (0.8%), American Indian/Alaska Native (0.8%). 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 Talabera (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 Talabera mean?
A variant of the Spanish place name Talavera, denoting a resident of that town. 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 Talabera (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 share the surname Talabera?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.