2000
#140,756
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Taladay
A place name derived from a locality in India or Bangladesh.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Taladay. 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 Taladay 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 Taladay 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 Taladay, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Taladay
The surname TALADAY is of Spanish origin, originating in the region of Catalonia in northeastern Spain during the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Catalan word "talaia," which means "watchtower" or "lookout post." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this name may have lived near or worked at a watchtower, possibly as sentries or guards.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name TALADAY can be found in the "Arxiu de la Corona d'Aragó" (Archive of the Crown of Aragon), a historical archive in Barcelona. These records date back to the 13th century and mention a certain "Ramon Taladay" who served as a soldier in the army of King James I of Aragon during the Reconquista, the period of Christian reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula from the Moors.
In the 14th century, the surname TALADAY is also documented in various municipal records and tax rolls from the towns of Girona and Tarragona in Catalonia. These records indicate that the name was relatively common among the local population, suggesting that it had established roots in the region by that time.
One notable bearer of the TALADAY surname was Ferran Taladay (1412-1489), a renowned architect and stonemason who oversaw the construction of several churches and cathedrals in Barcelona and its surrounding areas. His work is considered a fine example of Catalan Gothic architecture.
Another prominent figure with this surname was Joan Taladay (1521-1588), a merchant and explorer from Barcelona. He is known for his travels to the Americas, particularly to the Caribbean islands and the coast of present-day Venezuela, where he established trade routes and settlements.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the TALADAY surname also found its way to the Spanish colonies in the Americas, as many Catalan settlers and adventurers made their way across the Atlantic. Historical records from this period mention individuals such as Diego Taladay (1564-1627), a landowner and cattle rancher in present-day Mexico, and Tomás Taladay (1611-1679), a magistrate and judge in the Viceroyalty of Peru.
As the centuries passed, the TALADAY surname continued to spread throughout Spain and its former colonies, with various branches of the family establishing themselves in different regions and countries. Prominent bearers of the name in more recent times include the Spanish painter Juan Taladay (1837-1913) and the Argentine writer and journalist Marta Taladay (1901-1983).
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Taladay
Among Census respondents with the surname Taladay, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Taladay 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 Taladay surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.3% · 112
- Hispanic or Latino6.7% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Taladay
Taladay 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
#133,863
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
+17 bearers (+15.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 6,893 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
-6 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,186 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #140,756 | 109 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #133,863 | 126 | 0.04 | +17 bearers (+15.6%) | Up 6,893 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 8,186 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 Taladay 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 | #133,863 | #142,049 | -6.1% |
| Count | 126 | 120 | -4.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Taladay bearers went from 126 to 120 (-4.8% change). The surname moved down 8,186 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,863 to #142,049.
FAQ
Taladay surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Taladay?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Taladay. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Taladay?
Taladay 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 Taladay. 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 Taladay.
Has Taladay become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Taladay went from 126 recorded bearers to 120. That is a decrease of 6 (-4.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #133,863 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Taladay?
Among Census respondents with the surname Taladay, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.7%). 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 Taladay in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (112 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Taladay appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.3%), Hispanic (6.7%). 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 Taladay (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 Taladay mean?
A place name derived from a locality in India or Bangladesh. 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 Taladay (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 Taladay?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.