Talbot last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Talbot is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Talbot.

Meaning of Talbot

An English and French surname derived from a Germanic personal name meaning "valley bolt" or "messenger from the valley."

Talbot, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Talbot surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Talbot in America

Talbot is the 2342nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Talbot surname appeared 15,562 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 5 people would have the surname Talbot.

We can also compare 2010 data for Talbot to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 2342 2221 5.30%
Count 15,562 15,027 3.50%
Proportion per 100k 5.28 5.57 -5.35%

The history of the last name Talbot

The surname Talbot originated in Normandy, France, in the early medieval period. It is derived from the Old Norman French words "talu" or "taille," meaning "hewn" or "cut," and "bois," meaning "wood." The name likely referred to an occupation or trade, such as a woodcutter or forester.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Talbot name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, a manuscript recording landowners in England after the Norman Conquest. The name is mentioned in various spellings, including Talebot, Taleboth, and Talebot.

During the Middle Ages, the Talbot family held significant landholdings and influence in both England and France. The earliest known bearer of the name was Sir Richard Talbot, who lived in the late 12th century and held estates in Shropshire, England.

In the 13th century, Gilbert Talbot (c. 1276-1346) served as a military commander and was granted lands in Ireland by King Edward I. He established the Talbot line in Ireland, which produced several notable figures over the centuries.

John Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury (c. 1388-1453), was a renowned English military commander during the Hundred Years' War. He fought in numerous battles and was known as the "English Achilles" for his bravery and skill on the battlefield.

The Talbot name was also associated with the earldom of Shrewsbury, a prestigious title held by several members of the family. George Talbot, 6th Earl of Shrewsbury (1528-1590), was a prominent figure during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I and served as Earl Marshal of England.

In the 16th century, Gilbert Talbot (1552-1616) was an English diplomat and politician who served as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland and played a significant role in the Tudor conquest of Ireland.

While the Talbot name has its roots in Normandy, it has been widely dispersed throughout England, Ireland, and other parts of the world due to migration and intermarriage over the centuries. The name has also been associated with various place names, such as Talbotville in Ontario, Canada, and Talbot County in Maryland, USA.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Talbot

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Talbot.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Talbot was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 91.31% 14,210
Non-Hispanic Black Only 3.23% 503
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.81% 126
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.44% 68
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 1.52% 237
Hispanic Origin 2.69% 419

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Talbot has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 91.31% 93.13% -1.97%
Black 3.23% 3.21% 0.62%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.81% 0.53% 41.79%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.44% 0.50% -12.77%
Two or More Races 1.52% 1.08% 33.85%
Hispanic 2.69% 1.55% 53.77%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Talbot was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Talbot, please contact us.

Reference this page

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Talbot last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on October 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/talbot-surname-popularity/.

"Talbot last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/talbot-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 October, 2024

Talbot last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/talbot-surname-popularity/.

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