2000
#2,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,027
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.57
Uncommon Last name
Talbot
An English and French surname derived from a Germanic personal name meaning "valley bolt" or "messenger from the valley."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 17,427 Americans carry the last name Talbot. That puts it at #2,335 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 19,668 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Talbot 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Talbot with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
17K
1 in 19,668
Census rank
#2,335
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
15K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 15,197 bearers of the surname Talbot in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2335th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Talbot, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Talbot
Among Census respondents with the surname Talbot, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Talbot 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 Talbot surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.1% · 13,391
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 621
- Two or more races3.3% · 499
- Black or African American3.2% · 487
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 136
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 63
Timeline
Historical Census data for Talbot
Talbot 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
#2,342
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,562
+535 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 5.28
Rank movement Down 121 places
2020
#2,335
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,197
-365 bearers (-2.3%)
Per 100,000 5.08
Rank movement Up 7 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,221 | 15,027 | 5.57 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,342 | 15,562 | 5.28 | +535 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 121 places |
| 2020 | #2,335 | 15,197 | 5.08 | -365 bearers (-2.3%) | Up 7 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 Talbot 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 | #2,342 | #2,335 | 0.3% |
| Count | 15,562 | 15,197 | -2.3% |
| Per 100K | 5.28 | 5.08 | -3.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Talbot bearers went from 15,562 to 15,197 (-2.3% change). The surname moved up 7 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,342 to #2,335.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Talbot
FAQ
Talbot surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Talbot?
Name Census estimates that about 17,427 living Americans carry the surname Talbot. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 19,668 residents.
How common is Talbot?
Talbot ranks #2,335 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.08 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 15,197 people with the surname Talbot. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (17,427), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.08 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Talbot.
Has Talbot become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Talbot went from 15,562 recorded bearers to 15,197. That is a decrease of 365 (-2.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #2,342 to #2,335.
What does the Census say about the background of Talbot?
Among Census respondents with the surname Talbot, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Talbot in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.1% (13,391 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Talbot appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.1%), Hispanic (4.1%), Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Talbot (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 Talbot mean?
An English and French surname derived from a Germanic personal name meaning "valley bolt" or "messenger from the valley." 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 Talbot (5.08 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 Talbot?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.