2000
#8,199
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,725
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.38
Rare Last name
Taliaferro
An Italian occupational surname referring to an ironworker or one who cuts or works with iron.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,312 Americans carry the last name Taliaferro. That puts it at #8,432 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.26 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 79,488 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Taliaferro 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
4.3K
1 in 79,488
Census rank
#8,432
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,760 bearers of the surname Taliaferro in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.26 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8432nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Taliaferro, the largest self-reported group is White at 54.5%. The next largest groups are Black (34.9%) and Two or More Races (5.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Taliaferro
The surname Taliaferro originated in Italy and derives from the Italian words "tagliaferro," meaning "iron cutter." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this name may have worked as blacksmiths or in a similar metal-working trade. The name likely emerged during the Middle Ages, a time when surnames based on occupations were common.
The Taliaferro surname can be traced back to the 12th century in records from the Republic of Venice. One of the earliest known references to the name appears in a 1187 document from the city of Treviso, which mentions a man named Giacomo Taliaferro, a blacksmith by trade.
As the name spread beyond Italy, it took on various spellings, including Taliaferri, Taliaferrae, and Talliaferro. In France, the name was sometimes rendered as Tailleferre or Taillefer, reflecting the French language's influence on the Italian surname.
The Taliaferro name eventually made its way to England, likely carried by Italian immigrants or traders. One of the earliest English records of the name dates back to the 14th century, when a John Taliaferro was listed in the Poll Tax Rolls of Yorkshire in 1379.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, the Taliaferro name gained prominence in England and Scotland. Notable individuals from this period include:
1. Richard Taliaferro (c. 1535-1601), an English merchant and member of the Worshipful Company of Mercers in London.
2. James Taliaferro (1568-1639), a Scottish landowner and Member of Parliament for Linlithgowshire.
The Taliaferro surname later spread to the Americas, particularly Virginia and other colonial settlements. Some prominent Taliaferros from this era include:
1. Robert Taliaferro (c. 1630-1687), an early settler in Virginia and member of the House of Burgesses.
2. John Taliaferro (1677-1720), a planter and merchant in colonial Virginia.
3. Benjamin Taliaferro (1735-1798), an American Revolutionary War officer and politician from Virginia.
In later centuries, the Taliaferro name continued to be represented by notable figures, such as:
1. William Booth Taliaferro (1782-1852), an American lawyer and politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Virginia.
2. William Hay Taliaferro (1818-1880), an American lawyer, politician, and Confederate officer during the Civil War.
Today, the Taliaferro surname remains widespread, particularly in the United States, with concentrations in states like Virginia, Texas, and California.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Taliaferro
Among Census respondents with the surname Taliaferro, the largest self-reported group is White at 54.5%. The next largest groups are Black (34.9%) and Two or More Races (5.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Taliaferro 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 Taliaferro surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White54.5% · 2,050
- Black or African American34.9% · 1,313
- Two or more races5.2% · 197
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 153
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 24
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 23
Timeline
Historical Census data for Taliaferro
Taliaferro 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
#8,364
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,959
+234 bearers (+6.3%)
Per 100,000 1.34
Rank movement Down 165 places
2020
#8,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,760
-199 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 1.26
Rank movement Down 68 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,199 | 3,725 | 1.38 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,364 | 3,959 | 1.34 | +234 bearers (+6.3%) | Down 165 places |
| 2020 | #8,432 | 3,760 | 1.26 | -199 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 68 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 Taliaferro 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 | #8,364 | #8,432 | -0.8% |
| Count | 3,959 | 3,760 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.34 | 1.26 | -6.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Taliaferro bearers went from 3,959 to 3,760 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 68 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,364 to #8,432.
FAQ
Taliaferro surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Taliaferro?
Name Census estimates that about 4,312 living Americans carry the surname Taliaferro. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 79,488 residents.
How common is Taliaferro?
Taliaferro ranks #8,432 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.26 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,760 people with the surname Taliaferro. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,312), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.26 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.26 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Taliaferro.
Has Taliaferro become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Taliaferro went from 3,959 recorded bearers to 3,760. That is a decrease of 199 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,364 to #8,432.
What does the Census say about the background of Taliaferro?
Among Census respondents with the surname Taliaferro, the largest self-reported group is White at 54.5%. The next largest groups are Black (34.9%) and Two or More Races (5.2%). 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 Taliaferro in the 2020 Census, accounting for 54.5% (2,050 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Taliaferro appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (54.5%), Black (34.9%), Two or More Races (5.2%). 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 Taliaferro (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 Taliaferro mean?
An Italian occupational surname referring to an ironworker or one who cuts or works with iron. 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 Taliaferro (1.26 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 are called Taliaferro?
Want to know how many people have the last name Taliaferro? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.