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

Talisman, 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 Talisman surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Talisman in America

Talisman is the 145220th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Talisman surname appeared 114 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Talisman.

We can also compare 2010 data for Talisman 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.

The history of the last name Talisman

The surname Talisman originated in the Middle East, where the word "talisman" itself comes from the Arabic "tilsam" meaning a magical figure or charm. It likely emerged as a name for someone who created or sold talismans during the medieval period.

In its earliest uses, the name appeared in Arabic texts and records from around the 12th century. As people migrated westward into Europe, surnames based on occupations like Talisman began gaining prominence.

One of the first recorded instances of the surname is found in a 1324 tax record from the city of Genoa, Italy, listing a Giovanni Talisman. This suggests the name had already spread to parts of southern Europe by that time.

Another early bearer was Simon Talisman, a French merchant from Marseille born around 1380. He traveled throughout the Mediterranean trading goods and talismans during the late 1300s.

In England, the Talisman name first appears in parish records from Lincolnshire in 1492 with the christening of Alice Talismane. This spelling variation points to its Arabic origins being mangled by English speakers.

During the 16th century Renaissance period, interest in the occult and mysticism grew across Europe. This likely contributed to the Talisman name's use, as astrologers and purveyors of magical items adopted it.

One notable bearer was Johannes Talisman (1525-1594), a German astrologist and mathematician who authored works on horoscopes and the motions of planets.

As the name dispersed through marriages and migration, other localized spellings emerged like Tallesman in Spain and Talismani in Italy. But Talisman remained the dominant form used into modern times.

Over the centuries, several other historically significant individuals bore this distinctive surname, including French painter Pierre Talisman (1672-1737), English poet Mercy Talisman (1705-1782), and American Revolutionary soldier John Talisman (1745-1825).

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Talisman

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

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 Talisman was:

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 Talisman has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

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 Talisman was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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