2010
#160,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Talker
A surname derived from an occupation associated with talkative or loquacious individuals.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Talker. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Talker 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Talker in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Talker, the largest self-reported group is American Indian/Alaska Native at 63.1%. The next largest groups are White (20.7%) and Hispanic (8.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Talker
The surname Talker has its origins in medieval England, with the earliest known records dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have been derived from the Old English word "tælere," which was used to describe someone who was particularly loquacious or talkative.
The name was initially found in various regions across England, including Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Norfolk. It is thought that the name may have been given as a descriptive nickname to individuals who were known for their propensity for conversation or storytelling.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which lists a person named William le Talkere from Hertfordshire. The suffix "le" was commonly used in medieval times to denote an occupation or personal characteristic.
In the 14th century, the surname appeared in various forms, such as Talker, Talkere, and Talkour, reflecting the variations in spelling and pronunciation during that period. One notable bearer of the name was John Talkere, who was mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Cambridgeshire in 1327.
As the name spread across England, it also found its way into place names. For instance, there is a village called Talker's End in Gloucestershire, which may have derived its name from an early settler with the surname Talker.
Over the centuries, several notable individuals have borne the Talker surname. One of the earliest was Sir John Talker (c. 1450 - 1518), a wealthy merchant and landowner from Essex. Another notable figure was William Talker (1572 - 1632), a prominent Puritan minister who served as chaplain to King James I.
In the 17th century, the name appeared in the records of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, with the arrival of immigrants such as John Talker, who settled in Boston in 1635. This suggests that the name had spread from England to the American colonies during this period.
Another figure of note was Sir Richard Talker (1673 - 1740), a British naval officer who distinguished himself during the War of the Spanish Succession. In the 19th century, John Talker (1810 - 1892) was a prominent educator and headmaster of Rugby School in England.
While the surname Talker may have originated as a descriptive nickname, it has since become a well-established surname with a rich history spanning several centuries and various regions across England and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Talker
Among Census respondents with the surname Talker, the largest self-reported group is American Indian/Alaska Native at 63.1%. The next largest groups are White (20.7%) and Hispanic (8.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Talker 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 Talker surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- American Indian and Alaska Native63.1% · 70
- White20.7% · 23
- Hispanic or Latino8.1% · 9
- Two or more races3.6% · 4
- Black or African American2.7% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Talker
Talker appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
+11 bearers (+11.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 12,310 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #160,975 | 100 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | +11 bearers (+11.0%) | Up 12,310 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 Talker 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 | #160,975 | #148,665 | 7.6% |
| Count | 100 | 111 | 11.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 23.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Talker bearers went from 100 to 111 (+11.0% change). The surname moved up 12,310 positions in the national ranking, going from #160,975 to #148,665.
FAQ
Talker surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Talker?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Talker. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Talker?
Talker ranks #148,665 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 111 people with the surname Talker. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), 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 Talker.
Has Talker become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Talker went from 100 recorded bearers to 111. That is an increase of 11 (+11.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #160,975 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Talker?
Among Census respondents with the surname Talker, the largest self-reported group is American Indian/Alaska Native at 63.1%. The next largest groups are White (20.7%) and Hispanic (8.1%). 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?
American Indian/Alaska Native is the largest self-reported group for the surname Talker in the 2020 Census, accounting for 63.1% (70 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Talker appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are American Indian/Alaska Native (63.1%), White (20.7%), Hispanic (8.1%). 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 Talker (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 Talker mean?
A surname derived from an occupation associated with talkative or loquacious individuals. 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 Talker (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 people have the last name Talker?
Want to know how many people are called Talker? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.