2000
#14,022
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,973
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.73
Rare Last name
Tallant
Derived from a nickname for a person of tall stature or a habitational name from a place in Normandy.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,303 Americans carry the last name Tallant. That puts it at #14,332 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.67 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 148,829 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tallant 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 Tallant with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.3K
1 in 148,829
Census rank
#14,332
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,008 bearers of the surname Tallant in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.67 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14332nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tallant, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tallant
The surname Tallant has its origins in France, tracing back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old French word "taillant," meaning "cutting" or "sharp," which likely referred to an occupation or personal characteristic of an early bearer of the name.
One of the earliest records of the name is found in the cartulary of the abbey of Savigny in Normandy, dated around 1180, where a certain Radulphus Taillant is mentioned. This suggests that the name was already in use in the region during that period.
The name Tallant is believed to have spread across France and eventually to England during the Norman Conquest of 1066. In the Domesday Book of 1086, a record of landowners in England compiled by order of William the Conqueror, there are several entries that may be early variations of the name, such as Taillant and Tailliand.
One notable figure bearing the Tallant name was Sir John Tallant, a prominent English knight who fought in the Hundred Years' War against France in the 14th century (c. 1330-1395). He was granted lands in Suffolk for his military service.
Another figure of note was Jean Tallant (c. 1500-1570), a French Protestant scholar and theologian who played a significant role in the early years of the Reformation in France.
In the 17th century, the name appears in records of French Huguenot emigrants who fled religious persecution and settled in various parts of Europe and the New World. One such individual was Abraham Tallant (c. 1620-1690), who was among the early Huguenot settlers in South Carolina.
Other notable individuals with the Tallant surname include:
1. William Tallant (c. 1670-1737), an English merchant and philanthropist who endowed several charitable institutions in London.
2. John Tallant (1785-1854), a Scottish explorer and author who wrote about his travels in Africa.
3. Marie Tallant (1875-1962), a French painter known for her Impressionist landscapes.
4. Edward Tallant (1910-1989), an American author and journalist who chronicled life in the American Southwest.
5. Catherine Tallant (born 1952), a British actress known for her roles in television and theater productions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tallant
Among Census respondents with the surname Tallant, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Tallant 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 Tallant surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.0% · 1,808
- Two or more races3.9% · 79
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 65
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 23
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 17
- Black or African American0.8% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tallant
Tallant 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
#14,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,051
+78 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.70
Rank movement Down 510 places
2020
#14,332
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,008
-43 bearers (-2.1%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Up 200 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,022 | 1,973 | 0.73 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,532 | 2,051 | 0.70 | +78 bearers (+4.0%) | Down 510 places |
| 2020 | #14,332 | 2,008 | 0.67 | -43 bearers (-2.1%) | Up 200 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 Tallant 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 | #14,532 | #14,332 | 1.4% |
| Count | 2,051 | 2,008 | -2.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.70 | 0.67 | -4.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tallant bearers went from 2,051 to 2,008 (-2.1% change). The surname moved up 200 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,532 to #14,332.
FAQ
Tallant surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tallant?
Name Census estimates that about 2,303 living Americans carry the surname Tallant. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 148,829 residents.
How common is Tallant?
Tallant ranks #14,332 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.67 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 2,008 people with the surname Tallant. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,303), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.67 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.67 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 Tallant.
Has Tallant become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tallant went from 2,051 recorded bearers to 2,008. That is a decrease of 43 (-2.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,532 to #14,332.
What does the Census say about the background of Tallant?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tallant, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Tallant in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.0% (1,808 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tallant appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.0%), Two or More Races (3.9%), Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Tallant (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 Tallant mean?
Derived from a nickname for a person of tall stature or a habitational name from a place in Normandy. 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 Tallant (0.67 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 Tallant?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.