2000
#6,302
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,979
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.85
Rare Last name
Tallent
An English occupational surname for a person skilled in tailoring or cutting cloth.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,590 Americans carry the last name Tallent. That puts it at #6,655 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 61,316 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tallent 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 Tallent with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.6K
1 in 61,316
Census rank
#6,655
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,875 bearers of the surname Tallent in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6655th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tallent, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tallent
The surname Tallent is believed to have originated in England, with records indicating it was first used in the 12th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old French word "talent," which means "inclination" or "disposition." This word was likely adopted from the Latin "talentum," meaning "weight" or "sum of money."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Tallent appears in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire in 1199, where a person named Ralph Tallent is mentioned. This suggests the name was already in use by the late 12th century.
In the 13th century, the surname Tallent is found in various records, such as the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1248, where a William Tallent is mentioned, and the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1275, which list a Robert Tallent.
The Tallent surname is also linked to several place names in England, including Tallington in Lincolnshire and Talland in Cornwall. These place names may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.
Notable individuals with the surname Tallent throughout history include:
1. Robert Tallent (c. 1505-1576), an English Protestant reformer and clergyman who served as the Rector of St. Mary's Church in Battersea, London.
2. Francis Tallent (c. 1619-1708), an English Presbyterian minister and author who was a prominent figure in the religious life of Warwickshire.
3. William Tallent (c. 1670-1730), an English clergyman and author who served as the Rector of Spofforth in Yorkshire.
4. John Tallent (1737-1804), an English lawyer and businessman who served as the High Sheriff of Oxfordshire in 1785.
5. Philip Tallent (1805-1876), an English-born Australian explorer and surveyor who played a significant role in the exploration and settlement of South Australia.
Throughout its history, the Tallent surname has been subject to various spellings, including Talant, Taland, Talland, and Tallant, reflecting the influence of regional dialects and scribal variations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tallent
Among Census respondents with the surname Tallent, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Tallent 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 Tallent surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.8% · 4,475
- Two or more races4.1% · 200
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 128
- Black or African American0.6% · 30
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 26
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tallent
Tallent 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
#6,528
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,191
+212 bearers (+4.3%)
Per 100,000 1.76
Rank movement Down 226 places
2020
#6,655
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,875
-316 bearers (-6.1%)
Per 100,000 1.63
Rank movement Down 127 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,302 | 4,979 | 1.85 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,528 | 5,191 | 1.76 | +212 bearers (+4.3%) | Down 226 places |
| 2020 | #6,655 | 4,875 | 1.63 | -316 bearers (-6.1%) | Down 127 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 Tallent 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 | #6,528 | #6,655 | -1.9% |
| Count | 5,191 | 4,875 | -6.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.76 | 1.63 | -7.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tallent bearers went from 5,191 to 4,875 (-6.1% change). The surname moved down 127 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,528 to #6,655.
FAQ
Tallent surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tallent?
Name Census estimates that about 5,590 living Americans carry the surname Tallent. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 61,316 residents.
How common is Tallent?
Tallent ranks #6,655 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.63 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,875 people with the surname Tallent. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,590), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.63 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Tallent.
Has Tallent become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tallent went from 5,191 recorded bearers to 4,875. That is a decrease of 316 (-6.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,528 to #6,655.
What does the Census say about the background of Tallent?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tallent, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Tallent in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.8% (4,475 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tallent appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.8%), Two or More Races (4.1%), Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Tallent (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 Tallent mean?
An English occupational surname for a person skilled in tailoring or cutting cloth. 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 Tallent (1.63 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 Tallent?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.