2000
#4,406
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,439
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.76
Rare Last name
Tallman
A descriptive surname referring to a person of tall stature or bearing the nickname "Tall Man."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,052 Americans carry the last name Tallman. That puts it at #4,875 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.35 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 42,568 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tallman 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
8.1K
1 in 42,568
Census rank
#4,875
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,022 bearers of the surname Tallman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.35 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4875th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tallman, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tallman
The surname Tallman has its origins in England, where it was first recorded during the Middle Ages. The name is an occupational surname, derived from the Old English words "tall" and "mann," meaning a tall or well-built man. It likely referred to someone who was physically tall or imposing in stature.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Tallman can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from the year 1191, where a person named Richard Talleman is mentioned. This suggests that the name was already in use by the late 12th century.
In the 13th century, variations of the name such as Talman and Tallman began to appear in various medieval records and documents. For instance, the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1279 lists a certain John Talman.
The surname Tallman is also found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landowners and property holders in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. However, the exact spelling or form of the name in this record is uncertain.
One of the earliest known bearers of the surname was Sir Thomas Tallman, a knight who lived in the late 14th century and served as a member of the English Parliament. Another notable figure was John Tallman, a merchant and judge who was born in England in the 16th century and later immigrated to the American colonies, settling in Rhode Island.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Tallman name became more widespread in various parts of England, particularly in the counties of Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, and Wiltshire. Some notable bearers of the name from this period include:
1. Richard Tallman (c. 1550-1623), a landowner and member of the gentry from Wiltshire.
2. Elizabeth Tallman (c. 1580-1645), a Puritan reformer and writer from Gloucestershire.
3. Thomas Tallman (1608-1676), a farmer and early settler in the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
4. Henry Tallman (1635-1699), a merchant and politician who served as Deputy Governor of Rhode Island.
5. William Tallman (1670-1741), a Quaker minister and author from Oxfordshire.
As the surname spread across England, it also underwent various spelling variations, including Talman, Talmon, Tallamann, and Tallemann, reflecting regional dialects and the inconsistent nature of spelling during that period.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tallman
Among Census respondents with the surname Tallman, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Tallman 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 Tallman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.1% · 6,116
- Two or more races4.4% · 311
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.4% · 242
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 240
- Black or African American0.9% · 64
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 49
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tallman
Tallman 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
#4,341
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,174
+735 bearers (+9.9%)
Per 100,000 2.77
Rank movement Up 65 places
2020
#4,875
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,022
-1,152 bearers (-14.1%)
Per 100,000 2.35
Rank movement Down 534 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,406 | 7,439 | 2.76 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,341 | 8,174 | 2.77 | +735 bearers (+9.9%) | Up 65 places |
| 2020 | #4,875 | 7,022 | 2.35 | -1,152 bearers (-14.1%) | Down 534 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 Tallman 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 | #4,341 | #4,875 | -12.3% |
| Count | 8,174 | 7,022 | -14.1% |
| Per 100K | 2.77 | 2.35 | -15.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tallman bearers went from 8,174 to 7,022 (-14.1% change). The surname moved down 534 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,341 to #4,875.
FAQ
Tallman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tallman?
Name Census estimates that about 8,052 living Americans carry the surname Tallman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 42,568 residents.
How common is Tallman?
Tallman ranks #4,875 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.35 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 7,022 people with the surname Tallman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,052), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.35 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.35 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 Tallman.
Has Tallman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tallman went from 8,174 recorded bearers to 7,022. That is a decrease of 1,152 (-14.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,341 to #4,875.
What does the Census say about the background of Tallman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tallman, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.4%). 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 Tallman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.1% (6,116 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tallman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.1%), Two or More Races (4.4%), American Indian/Alaska Native (3.4%). 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 Tallman (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 Tallman mean?
A descriptive surname referring to a person of tall stature or bearing the nickname "Tall Man." 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 Tallman (2.35 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 Tallman?
If you just want to know how common the surname Tallman is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.