2000
#12,673
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,239
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.83
Rare Last name
Tally
An English occupational surname for someone who kept accounts or records, derived from the tally sticks used for accounting.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,322 Americans carry the last name Tally. That puts it at #14,233 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.68 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 147,612 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tally 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 Tally with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.3K
1 in 147,612
Census rank
#14,233
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,025 bearers of the surname Tally in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.68 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14233rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tally, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.5%. The next largest groups are Black (16.6%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tally
The surname Tally is of English origin, originating in the 12th century. It is derived from the Old French word "tailler," meaning "to cut" or "to tally." The name likely referred to an occupation, possibly a wood-cutter or a tax collector who kept tallies or records.
In medieval England, the use of surnames was not widespread, and people were often identified by their occupation, location, or physical characteristics. The earliest recorded instance of the surname Tally dates back to the late 12th century in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire, where a certain "William le Talliur" was mentioned.
The name Tally is associated with several historical figures throughout the centuries. One notable bearer was Sir Ralph Tally (c. 1300-1370), a prominent English landowner and knight who served as a soldier and ambassador during the reigns of Edward III and Richard II. Another was John Tally (c. 1370-1452), an English lawyer and judge who served as Chief Justice of the King's Bench from 1422 to 1435.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name Tally appeared in various spellings, including Talley, Talie, and Taillie. One notable bearer from this period was Sir Thomas Tally (c. 1535-1608), an English landowner and Member of Parliament who served as Sheriff of Gloucestershire in 1588.
In the 18th century, the name Tally was associated with several prominent figures in the American colonies. One was Robert Tally (c. 1680-1758), a wealthy landowner and merchant in Virginia who served as a justice of the peace and a member of the House of Burgesses. Another was William Tally (c. 1710-1782), a farmer and militia officer who fought in the French and Indian War and later served as a colonel in the Virginia militia during the American Revolutionary War.
The 19th century saw the rise of several notable individuals with the surname Tally. One was William Tally (1818-1893), an American politician and lawyer who served as a U.S. Representative from Connecticut from 1857 to 1859. Another was Thomas Tally (1830-1904), an Irish-born American businessman and philanthropist who founded the Tally Ho Carriage Company in New York City.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tally
Among Census respondents with the surname Tally, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.5%. The next largest groups are Black (16.6%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Tally 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 Tally surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.5% · 1,509
- Black or African American16.6% · 336
- Two or more races3.7% · 75
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 69
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 27
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tally
Tally 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
#12,683
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,435
+196 bearers (+8.8%)
Per 100,000 0.83
Rank movement Down 10 places
2020
#14,233
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,025
-410 bearers (-16.8%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Down 1,550 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,673 | 2,239 | 0.83 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,683 | 2,435 | 0.83 | +196 bearers (+8.8%) | Down 10 places |
| 2020 | #14,233 | 2,025 | 0.68 | -410 bearers (-16.8%) | Down 1,550 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 Tally 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 | #12,683 | #14,233 | -12.2% |
| Count | 2,435 | 2,025 | -16.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.83 | 0.68 | -18.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tally bearers went from 2,435 to 2,025 (-16.8% change). The surname moved down 1,550 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,683 to #14,233.
FAQ
Tally surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tally?
Name Census estimates that about 2,322 living Americans carry the surname Tally. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 147,612 residents.
How common is Tally?
Tally ranks #14,233 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.68 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 2,025 people with the surname Tally. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,322), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.68 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.68 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 Tally.
Has Tally become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tally went from 2,435 recorded bearers to 2,025. That is a decrease of 410 (-16.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,683 to #14,233.
What does the Census say about the background of Tally?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tally, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.5%. The next largest groups are Black (16.6%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Tally in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.5% (1,509 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tally appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (74.5%), Black (16.6%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Tally (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 Tally mean?
An English occupational surname for someone who kept accounts or records, derived from the tally sticks used for accounting. 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 Tally (0.68 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 Americans have the surname Tally?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.