2000
#2,723
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,150
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.50
Uncommon Last name
Tam
A Chinese surname derived from a place name or referring to someone who is honest and upright.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 15,173 Americans carry the last name Tam. That puts it at #2,659 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.43 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 22,590 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tam 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 Tam with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
15K
1 in 22,590
Census rank
#2,659
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
13K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 13,232 bearers of the surname Tam in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.43 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2659th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tam, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 88.6%. The next largest groups are White (5.8%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tam
The surname "Tam" is believed to have originated in Scotland. It is thought to be a shortened form of the Scottish name "Thomas," which comes from the Aramaic name "Te'oma," meaning "twin." The name Thomas was introduced to Britain by the Normans after the Norman Conquest in 1066.
The earliest recorded example of the surname "Tam" dates back to the 13th century. In the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which recorded the names of Scottish nobles who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England, there is an entry for a "Thomas Tam" from Ayrshire.
During the Middle Ages, the name "Tam" was found primarily in the Scottish Lowlands, particularly in the counties of Ayrshire, Renfrewshire, and Lanarkshire. It is possible that the name is derived from a place name, as there are several places in Scotland with names similar to "Tam," such as the village of Tam in Perthshire.
One notable bearer of the surname "Tam" was Walter Tam, a Scottish landowner and nobleman who lived in the 14th century. Records show that he owned land in Ayrshire and was a supporter of Robert the Bruce during the Wars of Scottish Independence.
In the 16th century, the name "Tam" appears in the records of the Scottish Reformation. John Tam was a Protestant reformer who was involved in the translation of the Bible into Scots language. He was born around 1510 and died in 1572.
Another figure of historical significance was William Tam, a Scottish Covenanter who lived in the 17th century. He was a supporter of the Presbyterian movement and was involved in the struggle against the Episcopalian policies of the Stuart monarchs. Tam was imprisoned for his beliefs and died in prison in 1670.
In the 18th century, there was a notable Scottish poet named Walter Tam, who was born in Ayrshire in 1715 and died in 1790. He wrote poems in the Scots language and was part of the literary movement known as the Scottish Renaissance.
One of the most famous bearers of the surname "Tam" was Ralph Tam, a Scottish inventor and engineer who lived in the 19th century. He was born in 1818 and is credited with developing the first successful steam-powered tractor, which revolutionized agriculture and transportation.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tam
Among Census respondents with the surname Tam, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 88.6%. The next largest groups are White (5.8%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Tam 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 Tam surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander88.6% · 11,727
- White5.8% · 767
- Two or more races2.9% · 387
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 254
- Black or African American0.7% · 92
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tam
Tam 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
#2,703
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,327
+1,177 bearers (+9.7%)
Per 100,000 4.52
Rank movement Up 20 places
2020
#2,659
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,232
-95 bearers (-0.7%)
Per 100,000 4.43
Rank movement Up 44 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,723 | 12,150 | 4.50 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,703 | 13,327 | 4.52 | +1,177 bearers (+9.7%) | Up 20 places |
| 2020 | #2,659 | 13,232 | 4.43 | -95 bearers (-0.7%) | Up 44 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 Tam 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 | #2,703 | #2,659 | 1.6% |
| Count | 13,327 | 13,232 | -0.7% |
| Per 100K | 4.52 | 4.43 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tam bearers went from 13,327 to 13,232 (-0.7% change). The surname moved up 44 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,703 to #2,659.
FAQ
Tam surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tam?
Name Census estimates that about 15,173 living Americans carry the surname Tam. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 22,590 residents.
How common is Tam?
Tam ranks #2,659 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.43 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 13,232 people with the surname Tam. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (15,173), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.43 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.43 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Tam.
Has Tam become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tam went from 13,327 recorded bearers to 13,232. That is a decrease of 95 (-0.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #2,703 to #2,659.
What does the Census say about the background of Tam?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tam, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 88.6%. The next largest groups are White (5.8%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Tam in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.6% (11,727 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tam appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (88.6%), White (5.8%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Tam (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 Tam mean?
A Chinese surname derived from a place name or referring to someone who is honest and upright. 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 Tam (4.43 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 Tam?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.