2000
#116,123
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 139
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Tamara
From the Russian meaning "date palm tree".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 272 Americans carry the last name Tamara. That puts it at #85,054 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,260,126 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tamara 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
272
1 in 1,260,126
Census rank
#85,054
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
237
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 237 bearers of the surname Tamara in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 85054th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tamara, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 50.2%. The next largest groups are White (26.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (14.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tamara
The surname Tamara is believed to have originated in Spain, specifically in the region of Andalusia during the 8th century. It is derived from the Arabic name "Tamar," which means "date palm." This name was likely brought to the Iberian Peninsula by the Moors during their conquest and subsequent rule over parts of Spain.
In the 11th century, the name Tamara appears in several historical documents related to the Reconquista, the Christian reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula from the Moors. One of the earliest recorded instances is a reference to a nobleman named Rodrigo Tamara, who fought alongside El Cid, the famous Castilian military leader, during the capture of the city of Valencia in 1094.
The name Tamara was also found in the Cartulario de San Millán de la Cogolla, a medieval manuscript dating back to the 12th century, which contained records of land ownership and transactions in the region of La Rioja, Spain. This suggests that the name had spread beyond Andalusia by that time.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, the name Tamara became more widespread across Spain and Portugal. In 1285, a nobleman named Pedro Tamara was appointed as the governor of the Algarve region in southern Portugal. Additionally, in 1347, a prominent figure named Juan Tamara was mentioned in the chronicles of King Alfonso XI of Castile for his role in the Battle of El Salado against the Moors.
As the Spanish Empire expanded across the Americas and other parts of the world, the surname Tamara was carried by settlers and explorers. One notable example is Juan de Tamara, a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Peru alongside Francisco Pizarro in the 16th century.
In more recent history, the surname Tamara has been borne by several notable individuals, including:
1. Víctor Tamara (1897-1973), a Peruvian painter and sculptor known for his works depicting indigenous people and landscapes.
2. Andrés Tamara (1891-1962), a Chilean painter and muralist who was part of the Grupo Montparnasse, a collective of artists in Paris.
3. María Tamara (1859-1944), a Spanish operatic soprano who performed at various theaters across Europe in the late 19th century.
4. José María Tamara (1870-1947), a Mexican poet and diplomat who served as the ambassador to several countries, including Spain and France.
5. Zita Tamara (1928-2003), an Italian actress and singer who appeared in numerous films and television shows throughout her career.
While the surname Tamara may have originated in Spain, it has since spread to various parts of the world, particularly in Latin America, due to Spanish colonization and migration patterns.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tamara
Among Census respondents with the surname Tamara, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 50.2%. The next largest groups are White (26.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (14.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Tamara 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 Tamara surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino50.2% · 119
- White26.6% · 63
- Asian and Pacific Islander14.3% · 34
- Black or African American7.6% · 18
- Two or more races1.3% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tamara
Tamara 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
#98,982
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 183
+44 bearers (+31.7%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Up 17,141 places
2020
#85,054
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 237
+54 bearers (+29.5%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Up 13,928 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #116,123 | 139 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #98,982 | 183 | 0.06 | +44 bearers (+31.7%) | Up 17,141 places |
| 2020 | #85,054 | 237 | 0.08 | +54 bearers (+29.5%) | Up 13,928 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 Tamara 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 | #98,982 | #85,054 | 14.1% |
| Count | 183 | 237 | 29.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.06 | 0.08 | 32.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tamara bearers went from 183 to 237 (+29.5% change). The surname moved up 13,928 positions in the national ranking, going from #98,982 to #85,054.
FAQ
Tamara surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tamara?
Name Census estimates that about 272 living Americans carry the surname Tamara. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,260,126 residents.
How common is Tamara?
Tamara ranks #85,054 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.08 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 237 people with the surname Tamara. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (272), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.08 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Tamara.
Has Tamara become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tamara went from 183 recorded bearers to 237. That is an increase of 54 (+29.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #98,982 to #85,054.
What does the Census say about the background of Tamara?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tamara, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 50.2%. The next largest groups are White (26.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (14.3%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Tamara in the 2020 Census, accounting for 50.2% (119 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tamara appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (50.2%), White (26.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (14.3%). 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 Tamara (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 Tamara mean?
From the Russian meaning "date palm tree". 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 Tamara (0.08 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 have the surname Tamara?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.