2000
#139,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Tamaru
A Japanese surname derived from a place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Tamaru. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tamaru 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Tamaru in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tamaru, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 57.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (18.9%) and Hispanic (13.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tamaru
The surname Tamaru has its origins in Japan, dating back to the late 15th century. It is believed to have originated in the Kansai region, particularly in the prefectures of Nara and Osaka. The name is derived from the Japanese words "ta," meaning "rice field," and "maru," meaning "circle" or "town." This suggests that the name may have been associated with a circular or walled town surrounded by rice fields.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Tamaru can be found in a historical document from the late Muromachi period (1336-1573), which referred to a prominent family of landowners in the Nara region. The name is also mentioned in several local records and cadastral surveys from the Edo period (1603-1868), indicating the presence of Tamaru families in various villages and towns across the Kansai region.
During the Edo period, a notable figure bearing the surname Tamaru was Tamaru Masayuki (1630-1702), a samurai and retainer of the Tokugawa shogunate. He was known for his military prowess and his contributions to the development of various martial arts techniques.
In the 19th century, Tamaru Hansaku (1822-1887) was a prominent merchant and landowner from Osaka. He was involved in the trading of silk and other textiles, and his business dealings extended throughout Japan and abroad.
Another notable figure was Tamaru Kiyoaki (1859-1924), a scholar and educator who played a significant role in modernizing Japan's educational system during the Meiji era. He was instrumental in introducing Western-style teaching methods and curricula into Japanese schools.
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Tamaru surname also gained recognition through the works of Tamaru Kenji (1878-1942), a renowned poet and literary critic. His poetry often explored themes of nature and the human condition, and he was regarded as one of the leading figures of the Taisho era literary movement.
While the name Tamaru continues to be found in various parts of Japan today, its historical roots can be traced back to the Kansai region, where it was closely associated with landowners, merchants, and notable figures in various fields throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tamaru
Among Census respondents with the surname Tamaru, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 57.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (18.9%) and Hispanic (13.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Tamaru 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 Tamaru surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander57.7% · 64
- Two or more races18.9% · 21
- Hispanic or Latino13.5% · 15
- White8.1% · 9
- Black or African American1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tamaru
Tamaru 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
#157,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-7 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 17,477 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
+8 bearers (+7.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 8,569 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #139,757 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #157,234 | 103 | 0.03 | -7 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 17,477 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.8%) | Up 8,569 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 Tamaru 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 | #157,234 | #148,665 | 5.4% |
| Count | 103 | 111 | 7.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 23.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tamaru bearers went from 103 to 111 (+7.8% change). The surname moved up 8,569 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #148,665.
FAQ
Tamaru surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tamaru?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Tamaru. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Tamaru?
Tamaru ranks #148,665 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 111 people with the surname Tamaru. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Tamaru.
Has Tamaru become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tamaru went from 103 recorded bearers to 111. That is an increase of 8 (+7.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Tamaru?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tamaru, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 57.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (18.9%) and Hispanic (13.5%). 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 Tamaru in the 2020 Census, accounting for 57.7% (64 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tamaru appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (57.7%), Two or More Races (18.9%), Hispanic (13.5%). 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 Tamaru (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 Tamaru mean?
A Japanese surname derived from a place name. 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 Tamaru (0.04 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 Tamaru?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.