2010
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Tamble
A locational surname potentially derived from a place name containing elements meaning "wooded valley" or "tree-stump clearing".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 116 Americans carry the last name Tamble. That puts it at #155,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,954,779 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tamble 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
116
1 in 2,954,779
Census rank
#155,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
101
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 101 bearers of the surname Tamble in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tamble, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tamble
The surname Tamble has its origins in England, dating back to the 13th century. The name is derived from the Old English word "tammle," meaning "to roll or tumble." It is believed to have been an occupational name originally given to those who worked as tumblers or acrobats.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Tamble can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire, England, from 1275, where it appears as "William Tambler." This provides evidence that the name was established in the West Midlands region of England during the medieval period.
In the 14th century, the name Tamble appears in various records across England, such as the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire, where a certain "John Tamble" is mentioned in 1379. This suggests that the name had begun to spread beyond its initial region.
One of the earliest notable figures with the surname Tamble was Sir Robert Tamble, a knight who fought in the Battle of Agincourt in 1415 during the Hundred Years' War. His name is recorded in the muster rolls of King Henry V's army.
Another historical figure of note was William Tamble, a merchant and alderman in the City of London during the 16th century. He is mentioned in various records from the Guildhall archives, with his years of birth and death estimated to be around 1510 and 1585, respectively.
In the 17th century, the Tamble name appears in the records of the parish of St. Giles in Cripplegate, London, where a certain Thomas Tamble was baptized in 1623. This indicates that the name had become established in the capital city by this time.
During the English Civil War, a Captain John Tamble is recorded as serving in the Parliamentarian army under Oliver Cromwell. He is mentioned in various military records from the 1640s.
In the late 18th century, a prominent figure with the Tamble surname was Robert Tamble, a successful businessman and landowner from Cheshire. He was born in 1755 and died in 1822.
Another notable individual with the Tamble name was Elizabeth Tamble, a writer and poet who lived in the early 19th century. Her collection of poems, titled "Verses from the Heart," was published in London in 1825.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tamble
Among Census respondents with the surname Tamble, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Tamble 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 Tamble surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.1% · 92
- Two or more races5.0% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tamble
Tamble appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#155,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-11 bearers (-9.8%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 8,017 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #155,270 | 101 | 0.03 | -11 bearers (-9.8%) | Down 8,017 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 Tamble 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 | #147,253 | #155,270 | -5.4% |
| Count | 112 | 101 | -9.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -15.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tamble bearers went from 112 to 101 (-9.8% change). The surname moved down 8,017 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #155,270.
FAQ
Tamble surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tamble?
Name Census estimates that about 116 living Americans carry the surname Tamble. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,954,779 residents.
How common is Tamble?
Tamble ranks #155,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 101 people with the surname Tamble. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (116), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Tamble.
Has Tamble become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tamble went from 112 recorded bearers to 101. That is a decrease of 11 (-9.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #147,253 to #155,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Tamble?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tamble, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Hispanic (4.0%). 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 Tamble in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.1% (92 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tamble appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.1%), Two or More Races (5.0%), Hispanic (4.0%). 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 Tamble (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 Tamble mean?
A locational surname potentially derived from a place name containing elements meaning "wooded valley" or "tree-stump clearing". 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 Tamble (0.03 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 Tamble?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Tamble on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.