Find out how popular the last name Tampa is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Tampa.

Tampa, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Tampa surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tampa in America

Tampa is the 93921st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tampa surname appeared 195 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Tampa.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tampa to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Tampa

The surname Tampa is believed to have originated in Spain during the medieval period. It is derived from the Arabic word "tampa," meaning "flat ground" or "low-lying area." This suggests that the name likely referred to people who lived in or came from a flat or low-lying region.

Tampa is thought to be a variation of the Spanish place name "Tembleque," which is a town in the province of Toledo. Tembleque itself is derived from the Arabic words "tamliq" (mud) and "balad" (town or village), further reinforcing the connection to low-lying or swampy areas.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Tampa can be found in the 16th-century Spanish census records of the town of Tembleque. It is believed that families with the name Tampa may have originated from this area before migrating to other parts of Spain and eventually to the Americas.

In the 17th century, a notable figure named Juan de Tampa was a Spanish explorer and navigator who was involved in the exploration and mapping of the Gulf of Mexico and the Florida coast. He is credited with being one of the first Europeans to document the Tampa Bay area, which ultimately led to the naming of the city of Tampa, Florida.

Another historical figure with the surname Tampa was Rodrigo de Tampa, a Spanish military commander who served in the Spanish Conquest of the Americas in the 16th century. He was known for his campaigns against indigenous populations in present-day Mexico and Central America.

During the 18th century, a prominent family with the surname Tampa resided in the city of Seville, Spain. One member of this family, Diego de Tampa, was a renowned artist and painter who gained recognition for his religious works and portraits.

In the 19th century, a notable figure named María Tampa was a Spanish writer and poet who gained popularity for her romantic and feminist works. She was also an advocate for women's rights and education during a time when these issues were largely overlooked in Spanish society.

Throughout history, the surname Tampa has been found in various regions of Spain, as well as in Spanish-speaking countries in Latin America, where families with this name likely migrated during the colonial era. While not as widespread as some other Spanish surnames, Tampa has left its mark in various historical records and cultural contexts.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tampa

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Tampa.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Tampa was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Tampa has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Tampa was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Tampa, please contact us.

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