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

Tanco, 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 Tanco surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tanco in America

Tanco is the 82044th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tanco surname appeared 230 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 Tanco.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tanco 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 Tanco

The surname Tanco is believed to have originated from Spain, specifically in the regions of Galicia and Asturias, during the medieval period. It is derived from the Galician-Portuguese word "tanco," which means "enclosure" or "fenced area."

The earliest known record of the Tanco surname dates back to the 13th century, when it appeared in various documents from the northern regions of Spain. Some historians suggest that the name may have been initially associated with individuals who lived near or owned a fenced property.

In the 15th century, the Tanco surname was documented in the town of Ribadavia, located in the Galician province of Ourense. Records from this period mention a prominent figure named Juan Tanco, who held a position of authority in the local administration.

During the 16th century, the Tanco family established a presence in the city of Santiago de Compostela, which was an important religious and cultural center in Galicia. One notable individual from this era was Pedro Tanco (1505-1572), a Catholic priest and author who wrote several religious texts.

The 17th century saw the Tanco surname spread to other parts of Spain, including the regions of Andalusia and Castile. A significant figure from this time was Miguel Tanco y Velasco (1638-1705), a Spanish military officer and colonial administrator who served as the governor of Florida from 1693 to 1700.

In the 18th century, the Tanco surname gained prominence in the Spanish colonial territories of the Americas. One notable individual was José Antonio Tanco y Valerio (1758-1834), a Spanish-born military officer who fought in the Spanish American wars of independence and later served as the governor of Panama.

Another prominent figure with the Tanco surname was Manuel Tanco Armero (1805-1882), a Spanish politician and statesman who served as the Prime Minister of Spain for a brief period in 1868.

Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, the Tanco surname continued to be present in various regions of Spain, as well as in Spanish-speaking countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tanco

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

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 Tanco 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 Tanco 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 Tanco was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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