2000
#130,443
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Tanczos
A Hungarian surname meaning "one who dances".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Tanczos. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tanczos 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Tanczos in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tanczos, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.8%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tanczos
The surname Tanczos is of Hungarian origin, tracing its roots back to the late 15th century in the region that is now modern-day Hungary. The name is derived from the Hungarian word "táncos," which means "dancer" or "one who dances." This suggests that the name may have initially been bestowed upon someone known for their prowess in dancing, perhaps a professional performer or entertainer.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Tanczos surname can be found in a 16th-century document from the town of Szeged, located in southern Hungary. This document mentions a certain János Tanczos, who was a landowner and influential figure in the local community. It is believed that this János Tanczos may have been among the first to bear the surname, which could have initially been an occupational name or a nickname that later became hereditary.
In the 17th century, the Tanczos name appears in various records from the Transylvanian region, which was then part of the Kingdom of Hungary. One notable figure from this era is Péter Tanczos, a prominent scholar and educator who lived from 1629 to 1698. Péter Tanczos was a professor at the Calvinist College in Nagyenyed (now Aiud, Romania) and was renowned for his contributions to the field of mathematics and astronomy.
Another important historical figure bearing the Tanczos surname is Mihály Tanczos (1857-1921), a Hungarian politician and lawyer who served as a member of the National Assembly of Hungary in the early 20th century. Mihály Tanczos was a vocal advocate for Hungarian nationalism and played a significant role in the political landscape of his time.
In the realm of literature, the Tanczos name is associated with the Hungarian writer and poet Gábor Tanczos (1885-1957). Gábor Tanczos was a prominent figure in the literary circles of his day and is best known for his poetry collections, which often explored themes of nature, love, and the human condition.
Crossing into the 20th century, one cannot overlook the contributions of the Hungarian mathematician and computer scientist János Tanczos (1938-2008). János Tanczos was a renowned researcher in the field of computer science and made significant contributions to the development of programming languages and software engineering methodologies.
Throughout its history, the Tanczos surname has been present in various regions of Hungary and neighboring countries, reflecting the diverse cultural and linguistic influences that have shaped the region over time. While the name may have evolved in its spelling and pronunciation over the centuries, its roots can be traced back to the rich tapestry of Hungarian history and tradition.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tanczos
Among Census respondents with the surname Tanczos, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.8%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Tanczos 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 Tanczos surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.7% · 107
- Two or more races6.8% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tanczos
Tanczos 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
#150,452
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-11 bearers (-9.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 20,009 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+9 bearers (+8.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 6,941 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #130,443 | 120 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #150,452 | 109 | 0.04 | -11 bearers (-9.2%) | Down 20,009 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+8.3%) | Up 6,941 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 Tanczos 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 | #150,452 | #143,511 | 4.6% |
| Count | 109 | 118 | 8.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tanczos bearers went from 109 to 118 (+8.3% change). The surname moved up 6,941 positions in the national ranking, going from #150,452 to #143,511.
FAQ
Tanczos surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tanczos?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Tanczos. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Tanczos?
Tanczos ranks #143,511 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 118 people with the surname Tanczos. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), 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 Tanczos.
Has Tanczos become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tanczos went from 109 recorded bearers to 118. That is an increase of 9 (+8.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #150,452 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Tanczos?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tanczos, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.8%) and Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Tanczos in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.7% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tanczos appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.7%), Two or More Races (6.8%), Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Tanczos (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 Tanczos mean?
A Hungarian surname meaning "one who dances". 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 Tanczos (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 Tanczos?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.