2000
#136,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Tando
A surname possibly referring to a person from the town of Tando in Pakistan.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Tando. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tando 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Tando in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tando, the largest self-reported group is White at 34.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (28.9%) and Hispanic (22.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tando
The surname Tando is believed to have originated in the Indian subcontinent, specifically in the region of Sindh, which is now part of modern-day Pakistan. The name is thought to be derived from the Sindhi word "tandu," which means "village" or "settlement."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Chachnama, a historical chronicle written in the 13th century that documented the Arab conquest of Sindh. The text mentions a place called Tando, which was likely a village or small town at the time.
In the 16th century, during the Mughal Empire, there are references to a town called Tando Allahyar, which was named after a local ruler. This town later became an important center for trade and education, and it is possible that the surname Tando originated from this area.
The first known individual with the surname Tando was Syed Miran Mohammad Shah Tando, a Sufi saint who lived in the 16th century. He was born in Tando Allahyar and is revered in the region for his spiritual teachings and contributions to literature.
Another notable figure with the surname Tando was Mirza Ghazi Beg Tando, a 17th-century poet and historian from Sindh. He wrote extensively about the history and culture of the region, and his works are considered important sources for understanding the Sindhi language and literature.
In the 19th century, Mian Ghulam Shah Tando was a prominent leader and landowner in Sindh. He played a significant role in the region's resistance against British colonial rule and was instrumental in organizing local uprisings against foreign occupation.
Towards the end of the 19th century, Mir Ali Murad Khan Tando was a prominent figure in the struggle for the rights of the Sindhi people. He was a vocal advocate for the preservation of Sindhi culture and worked to promote education and social reform in the region.
In more recent times, Ghulam Mustafa Tando was a renowned Sindhi scholar and linguist who made significant contributions to the study and promotion of the Sindhi language. He was born in 1911 and published numerous works on Sindhi literature, grammar, and poetry throughout his lifetime.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tando
Among Census respondents with the surname Tando, the largest self-reported group is White at 34.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (28.9%) and Hispanic (22.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Tando 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 Tando surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White34.7% · 42
- Asian and Pacific Islander28.9% · 35
- Hispanic or Latino22.3% · 27
- Black or African American11.6% · 14
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tando
Tando 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
-4 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,669 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+12 bearers (+11.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 9,143 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #136,783 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #150,452 | 109 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.5%) | Down 13,669 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | +12 bearers (+11.0%) | Up 9,143 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 Tando 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 | #141,309 | 6.1% |
| Count | 109 | 121 | 11.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tando bearers went from 109 to 121 (+11.0% change). The surname moved up 9,143 positions in the national ranking, going from #150,452 to #141,309.
FAQ
Tando surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tando?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Tando. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Tando?
Tando ranks #141,309 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 121 people with the surname Tando. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), 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 Tando.
Has Tando become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tando went from 109 recorded bearers to 121. That is an increase of 12 (+11.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #150,452 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Tando?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tando, the largest self-reported group is White at 34.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (28.9%) and Hispanic (22.3%). 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 Tando in the 2020 Census, accounting for 34.7% (42 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tando appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (34.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (28.9%), Hispanic (22.3%). 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 Tando (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 Tando mean?
A surname possibly referring to a person from the town of Tando in Pakistan. 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 Tando (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 people share the surname Tando?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.