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

Tanguy, 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 Tanguy surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tanguy in America

Tanguy is the 116829th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tanguy surname appeared 149 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 Tanguy.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tanguy 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 Tanguy

The surname Tanguy originated in Brittany, a cultural region in the northwest of France. It likely arose in the medieval period, deriving from the Breton personal name Tangi, which itself comes from the old Celtic word "tanau" meaning "fire" or "brightness." The earliest recorded spelling of the name appears to be Tanguy.

In the 12th century, the name is found in the Cartulaire de l'abbaye de Landevenec, a medieval manuscript containing records of the Landevenec Abbey in Finistère, Brittany. An entry from 1162 mentions a certain "Radulfus Tangui." This suggests the name was already well-established in the region by that time.

The Tanguy surname later spread beyond Brittany, with instances recorded in various regions of France. In the 14th century, the Livre des bourgeois de Rouen, a record of the citizens of Rouen, includes a "Guillaume Tanguy" listed in 1352.

Notable individuals with the surname Tanguy include Tanguy du Chastel (c.1475-c.1540), a French knight and military commander who served under King Francis I. He fought in several campaigns, including the Battle of Marignano in 1515.

Yves Tanguy (1900-1955) was a renowned French surrealist painter, known for his distinctive dreamlike landscapes. Born in Paris, his works were influenced by the surrealist movement and the writings of André Breton.

Marcel Tanguy (1892-1972) was a French art dealer and gallerist who played a significant role in promoting surrealism and modern art. His gallery, Galerie Tanguy, hosted exhibitions by artists such as Salvador Dalí and René Magritte.

Tanguy Ndombele (born 1996) is a professional football player from France who currently plays as a midfielder for Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League. He has also represented the French national team.

Philippe Tanguy (1925-2021) was a French architect and urban planner. He was known for his work on the reconstruction of Rouen after World War II and for his contributions to the development of modern urban planning principles.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tanguy

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

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

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

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