Tanious last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Tanious

An Egyptian surname derived from the Greek name "Athanasios", meaning "immortal".

Tanious, 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 Tanious surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tanious in America

Tanious is the 156044th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tanious surname appeared 104 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 Tanious.

The history of the last name Tanious

The surname Tanious has its origins in Egypt, with records showing its use dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Arabic name "Athanasios," which means "immortal" or "eternal." The earliest known spelling of the name was "Tannous," which later evolved into the more modern spelling of "Tanious."

One of the earliest documented instances of the Tanious name appears in a historical manuscript from the Monastery of Saint Antony in the Eastern Desert of Egypt. This manuscript, dated around 1180 CE, mentions a monk named Tanious who was renowned for his piety and devotion to the monastic life.

During the Mamluk period in Egypt, which lasted from the 13th to the 16th century, the Tanious name was particularly prevalent in the regions around Cairo and Alexandria. Some historical records from this era indicate that several individuals bearing this surname held prominent positions in the government and religious institutions of the time.

In the 16th century, a notable figure named Tanious el-Nahri was a respected scholar and translator of Arabic and Greek texts. He was born in Cairo in 1510 and died in 1592, leaving behind a legacy of influential literary works.

Another significant individual with the Tanious surname was Mikhail Tanious, a renowned Coptic scholar and theologian who lived in the 17th century. He was born in Upper Egypt in 1620 and spent much of his life studying and writing about the Coptic language and Christian theology.

In the 19th century, a prominent figure named Youssef Tanious gained recognition as a talented artist and calligrapher. Born in Cairo in 1820, his intricate calligraphic works adorned many churches and mosques throughout Egypt, and he was highly respected for his artistic skill.

The Tanious surname has also been associated with several place names in Egypt, such as the village of Tanious in the Nile Delta region and the Tanious Monastery, located in the Wadi El-Natrun region of the Western Desert.

Throughout history, the Tanious name has maintained a strong connection to its Egyptian roots and has been carried by individuals who have made significant contributions in various fields, including religion, scholarship, and the arts.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tanious

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

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 Tanious was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 90.38% 94
Non-Hispanic Black Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races (S)% (S)
Hispanic Origin 4.81% 5

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.

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Tanious last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on August 28, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/tanious-surname-popularity/.

"Tanious last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/tanious-surname-popularity/. Accessed 28 August, 2025

Tanious last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/tanious-surname-popularity/.

Search for a name

Search for a first or last name to learn more about its origin, meaning, and more.

Simple as that.