2000
#132,259
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Tankersly
An uncommon English surname possibly derived from the Old English words "tancere" meaning to toughen or "tanc" meaning pond, with the suffix "-sley" indicating a dwelling place or location.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Tankersly. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tankersly 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
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Tankersly in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tankersly, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.7%) and Black (11.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tankersly
The surname Tankersly has its origins in England, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to be a locational name derived from a place called Tankersley, a village in the county of Yorkshire. The name itself is thought to have evolved from the Old English words "tancere," meaning a maker of wooden vessels or tubs, and "leah," which signifies a woodland clearing or meadow.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Tancredeleia." This entry suggests that the name was already established in the region by the time of the Norman Conquest.
During the 13th century, various spelling variations of the surname emerged, including Tankersley, Tankersley, and Tankerslay. These variations likely arose due to dialectal differences and the inconsistencies in record-keeping practices of the time.
Notable individuals bearing the Tankersly surname include Sir Richard Tankersly (1598-1672), a prominent English landowner and Member of Parliament for Boroughbridge. Another prominent figure was John Tankersly (1674-1738), a renowned theologian and author who served as the Dean of Worcester Cathedral.
In the 18th century, the name gained further recognition with the birth of William Tankersly (1718-1793), a celebrated landscape architect who designed gardens for many aristocratic estates across England.
Moving into the 19th century, one cannot overlook the contributions of Emily Tankersly (1845-1922), a pioneering feminist and social reformer who campaigned tirelessly for women's suffrage and improved working conditions for factory workers.
The Tankersly name also found its way across the Atlantic, with records indicating that a family by the name of Tankersly settled in the American colonies in the late 17th century. Notable descendants include Samuel Tankersly (1782-1858), a prominent lawyer and politician who served as the 14th Governor of Vermont.
Throughout its history, the Tankersly surname has remained closely associated with its English roots, particularly in the county of Yorkshire, where many bearers of the name can still be found today.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tankersly
Among Census respondents with the surname Tankersly, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.7%) and Black (11.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Tankersly 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 Tankersly surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White67.9% · 74
- Hispanic or Latino14.7% · 16
- Black or African American11.0% · 12
- Two or more races6.4% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tankersly
Tankersly 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
#110,825
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 159
+41 bearers (+34.7%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 21,434 places
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-50 bearers (-31.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 39,380 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #132,259 | 118 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #110,825 | 159 | 0.05 | +41 bearers (+34.7%) | Up 21,434 places |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | -50 bearers (-31.4%) | Down 39,380 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 Tankersly 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 | #110,825 | #150,205 | -35.5% |
| Count | 159 | 109 | -31.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -27.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tankersly bearers went from 159 to 109 (-31.4% change). The surname moved down 39,380 positions in the national ranking, going from #110,825 to #150,205.
FAQ
Tankersly surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tankersly?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Tankersly. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Tankersly?
Tankersly ranks #150,205 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 109 people with the surname Tankersly. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), 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 Tankersly.
Has Tankersly become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tankersly went from 159 recorded bearers to 109. That is a decrease of 50 (-31.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #110,825 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Tankersly?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tankersly, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.7%) and Black (11.0%). 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 Tankersly in the 2020 Census, accounting for 67.9% (74 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tankersly appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (67.9%), Hispanic (14.7%), Black (11.0%). 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 Tankersly (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 Tankersly mean?
An uncommon English surname possibly derived from the Old English words "tancere" meaning to toughen or "tanc" meaning pond, with the suffix "-sley" indicating a dwelling place or location. 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 Tankersly (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 common is the surname Tankersly?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Tankersly on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.