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

Tanks, 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 Tanks surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tanks in America

Tanks is the 47107th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tanks surname appeared 451 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 Tanks.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tanks 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 Tanks

The surname TANKS is of English origin, and it is believed to have emerged in the late Middle Ages, around the 14th or 15th century. The name is thought to be derived from the Old English word "tanc," which referred to a small enclosure or a pool of water. This suggests that the name may have initially been used to refer to someone who lived near a pond or a small body of water.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname TANKS can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire, dated 1327, where a certain John Tanke is mentioned. Another early reference comes from the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire in 1332, which lists a Robert le Tanke.

In the 16th century, the name TANKS appeared in various records across different counties in England. For example, in the Parish Registers of St. Mary's Church in Nottingham, a marriage between William Tanks and Elizabeth Wylson was recorded in 1573.

One notable individual with the surname TANKS was Sir John Tanks (1550-1621), a wealthy merchant and landowner from Gloucestershire. He served as a Member of Parliament for the borough of Cirencester in 1597 and 1601.

Another person of historical significance was Richard Tanks (1675-1738), a renowned English architect who designed several churches and country houses in the early 18th century, including the Church of St. Mary in Warwick and Compton Verney House in Warwickshire.

In the 19th century, Samuel Tanks (1808-1892) was a prominent figure in the British textile industry. He established a successful cotton mill in Lancashire and played a key role in the development of the town of Bolton.

The surname TANKS has also been associated with various places in England. For instance, the village of Tankerton in Kent was once known as "Tankers Tun," which may have derived from an early bearer of the name.

Throughout its history, the surname TANKS has undergone various spelling variations, such as Tanke, Tankes, Tancs, and Tancks, reflecting the fluid nature of surname spellings in earlier times.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tanks

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

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

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

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