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

Tannahill, 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 Tannahill surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tannahill in America

Tannahill is the 41657th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tannahill surname appeared 522 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 Tannahill.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tannahill 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 Tannahill

The surname Tannahill is of Scottish origin, derived from the Gaelic word "tana" meaning thin or slender, and "ail" meaning a meadow or clearing. It is believed to have originated in the Renfrewshire region of Scotland sometime in the 12th or 13th century.

The earliest known record of the Tannahill surname dates back to the late 13th century, where it appears in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a historical record of Scottish landowners who pledged allegiance to King Edward I of England. The name was also found in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in the 14th century, indicating that the Tannahills were landowners or tenants of the Crown.

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the Tannahill surname was John Tannahill, a merchant and burgess of Glasgow, who lived in the late 15th century. Another notable figure was Robert Tannahill, a Scottish poet and songwriter who lived from 1774 to 1810. He is considered one of the foremost poets of the Scottish Romantic period and is best known for his works such as "The Braes o' Balquhidder" and "Jessie, the Flower o' Dunblane."

In the 16th century, the Tannahill surname was found in various historical records in the counties of Ayrshire, Lanarkshire, and Renfrewshire, suggesting that the family had spread across the southwestern region of Scotland. One notable bearer from this period was John Tannahill, who was appointed as the Rector of Kilbarchan Parish in 1580.

Another prominent figure was James Tannahill, a Scottish minister and theologian who lived from 1700 to 1776. He served as the minister of the parish of Yarrow in the Scottish Borders and was known for his controversial views on the doctrine of predestination.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Tannahill surname began to appear in various parts of the British Isles, as well as in North America, as Scottish immigrants and settlers began to establish themselves in new lands. One notable bearer from this period was John Tannahill, a Scottish-born merchant and landowner who settled in Virginia in the late 18th century.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tannahill

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

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Tannahill, 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!