2000
#13,580
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,051
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.76
Rare Last name
Tannenbaum
A German and Jewish surname meaning "fir tree" or "Christmas tree," derived from the German words "Tannen" (fir) and "Baum" (tree).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,259 Americans carry the last name Tannenbaum. That puts it at #14,543 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.66 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 151,728 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tannenbaum 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
2.3K
1 in 151,728
Census rank
#14,543
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,970 bearers of the surname Tannenbaum in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.66 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14543rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tannenbaum, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.1%) and Two or More Races (1.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tannenbaum
The surname Tannenbaum originated in Germany and Austria during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the German words "Tanne" meaning fir tree and "Baum" meaning tree, thus translating to "fir tree" or "pine tree." The name likely originated as a descriptive surname for someone who lived near a prominent fir or pine tree or forest.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Tannenbaum date back to the 13th century in various German and Austrian regions. It was sometimes spelled variations like Tannenbawm, Tannbaum, or Tannebaum in old records and manuscripts. The name is found in the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a collection of medieval documents from Brandenburg, Prussia.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Johannes Tannenbaum, a merchant and landowner in Nuremberg, Germany, who was documented in the city's records in the late 14th century. Another early figure was Hans Tannenbaum, a Protestant reformer and associate of Martin Luther, who lived in the early 16th century.
In the 17th century, the name Tannenbaum appeared in the records of several German and Austrian towns and villages, often in connection with landowners, farmers, or foresters. For example, a family named Tannenbaum was recorded as owning a parcel of land in the village of Schönbrunn, near Vienna, in the 1650s.
One notable bearer of the name was Johann Tannenbaum, a German composer and organist who lived from 1711 to 1783. He is best known for his choral works and organ compositions, which were influential in the Baroque era.
During the 19th century, several individuals named Tannenbaum made significant contributions in various fields. Gustav Tannenbaum (1808-1876) was a German author and journalist who wrote extensively on political and social issues. Adelheid Tannenbaum (1825-1902) was an Austrian educator and women's rights activist who founded several schools for girls in Vienna.
Another prominent figure with the surname Tannenbaum was Karl Tannenbaum (1849-1921), a German-American inventor and engineer who designed early electric motors and generators. He held numerous patents and played a key role in the development of electrical technology in the late 19th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tannenbaum
Among Census respondents with the surname Tannenbaum, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.1%) and Two or More Races (1.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Tannenbaum 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 Tannenbaum surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.3% · 1,878
- Hispanic or Latino2.1% · 42
- Two or more races1.4% · 28
- Black or African American0.5% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tannenbaum
Tannenbaum 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
#14,374
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,080
+29 bearers (+1.4%)
Per 100,000 0.71
Rank movement Down 794 places
2020
#14,543
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,970
-110 bearers (-5.3%)
Per 100,000 0.66
Rank movement Down 169 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,580 | 2,051 | 0.76 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,374 | 2,080 | 0.71 | +29 bearers (+1.4%) | Down 794 places |
| 2020 | #14,543 | 1,970 | 0.66 | -110 bearers (-5.3%) | Down 169 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 Tannenbaum 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 | #14,374 | #14,543 | -1.2% |
| Count | 2,080 | 1,970 | -5.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.71 | 0.66 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tannenbaum bearers went from 2,080 to 1,970 (-5.3% change). The surname moved down 169 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,374 to #14,543.
FAQ
Tannenbaum surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tannenbaum?
Name Census estimates that about 2,259 living Americans carry the surname Tannenbaum. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 151,728 residents.
How common is Tannenbaum?
Tannenbaum ranks #14,543 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.66 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,970 people with the surname Tannenbaum. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,259), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.66 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.66 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Tannenbaum.
Has Tannenbaum become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tannenbaum went from 2,080 recorded bearers to 1,970. That is a decrease of 110 (-5.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,374 to #14,543.
What does the Census say about the background of Tannenbaum?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tannenbaum, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.1%) and Two or More Races (1.4%). 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 Tannenbaum in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.3% (1,878 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tannenbaum appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.3%), Hispanic (2.1%), Two or More Races (1.4%). 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 Tannenbaum (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 Tannenbaum mean?
A German and Jewish surname meaning "fir tree" or "Christmas tree," derived from the German words "Tannen" (fir) and "Baum" (tree). 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 Tannenbaum (0.66 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 Tannenbaum?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Tannenbaum at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.