2000
#675
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 46,412
First available Census row
Per 100,000 17.20
Uncommon Last name
Tanner
An occupational surname referring to a person who tans animal hides into leather.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 53,251 Americans carry the last name Tanner. That puts it at #728 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 15.54 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 6,437 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tanner 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Tanner with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
53K
1 in 6,437
Census rank
#728
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
15.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
46K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 46,437 bearers of the surname Tanner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 15.54 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 728th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tanner, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.4%. The next largest groups are Black (11.1%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tanner
The surname Tanner originated in England and dates back to the 12th century. It is an occupational name derived from the Old English "tannere", referring to someone who tanned animal hides to produce leather. The name is found throughout England, particularly in London, Essex, and the southern counties.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Tanner appears in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1191, where a certain Roger le Tannur is mentioned. The name is also found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273, where a John le Tannere is listed. In the Domesday Book of 1086, the placename Tannor is recorded in Suffolk, which may have influenced the development of the surname.
In the 13th century, a William le Tannur was a prominent citizen of London and served as an alderman. Sir John Tanner (c. 1350-1416) was a wealthy merchant and landowner from Norfolk who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1399. Another notable figure was Edmund Tanner (1575-1655), an English clergyman and scholar who served as Bishop of St. Asaph and wrote several religious works.
Thomas Tanner (1674-1735) was an English antiquarian and bishop who served as Chancellor of Norwich Cathedral and published several works on British antiquities. His contemporary, Dr. Thomas Tanner (1692-1768), was a prominent physician and writer on medical topics. In the 18th century, John Tanner (1715-1795) was a Mohawk leader and interpreter who played a significant role in the American Revolution.
Other notable individuals with the surname Tanner include Benjamin Tanner (1835-1923), an American author and educator; Amy Tanner (1859-1951), a British trade unionist and suffragette; and Clarence Tanner (1902-1984), an American baseball player and manager in the Negro Leagues.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tanner
Among Census respondents with the surname Tanner, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.4%. The next largest groups are Black (11.1%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Tanner 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 Tanner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.4% · 36,855
- Black or African American11.1% · 5,136
- Two or more races4.5% · 2,109
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 1,584
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 432
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 321
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tanner
Tanner 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
#709
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 48,813
+2,401 bearers (+5.2%)
Per 100,000 16.55
Rank movement Down 34 places
2020
#728
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 46,437
-2,376 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 15.54
Rank movement Down 19 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #675 | 46,412 | 17.20 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #709 | 48,813 | 16.55 | +2,401 bearers (+5.2%) | Down 34 places |
| 2020 | #728 | 46,437 | 15.54 | -2,376 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 19 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 Tanner 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 | #709 | #728 | -2.7% |
| Count | 48,813 | 46,437 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 16.55 | 15.54 | -6.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tanner bearers went from 48,813 to 46,437 (-4.9% change). The surname moved down 19 positions in the national ranking, going from #709 to #728.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Tanner
FAQ
Tanner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tanner?
Name Census estimates that about 53,251 living Americans carry the surname Tanner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 6,437 residents.
How common is Tanner?
Tanner ranks #728 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 15.54 per 100,000 residents, which is about 16 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 46,437 people with the surname Tanner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (53,251), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 15.54 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 15.54 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 16 of them to have the surname Tanner.
Has Tanner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tanner went from 48,813 recorded bearers to 46,437. That is a decrease of 2,376 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #709 to #728.
What does the Census say about the background of Tanner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tanner, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.4%. The next largest groups are Black (11.1%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Tanner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.4% (36,855 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tanner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.4%), Black (11.1%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Tanner (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 Tanner mean?
An occupational surname referring to a person who tans animal hides into leather. 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 Tanner (15.54 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 many Americans have the surname Tanner?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.