2010
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Tannhauser
A German surname derived from the words "Tann" meaning pine and "Hausen" meaning house or dwelling.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Tannhauser. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tannhauser 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Tannhauser in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tannhauser, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.9%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tannhauser
The surname Tannhauser is of German origin, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to have originated from the German words "Tann" (fir tree or pine forest) and "Hauser" (house or resident), suggesting that the name was initially given to someone who lived near or in a pine forest.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Tannhauser can be found in the medieval German poem "Der Tannhäuser" (The Tannhauser), which tells the story of a historical figure who was a renowned medieval German Minnesinger and poet. The poem, written in the 13th century, references a legendary character named Tannhauser who embarked on a journey to the mythical Venusberg.
In the 14th century, a variant spelling of the name, "Tanhuser," appeared in the records of the town of Nuremberg, Germany. This suggests that the name had already gained recognition and was being used across different regions of Germany during that time period.
One of the earliest known individuals to bear the name Tannhauser was Heinrich Tannhauser, a 13th-century German Minnesinger and poet, whose life and work were celebrated in the aforementioned medieval poem. While his exact birth and death dates are uncertain, historical records suggest he lived during the first half of the 13th century.
In the 15th century, Johannes Tannhauser, a German theologian and reformer, was born in Constance, Germany (c. 1420 - c. 1491). He played a significant role in the early years of the Protestant Reformation and was known for his criticisms of the Catholic Church.
Another notable figure was Matthias Tannhauser, a 16th-century German painter and engraver (c. 1545 - c. 1610), who was active in Nuremberg and is renowned for his works depicting biblical scenes and portraits.
In the 19th century, the name Tannhauser gained further prominence with the renowned German composer Richard Wagner's opera "Tannhäuser" (1845), which was based on the medieval legend of the same name.
Throughout history, the surname Tannhauser has been associated with various place names in Germany, such as Tannhausen, a town in Bavaria, and Tannhäuser Berg, a mountain range in Saxony-Anhalt. These place names likely influenced the spelling variations and regional usage of the surname over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tannhauser
Among Census respondents with the surname Tannhauser, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.9%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Tannhauser 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 Tannhauser surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.1% · 97
- Hispanic or Latino7.9% · 9
- Two or more races3.5% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.6% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tannhauser
Tannhauser appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+13 bearers (+12.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 13,217 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #159,712 | 101 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | +13 bearers (+12.9%) | Up 13,217 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 Tannhauser 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 | #159,712 | #146,495 | 8.3% |
| Count | 101 | 114 | 12.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 27.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tannhauser bearers went from 101 to 114 (+12.9% change). The surname moved up 13,217 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #146,495.
FAQ
Tannhauser surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tannhauser?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Tannhauser. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Tannhauser?
Tannhauser ranks #146,495 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 114 people with the surname Tannhauser. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), 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 Tannhauser.
Has Tannhauser become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tannhauser went from 101 recorded bearers to 114. That is an increase of 13 (+12.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Tannhauser?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tannhauser, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.9%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Tannhauser in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.1% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tannhauser appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.1%), Hispanic (7.9%), Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Tannhauser (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 Tannhauser mean?
A German surname derived from the words "Tann" meaning pine and "Hausen" meaning house or dwelling. 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 Tannhauser (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 many people are called Tannhauser?
You can see how common the surname Tannhauser is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.