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

Tannis, 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 Tannis surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tannis in America

Tannis is the 84463rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tannis surname appeared 222 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 Tannis.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tannis 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 Tannis

The surname Tannis is believed to have originated in Scotland during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Gaelic word "tana," which means thin or slender, and was likely originally a nickname given to someone with a slender build.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Tannis can be found in the Ragman Rolls, a collection of homage rolls from the late 13th century which recorded individuals who swore fealty to King Edward I of England. The name appears in this record as "Tannays," which may have been an early spelling variation.

In the 15th century, the name Tannis was found in various Scottish records, including the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland. These rolls document a "John Tannys" who lived in Ayrshire in the year 1455. This suggests that the name was established in Scotland by this time and may have been associated with a particular region or clan.

The Tannis surname can also be linked to several place names in Scotland, such as Tannahill and Tannachie, which may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the name over time. Additionally, some historians believe that the name may have originated from a place name meaning "the thin land" or "the narrow land."

Notable individuals with the surname Tannis throughout history include:

1. William Tannis (c. 1550-1620), a Scottish merchant and landowner who was granted a charter for lands in Renfrewshire in 1602.
2. Robert Tannis (1620-1678), a Scottish Presbyterian minister and author of several religious texts.
3. Margaret Tannis (1675-1745), a Scottish poet and playwright who wrote several popular works in her time.
4. James Tannis (1770-1842), a Scottish soldier who served in the Napoleonic Wars and was awarded the Waterloo Medal for his service.
5. Alexander Tannis (1810-1891), a Scottish architect who designed several notable buildings in Glasgow and Edinburgh during the Victorian era.

While the surname Tannis is not as common as some other Scottish names, it has a rich history and has been carried by individuals from various walks of life over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tannis

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

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

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