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

Tanous, 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 Tanous surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tanous in America

Tanous is the 66553rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tanous surname appeared 297 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 Tanous.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tanous 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 Tanous

The surname TANOUS has its origins in the Middle East, specifically in the region of modern-day Lebanon and Syria. It is believed to have derived from the Arabic word "tannour," which refers to a traditional oven used for baking bread. The name may have been initially given to those who worked with or owned such ovens.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname TANOUS can be traced back to the 16th century in historical documents from the Ottoman Empire. One notable example is found in the tax registers of the Tripoli district, where a man named Tanous Al-Halabi was listed as a resident in 1572.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the name TANOUS appeared in various records from the region, including church registries and court documents. One notable individual from this period was Ibrahim Tanous, a merchant from Aleppo who was involved in the lucrative silk trade with Europe in the late 1600s.

As the Ottoman Empire began to decline in the 19th century, many families bearing the surname TANOUS emigrated to other parts of the world, particularly to the Americas and Australia. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name outside of the Middle East was in 1832, when a man named Khalil Tanous arrived in Boston, Massachusetts, from Lebanon.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname TANOUS. In the 20th century, one of the most prominent was Maronite Catholic Archbishop Francis M. Tanous (1915-2003), who served as the spiritual leader of the Maronite community in the United States and Canada. Another notable figure was the Lebanese-American writer and professor Wadih Tanous (1915-1997), who taught at various universities and authored several books on Middle Eastern culture and literature.

Other individuals with the surname TANOUS include Adnan Tanous (1933-2017), a prominent Lebanese businessman and philanthropist; Edmond Tanous (1932-2018), a Canadian politician and member of the Quebec National Assembly; and Marwan Tanous (born 1954), a Syrian-American businessman and investment banker.

It is clear that the surname TANOUS has a rich history rooted in the Middle East, with its earliest origins tied to the traditional ovens of the region. Over time, it has spread across the globe, carried by individuals who have made significant contributions in various fields.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tanous

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

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Tanous, please contact us.

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