2000
#14,653
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,861
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.69
Rare Last name
Tansey
A habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "burnt clearing" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,996 Americans carry the last name Tansey. That puts it at #16,084 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.58 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 171,721 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tansey 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 Tansey with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.0K
1 in 171,721
Census rank
#16,084
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,741 bearers of the surname Tansey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.58 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 16084th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tansey, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tansey
The surname Tansey is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic word "tanas" meaning "thin" or "slender". It is believed to have originated as a descriptive nickname for a person of a slender or thin build.
The name can be traced back to the early 12th century in Ireland, where it was first recorded in County Roscommon. Some of the earliest documented references to the name can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the 17th century.
One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Tadhg Tansey, a prominent Irish chieftain who lived in the 13th century. He was a member of the powerful O'Conor dynasty and held significant influence in the region of Connacht.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in the Pipe Rolls of Cloyne, which were taxation records for the Diocese of Cloyne in County Cork. This suggests that the Tansey family had spread to other parts of Ireland by that time.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Tansey surname was particularly prevalent in County Sligo, where it was associated with the baronies of Carbury and Leyny. Several notable individuals from this period bore the name, including Richard Tansey, a prominent landowner and member of the Irish Parliament in the late 16th century.
Another notable figure was Bonaventure Tansey, a Franciscan friar and historian who lived in the late 17th century. He was the author of several works on Irish history and genealogy, including the "Genealogical History of Ireland".
In the 18th century, the Tansey name gained prominence in County Mayo, where it was associated with the town of Ballina. One of the most famous bearers of the name from this period was James Tansey, a renowned Irish scholar and mathematician who lived from 1718 to 1795.
The 19th century saw the Tansey name continue to spread throughout Ireland, with members of the family establishing themselves in various professions and industries. One notable individual was Patrick Tansey, a successful businessman and philanthropist from County Roscommon, who lived from 1812 to 1890.
Throughout history, the Tansey surname has also been found in various spellings, such as Tansee, Tansy, and Tauncy, reflecting the regional variations and phonetic adaptations that occurred over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tansey
Among Census respondents with the surname Tansey, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Tansey 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 Tansey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.9% · 1,566
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 80
- Two or more races3.4% · 59
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 14
- Black or African American0.7% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tansey
Tansey 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
#14,937
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,981
+120 bearers (+6.4%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Down 284 places
2020
#16,084
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,741
-240 bearers (-12.1%)
Per 100,000 0.58
Rank movement Down 1,147 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,653 | 1,861 | 0.69 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,937 | 1,981 | 0.67 | +120 bearers (+6.4%) | Down 284 places |
| 2020 | #16,084 | 1,741 | 0.58 | -240 bearers (-12.1%) | Down 1,147 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 Tansey 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 | #14,937 | #16,084 | -7.7% |
| Count | 1,981 | 1,741 | -12.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.67 | 0.58 | -13.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tansey bearers went from 1,981 to 1,741 (-12.1% change). The surname moved down 1,147 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,937 to #16,084.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Tansey
FAQ
Tansey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tansey?
Name Census estimates that about 1,996 living Americans carry the surname Tansey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 171,721 residents.
How common is Tansey?
Tansey ranks #16,084 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.58 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 1,741 people with the surname Tansey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,996), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.58 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.58 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 Tansey.
Has Tansey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tansey went from 1,981 recorded bearers to 1,741. That is a decrease of 240 (-12.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,937 to #16,084.
What does the Census say about the background of Tansey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tansey, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Tansey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.9% (1,566 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tansey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.9%), Hispanic (4.6%), Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Tansey (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 Tansey mean?
A habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "burnt clearing" in Old English. 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 Tansey (0.58 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 have the surname Tansey?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.