2000
#13,158
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,130
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.79
Rare Last name
Tant
A nickname for a boastful or overconfident person, derived from the Middle English word "tant" meaning "bold" or "strong."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,217 Americans carry the last name Tant. That puts it at #14,748 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.65 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 154,603 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tant 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 Tant with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.2K
1 in 154,603
Census rank
#14,748
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,933 bearers of the surname Tant in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.65 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14748th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tant, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tant
The surname TANT has its origins in France, dating back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old French word "tant," meaning "so much" or "so great." This name likely originated as a nickname or descriptive name given to someone who was particularly boastful or prone to exaggeration.
In the 12th century, the name appeared in various records and manuscripts across northern France, particularly in the regions of Normandy and Picardy. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name was found in the Cartulaire de l'abbaye de Saint-Père de Chartres, a medieval manuscript from the 1160s.
During the 13th century, the name TANT began to spread to other parts of France, including the Île-de-France region around Paris. In 1289, a man named Robert TANT was mentioned in the Registres de la Cour des Comptes, a historical record of financial accounts from the French royal court.
The TANT surname has also been associated with several place names in France, such as Tanterville in Normandy and Tantonville in the Meurthe-et-Moselle region. These place names likely originated from the surname itself or from similar Old French words.
One notable bearer of the TANT surname was Jacques TANT (c. 1550-1615), a French Catholic priest and theologian from Rouen. He was a prolific writer and published several works on religious subjects, including a defense of the doctrine of transubstantiation.
Another significant figure was Pierre TANT (1590-1660), a French mathematician and astronomer from Normandy. He made important contributions to the study of comets and published a treatise on astronomical observations in 1639.
In the 18th century, the TANT surname gained prominence with Jean-Baptiste TANT (1728-1792), a French politician and lawyer from Besançon. He served as a deputy in the Estates-General and played a role in the early stages of the French Revolution.
The name also appeared in the literary world with Marie-Louise TANT (1789-1858), a French novelist and playwright from Paris. She wrote several popular works of fiction and was known for her comedic plays.
Lastly, a notable bearer of the TANT surname in the 19th century was Edmond TANT (1833-1901), a French artist and engraver from Bordeaux. He was renowned for his intricate etchings and engravings, many of which depicted scenes from French history and literature.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tant
Among Census respondents with the surname Tant, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Tant 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 Tant surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.1% · 1,760
- Two or more races3.4% · 65
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 50
- Black or African American1.4% · 28
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 23
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tant
Tant 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
#13,037
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,355
+225 bearers (+10.6%)
Per 100,000 0.80
Rank movement Up 121 places
2020
#14,748
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,933
-422 bearers (-17.9%)
Per 100,000 0.65
Rank movement Down 1,711 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,158 | 2,130 | 0.79 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,037 | 2,355 | 0.80 | +225 bearers (+10.6%) | Up 121 places |
| 2020 | #14,748 | 1,933 | 0.65 | -422 bearers (-17.9%) | Down 1,711 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 Tant 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 | #13,037 | #14,748 | -13.1% |
| Count | 2,355 | 1,933 | -17.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.80 | 0.65 | -19.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tant bearers went from 2,355 to 1,933 (-17.9% change). The surname moved down 1,711 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,037 to #14,748.
FAQ
Tant surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tant?
Name Census estimates that about 2,217 living Americans carry the surname Tant. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 154,603 residents.
How common is Tant?
Tant ranks #14,748 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.65 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 1,933 people with the surname Tant. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,217), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.65 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.65 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 Tant.
Has Tant become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tant went from 2,355 recorded bearers to 1,933. That is a decrease of 422 (-17.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,037 to #14,748.
What does the Census say about the background of Tant?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tant, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Tant in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.1% (1,760 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tant appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.1%), Two or More Races (3.4%), Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Tant (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 Tant mean?
A nickname for a boastful or overconfident person, derived from the Middle English word "tant" meaning "bold" or "strong." 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 Tant (0.65 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 last name Tant?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Tant, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.