2010
#125,282
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 137
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Tapa
A Spanish place name referring to someone from a place called Tapa.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Tapa. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tapa 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Tapa in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tapa, the largest self-reported group is White at 30.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (25.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (25.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tapa
The surname TAPA is believed to have originated in Spain during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Spanish word "tapa," which means a lid or cover. This name may have been given to someone who worked as a lid maker or someone who lived near a place where lids or covers were made.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname TAPA can be found in the records of the town of Seville, Spain, dating back to the 14th century. During this time, the name was also sometimes spelled as "Tappa" or "Tapas."
In the 16th century, there are records of a Pedro Tapa, a prominent merchant from the city of Cadiz, who traded goods with the Spanish colonies in the Americas. His son, Juan Tapa, was born in 1567 and went on to become a successful naval officer in the Spanish Armada.
The surname TAPA also appears in some historical manuscripts from the 18th century, including the writings of the Spanish philosopher and scholar, José Tapa (1721-1789), who was known for his work on the philosophy of language.
Another notable figure with the surname TAPA was Maria Tapa (1847-1925), a Spanish artist and painter who was part of the Impressionist movement in Spain. Her works are still celebrated today and can be found in various art galleries across Europe.
In the 19th century, records show that the surname TAPA was also present in parts of Latin America, particularly in countries like Mexico and Argentina. This could be due to Spanish migration and colonization efforts in the region during that time.
Other individuals with the surname TAPA include Alejandro Tapa (1876-1942), a renowned Argentine writer and poet, and Francisco Tapa (1901-1972), a Mexican politician who served as the governor of the state of Chihuahua.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tapa
Among Census respondents with the surname Tapa, the largest self-reported group is White at 30.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (25.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (25.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Tapa 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 Tapa surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White30.0% · 33
- Hispanic or Latino25.5% · 28
- Asian and Pacific Islander25.5% · 28
- Two or more races10.0% · 11
- Black or African American9.1% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tapa
Tapa 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
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-27 bearers (-19.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 24,164 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #125,282 | 137 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | -27 bearers (-19.7%) | Down 24,164 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 Tapa 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 | #125,282 | #149,446 | -19.3% |
| Count | 137 | 110 | -19.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -26.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tapa bearers went from 137 to 110 (-19.7% change). The surname moved down 24,164 positions in the national ranking, going from #125,282 to #149,446.
FAQ
Tapa surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tapa?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Tapa. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Tapa?
Tapa ranks #149,446 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 110 people with the surname Tapa. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), 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 Tapa.
Has Tapa become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tapa went from 137 recorded bearers to 110. That is a decrease of 27 (-19.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #125,282 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Tapa?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tapa, the largest self-reported group is White at 30.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (25.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (25.5%). 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 Tapa in the 2020 Census, accounting for 30.0% (33 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tapa appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (30.0%), Hispanic (25.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (25.5%). 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 Tapa (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 Tapa mean?
A Spanish place name referring to someone from a place called Tapa. 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 Tapa (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 have the surname Tapa?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.