2010
#160,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Tapiero
A locational surname possibly derived from the town of Tapiero in Spain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Tapiero. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tapiero 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Tapiero in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tapiero, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 68.9%. The next largest groups are White (26.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tapiero
The surname Tapiero originates from Spain, with its earliest records dating back to the 15th century. It is believed to have been derived from the Spanish word "tapiar," which means "to build a wall." This suggests that the name may have been an occupational surname, referring to individuals who worked as masons or builders of walls and fortifications.
One of the earliest known references to the Tapiero name can be found in the archives of the city of Seville, where a certain Juan Tapiero was mentioned in a document from the year 1487. This document recorded a land transaction involving Juan Tapiero, providing evidence of the existence of this surname during the late 15th century in southern Spain.
Throughout the 16th and 17th centuries, the Tapiero name appeared in various records across different regions of Spain, indicating the spread of this family name. For instance, in the year 1598, a man named Diego Tapiero was recorded as a resident of the town of Almería, located in the southeastern part of the country.
As the Tapiero family grew and expanded, some members migrated to other parts of Europe and the Americas. One notable individual was Antonio Tapiero, who was born in Madrid in 1712 and later moved to the Spanish colony of Cuba, where he established a successful business and became a prominent figure in the local community.
Another noteworthy person with the Tapiero surname was María Tapiero, a renowned painter from Barcelona who lived during the late 18th century. Her work was highly acclaimed, and several of her paintings can still be found in museums and galleries across Spain.
In the 19th century, the Tapiero name continued to appear in various records and documents. For example, in 1842, a man named Javier Tapiero was listed as a landowner in the town of Murcia, located in southeastern Spain.
The Tapiero surname has also been carried by individuals who have made significant contributions in various fields. One such person was José Tapiero, a Spanish philosopher and writer who was born in 1923 and is best known for his works on existentialism and phenomenology.
It is worth noting that the spelling of the Tapiero surname has remained relatively consistent throughout its history, with minor variations such as "Tapieiro" or "Tapyero" being occasionally encountered in older records.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tapiero
Among Census respondents with the surname Tapiero, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 68.9%. The next largest groups are White (26.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Tapiero 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 Tapiero surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino68.9% · 82
- White26.9% · 32
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.5% · 3
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tapiero
Tapiero 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
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+19 bearers (+19.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 18,187 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #160,975 | 100 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | +19 bearers (+19.0%) | Up 18,187 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 Tapiero 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 | #160,975 | #142,788 | 11.3% |
| Count | 100 | 119 | 19.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 32.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tapiero bearers went from 100 to 119 (+19.0% change). The surname moved up 18,187 positions in the national ranking, going from #160,975 to #142,788.
FAQ
Tapiero surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tapiero?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Tapiero. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Tapiero?
Tapiero ranks #142,788 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 119 people with the surname Tapiero. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), 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 Tapiero.
Has Tapiero become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tapiero went from 100 recorded bearers to 119. That is an increase of 19 (+19.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #160,975 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Tapiero?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tapiero, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 68.9%. The next largest groups are White (26.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Tapiero in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.9% (82 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tapiero appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (68.9%), White (26.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%). 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 Tapiero (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 Tapiero mean?
A locational surname possibly derived from the town of Tapiero in Spain. 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 Tapiero (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 Tapiero?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.