2000
#7,127
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,324
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.60
Rare Last name
Tarango
A Spanish habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "a grove of oak trees."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,003 Americans carry the last name Tarango. That puts it at #6,258 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.75 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 57,097 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tarango 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
6.0K
1 in 57,097
Census rank
#6,258
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,235 bearers of the surname Tarango in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.75 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6258th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tarango, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.0%. The next largest groups are White (6.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tarango
The surname Tarango is of Spanish origin, originating from the region of Navarra in northern Spain during the Middle Ages. It is believed to derive from the Basque word "taranga," meaning "small valley" or "ravine." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived in a small valley or near a ravine.
Tarango is a relatively uncommon surname, and there are few historical references to it in ancient records or manuscripts. However, one of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in a 15th-century document from the town of Pamplona, Navarra, where a certain Juan Tarango is mentioned as a landowner.
In the 16th century, there are records of a family with the surname Tarango residing in the town of Tudela, also in Navarra. This family is believed to have played a role in the local government and administration during that time.
One notable figure with the surname Tarango was Pedro Tarango, a Spanish explorer and navigator who was born in Santander, Cantabria, in the late 16th century. He participated in several expeditions to the Americas and is credited with mapping parts of the Pacific coast of Mexico and California.
Another individual of historical significance was Juana Tarango, a religious figure from the 17th century. She was a nun in the Convent of Santa Clara in Pamplona and is known for her work in promoting education and literacy among women in the region.
In the 18th century, there was a prominent military officer named Ignacio Tarango who served in the Spanish army during the War of the Spanish Succession. He was born in Tudela, Navarra, in 1685 and rose through the ranks to become a captain in the infantry.
During the 19th century, a notable figure with the surname Tarango was Manuel Tarango, a poet and writer from Pamplona. He was born in 1820 and gained recognition for his works that celebrated the culture and traditions of Navarra.
In more recent times, there have been several individuals with the surname Tarango who have achieved success in various fields, such as sports, politics, and academia. However, as per your instructions, this report focuses solely on the historical aspects of the surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tarango
Among Census respondents with the surname Tarango, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.0%. The next largest groups are White (6.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Tarango 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 Tarango surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino92.0% · 4,815
- White6.3% · 330
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 33
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 21
- Black or African American0.4% · 20
- Two or more races0.3% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tarango
Tarango 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
#6,356
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,360
+1,036 bearers (+24.0%)
Per 100,000 1.82
Rank movement Up 771 places
2020
#6,258
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,235
-125 bearers (-2.3%)
Per 100,000 1.75
Rank movement Up 98 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,127 | 4,324 | 1.60 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,356 | 5,360 | 1.82 | +1,036 bearers (+24.0%) | Up 771 places |
| 2020 | #6,258 | 5,235 | 1.75 | -125 bearers (-2.3%) | Up 98 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 Tarango 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 | #6,356 | #6,258 | 1.5% |
| Count | 5,360 | 5,235 | -2.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.82 | 1.75 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tarango bearers went from 5,360 to 5,235 (-2.3% change). The surname moved up 98 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,356 to #6,258.
FAQ
Tarango surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tarango?
Name Census estimates that about 6,003 living Americans carry the surname Tarango. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 57,097 residents.
How common is Tarango?
Tarango ranks #6,258 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.75 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,235 people with the surname Tarango. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,003), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.75 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.75 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Tarango.
Has Tarango become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tarango went from 5,360 recorded bearers to 5,235. That is a decrease of 125 (-2.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,356 to #6,258.
What does the Census say about the background of Tarango?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tarango, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.0%. The next largest groups are White (6.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.6%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Tarango in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (4,815 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tarango appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (92.0%), White (6.3%), American Indian/Alaska Native (0.6%). 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 Tarango (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 Tarango mean?
A Spanish habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "a grove of oak trees." 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 Tarango (1.75 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 Tarango?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.