2000
#143,847
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Tarbuck
An English surname originating as a place name and referring to a small stream.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Tarbuck. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tarbuck 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 Tarbuck with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Tarbuck in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tarbuck, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (4.2%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tarbuck
The surname Tarbuck is of English origin, traced back to the medieval era. It is believed to have derived from a topographic name, referring to a person who lived near a tar pit or a tar-producing area. The name is thought to be a combination of the Old English words "teoru" (tar) and "bucc" (a buck or male deer).
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1166, where it appears as "Terbuck." This suggests that the name was already established in northern England by the 12th century. Other early spellings include "Tarboc," "Tarbuk," and "Tarbukke."
The Tarbuck name is closely associated with the county of Lancashire, particularly the town of Ormskirk. Some historical records indicate that the family may have originated from this area or had a strong presence there. For instance, a Robert Tarbuck is mentioned in the Lancashire Inquests from 1310.
In the 16th century, the Tarbuck family held lands and properties in the parish of Huyton, near Liverpool. Records from this time show variations in the spelling, such as "Tarbocke" and "Tarbock." One notable figure from this period is Richard Tarbock (c. 1530-1604), a Catholic recusant who was imprisoned for his faith.
The Domesday Book, compiled in 1086, does not directly mention the Tarbuck name, as it primarily focused on landowners and their holdings. However, it is possible that the name's origins can be traced back to the Norman Conquest or even earlier, as the tar industry was already established in parts of England during that time.
Other notable individuals with the Tarbuck surname include:
1. John Tarbuck (1790-1868), an English artist and engraver known for his landscapes and architectural works.
2. Edward Lance Tarbuck (1838-1913), a British geologist and author of several textbooks on geology and mineralogy.
3. Nathaniel Tarbuck (1792-1857), an English Quaker minister and writer who published works on religious topics.
4. George Tarbuck (1867-1938), a British trade unionist and Labour Party politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Liverpool Scotland.
5. Edward John Tarbuck (1883-1963), an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Lancashire and Oxford University in the early 20th century.
While the Tarbuck name has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and settlement patterns. However, the name's origins can be traced back to the medieval period and its association with tar production or tar-related locations in England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tarbuck
Among Census respondents with the surname Tarbuck, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (4.2%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Tarbuck 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 Tarbuck surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.0% · 105
- American Indian and Alaska Native4.2% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 3
- Two or more races2.5% · 3
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tarbuck
Tarbuck 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
#139,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+14 bearers (+13.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,619 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-2 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,283 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #143,847 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #139,228 | 120 | 0.04 | +14 bearers (+13.2%) | Up 4,619 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 4,283 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 Tarbuck 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 | #139,228 | #143,511 | -3.1% |
| Count | 120 | 118 | -1.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tarbuck bearers went from 120 to 118 (-1.7% change). The surname moved down 4,283 positions in the national ranking, going from #139,228 to #143,511.
FAQ
Tarbuck surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tarbuck?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Tarbuck. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Tarbuck?
Tarbuck ranks #143,511 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 118 people with the surname Tarbuck. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), 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 Tarbuck.
Has Tarbuck become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tarbuck went from 120 recorded bearers to 118. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #139,228 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Tarbuck?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tarbuck, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (4.2%) and Hispanic (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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Tarbuck in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.0% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tarbuck appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.0%), American Indian/Alaska Native (4.2%), Hispanic (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 Tarbuck (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 Tarbuck mean?
An English surname originating as a place name and referring to a small stream. 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 Tarbuck (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 share the surname Tarbuck?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.