2000
#14,877
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,825
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.68
Rare Last name
Tardif
A French surname indicating a latecomer or someone born late.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,086 Americans carry the last name Tardif. That puts it at #15,502 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 164,312 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tardif 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
2.1K
1 in 164,312
Census rank
#15,502
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,819 bearers of the surname Tardif in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15502nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tardif, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tardif
The surname Tardif originated in France and is a French name derived from the Old French word "tardif" meaning "late" or "slow". It was likely given as a descriptive nickname for someone who was habitually late or slow in their actions.
The earliest recorded use of the name Tardif dates back to the 12th century in the region of Normandy, France. The name appears in various medieval records and documents from this time period, often spelled as "Tardif" or "Tardiff".
In the famous Domesday Book, a historical record of landowners in England from 1086, there is no mention of the surname Tardif, suggesting that the name had not yet spread to England at that time.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Tardif was Gilles Tardif, a French nobleman who lived in the 13th century. He is mentioned in several historical documents from the reign of King Louis IX of France (1226-1270).
Another notable bearer of the name was Jean Tardif, a French poet and humanist who lived in the 16th century (c. 1510-1565). He is known for his works in Latin and Greek, as well as his translations of ancient texts.
In the 17th century, Jacques Tardif (1618-1668) was a French lawyer and jurist who served as a member of the Parlement of Paris, one of the most important judicial bodies in France at the time.
During the 18th century, Pierre Tardif (1712-1771) was a French architect who designed several notable buildings in Paris, including the Church of Saint-Sulpice.
In more recent history, René Tardif (1891-1951) was a French politician and trade unionist who served as a deputy in the National Assembly of France from 1936 to 1942.
The surname Tardif has also been found in other French-speaking regions, such as Quebec, Canada, where it was likely brought by French settlers and immigrants. It continues to be a relatively common surname in these areas today.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tardif
Among Census respondents with the surname Tardif, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Tardif 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 Tardif surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.9% · 1,653
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 70
- Two or more races3.5% · 64
- Black or African American0.8% · 15
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tardif
Tardif 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
#15,272
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,923
+98 bearers (+5.4%)
Per 100,000 0.65
Rank movement Down 395 places
2020
#15,502
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,819
-104 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 0.61
Rank movement Down 230 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,877 | 1,825 | 0.68 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,272 | 1,923 | 0.65 | +98 bearers (+5.4%) | Down 395 places |
| 2020 | #15,502 | 1,819 | 0.61 | -104 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 230 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 Tardif 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 | #15,272 | #15,502 | -1.5% |
| Count | 1,923 | 1,819 | -5.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.65 | 0.61 | -6.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tardif bearers went from 1,923 to 1,819 (-5.4% change). The surname moved down 230 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,272 to #15,502.
FAQ
Tardif surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tardif?
Name Census estimates that about 2,086 living Americans carry the surname Tardif. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 164,312 residents.
How common is Tardif?
Tardif ranks #15,502 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.61 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 1,819 people with the surname Tardif. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,086), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.61 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 Tardif.
Has Tardif become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tardif went from 1,923 recorded bearers to 1,819. That is a decrease of 104 (-5.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #15,272 to #15,502.
What does the Census say about the background of Tardif?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tardif, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Tardif in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.9% (1,653 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tardif appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.9%), Hispanic (3.8%), Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Tardif (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 Tardif mean?
A French surname indicating a latecomer or someone born late. 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 Tardif (0.61 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 Americans have the surname Tardif?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.