Find out how popular the last name Tarifa is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Tarifa.

Tarifa, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Tarifa surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tarifa in America

Tarifa is the 121590th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tarifa surname appeared 142 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Tarifa.

The history of the last name Tarifa

The surname Tarifa is believed to have originated from the Spanish city of Tarifa, located in the province of Cádiz, Andalusia. The name is derived from the Arabic word "Tarif," which means "the one who knows the path" or "the guide." This suggests that the surname may have its roots in the Moorish occupation of the Iberian Peninsula between the 8th and 15th centuries.

Tarifa was an important strategic location during the Moorish rule, as it served as a gateway between Europe and Africa. The city's name is thought to be derived from the Berber military commander, Tarif ibn Malik, who led the first Islamic conquest of the Iberian Peninsula in 711 AD.

One of the earliest recorded references to the surname Tarifa can be found in the "Libro de la Montería" (Book of the Hunt), a 14th-century hunting treatise commissioned by King Alfonso XI of Castile. The book mentions a certain Fernán García de Tarifa, who was a nobleman and royal falconer during the king's reign.

Another notable figure with the surname Tarifa was Juan de Tarifa, a 15th-century Spanish navigator and explorer. He was part of the crew that accompanied Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the Americas in 1493.

In the 16th century, a prominent family with the surname Tarifa was based in the city of Seville. One of its members, Alonso de Tarifa, was a renowned architect who designed several churches and buildings in the city, including the Church of Santa María la Blanca.

During the Spanish colonization of the Americas, the surname Tarifa spread to the New World. Pedro de Tarifa, born in 1535, was a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Guatemala and served as a lieutenant under Pedro de Alvarado.

Another noteworthy individual with the surname Tarifa was José María Tarifa y Vázquez, a Spanish military officer and politician who lived in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He played a significant role in the Spanish American wars of independence and served as the interim President of Ecuador in 1828.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tarifa

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Tarifa.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Tarifa was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Tarifa was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Tarifa, please contact us.

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