2000
#9,502
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,138
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.16
Rare Last name
Tarin
A Spanish and Catalan surname derived from the given name Tarín, which is of uncertain origin or meaning.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,061 Americans carry the last name Tarin. That puts it at #8,878 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.18 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 84,401 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tarin 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
4.1K
1 in 84,401
Census rank
#8,878
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,541 bearers of the surname Tarin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.18 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8878th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tarin, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 82.3%. The next largest groups are White (9.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tarin
The surname Tarin is believed to have originated in Spain, specifically in the regions of Aragon and Catalonia. It is thought to derive from the Arabic word "tarin," which means "the one who lives near the mountain or hill." This suggests that the name was likely given to individuals who resided in or near hilly or mountainous areas.
During the Moorish occupation of the Iberian Peninsula, which lasted from the 8th to the 15th centuries, Arabic names and words were introduced into the Spanish language. The surname Tarin is an example of this cultural exchange, reflecting the influence of the Arabic language on Spanish names and terminology.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Tarin can be found in the "Libro de Repartimiento," a document from the 13th century that recorded the distribution of land and properties among the Christian conquerors of Valencia after the Reconquista. This document mentions individuals with the surname Tarin, indicating their presence in the region during that time period.
In the 16th century, the surname Tarin appeared in various historical records, including parish registers and census documents in regions such as Aragon, Catalonia, and Valencia. This suggests that the name was well-established and widely used across different parts of Spain.
One notable individual with the surname Tarin was Pedro Tarin, a Spanish painter born in Valencia in the late 16th century. He was known for his religious works and contributed to the decoration of several churches in Valencia and its surrounding areas.
Another individual of note was Juan Tarin, a Spanish military leader who lived in the 17th century. He served as a captain in the Spanish army and participated in various campaigns during the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648), a conflict that involved most of the major European powers at the time.
In the 18th century, the surname Tarin became associated with the town of Tarin, located in the province of Huesca, Aragon. This place name likely derived from the same Arabic root as the surname, further reinforcing the connection between the name and its geographical origins.
In the 19th century, José Tarin y Amat, a Spanish lawyer and politician born in Valencia in 1796, gained prominence for his involvement in the Spanish liberal movement and his advocacy for constitutional reforms.
Additionally, the surname Tarin has been found in various historical documents from other Spanish-speaking regions, such as Latin America, where it was likely introduced by Spanish settlers and immigrants during the colonial period.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tarin
Among Census respondents with the surname Tarin, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 82.3%. The next largest groups are White (9.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Tarin 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 Tarin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino82.3% · 2,913
- White9.9% · 349
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.7% · 168
- Two or more races1.4% · 48
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 33
- Black or African American0.8% · 30
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tarin
Tarin 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
#7,363
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,524
+1,386 bearers (+44.2%)
Per 100,000 1.53
Rank movement Up 2,139 places
2020
#8,878
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,541
-983 bearers (-21.7%)
Per 100,000 1.18
Rank movement Down 1,515 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,502 | 3,138 | 1.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,363 | 4,524 | 1.53 | +1,386 bearers (+44.2%) | Up 2,139 places |
| 2020 | #8,878 | 3,541 | 1.18 | -983 bearers (-21.7%) | Down 1,515 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 Tarin 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 | #7,363 | #8,878 | -20.6% |
| Count | 4,524 | 3,541 | -21.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.53 | 1.18 | -22.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tarin bearers went from 4,524 to 3,541 (-21.7% change). The surname moved down 1,515 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,363 to #8,878.
FAQ
Tarin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tarin?
Name Census estimates that about 4,061 living Americans carry the surname Tarin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 84,401 residents.
How common is Tarin?
Tarin ranks #8,878 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.18 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 3,541 people with the surname Tarin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,061), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.18 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.18 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 Tarin.
Has Tarin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tarin went from 4,524 recorded bearers to 3,541. That is a decrease of 983 (-21.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,363 to #8,878.
What does the Census say about the background of Tarin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tarin, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 82.3%. The next largest groups are White (9.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.7%). 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 Tarin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.3% (2,913 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tarin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (82.3%), White (9.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4.7%). 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 Tarin (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 Tarin mean?
A Spanish and Catalan surname derived from the given name Tarín, which is of uncertain origin or meaning. 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 Tarin (1.18 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 Tarin?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.