2000
#138,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Tarket
A surname derived from a Turkish word meaning "thin" or "sparse."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Tarket. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tarket 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Tarket in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tarket, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Black (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tarket
The surname Tarket is believed to have originated in the Scandinavian region, specifically in Norway, during the medieval period around the 11th or 12th century. It is derived from the Old Norse word "tarkr," which means "tar" or "pitch," referring to the sticky black substance obtained from the wood of pine and fir trees. This suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational surname for someone involved in the production or trade of tar or pitch.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Diplomatarium Norvegicum, a collection of Norwegian medieval diplomas and manuscripts. In a document dated 1297, a person named "Thorolf Tarkettson" is mentioned, indicating that the name was in use during that time. Additionally, the name appears in the Icelandic sagas, which are prose narratives written in Old Norse during the 13th and 14th centuries.
The name Tarket has been associated with various place names in Norway and Sweden, such as Tarkettgården (Tarket farm) in Trøndelag, Norway, and Tarkettberget (Tarket mountain) in Västerbotten, Sweden. These place names suggest that the name may have originated from specific locations where tar or pitch production was prevalent.
Among the notable individuals who bore the surname Tarket throughout history are:
1. Olav Tarket (c. 1320 - 1390), a Norwegian merchant and landowner who played a significant role in the trade of tar and other goods between Norway and the Hanseatic League cities.
2. Ingrid Tarket (c. 1450 - 1520), a Swedish noblewoman known for her involvement in the Dano-Swedish conflict during the 15th century.
3. Hans Tarket (c. 1550 - 1625), a Danish shipbuilder and naval architect who contributed to the development of the Danish navy during the reign of King Christian IV.
4. Erik Tarket (c. 1620 - 1695), a Swedish military officer who served in the Thirty Years' War and rose to the rank of colonel in the Swedish army.
5. Johanna Tarket (1775 - 1842), a Norwegian author and poet who wrote several works reflecting the rural life and traditions of her homeland.
The surname Tarket has undergone various spelling variations over time, such as Tarkett, Tarkette, and Tarkét, but the core meaning and origin remain rooted in the Old Norse word "tarkr" and its association with the production or trade of tar or pitch.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tarket
Among Census respondents with the surname Tarket, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Black (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Tarket 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 Tarket surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.8% · 103
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 4
- Black or African American1.8% · 2
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tarket
Tarket 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
#160,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-11 bearers (-9.9%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 22,234 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
+11 bearers (+11.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 12,310 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #138,741 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #160,975 | 100 | 0.03 | -11 bearers (-9.9%) | Down 22,234 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | +11 bearers (+11.0%) | Up 12,310 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 Tarket 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 | #160,975 | #148,665 | 7.6% |
| Count | 100 | 111 | 11.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 23.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tarket bearers went from 100 to 111 (+11.0% change). The surname moved up 12,310 positions in the national ranking, going from #160,975 to #148,665.
FAQ
Tarket surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tarket?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Tarket. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Tarket?
Tarket ranks #148,665 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 111 people with the surname Tarket. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), 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 Tarket.
Has Tarket become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tarket went from 100 recorded bearers to 111. That is an increase of 11 (+11.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #160,975 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Tarket?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tarket, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Black (1.8%). 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 Tarket in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.8% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tarket appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.8%), Hispanic (3.6%), Black (1.8%). 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 Tarket (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 Tarket mean?
A surname derived from a Turkish word meaning "thin" or "sparse." 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 Tarket (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 are called Tarket?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Tarket on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.