2000
#9,160
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,274
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.21
Rare Last name
Tart
A nickname for a sharp-tongued or ill-tempered person, or an occupational name for a baker or pastry seller.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,499 Americans carry the last name Tart. That puts it at #10,072 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.02 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 97,958 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tart 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 Tart with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.5K
1 in 97,958
Census rank
#10,072
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,051 bearers of the surname Tart in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.02 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10072nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tart, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.7%. The next largest groups are Black (26.0%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tart
The surname Tart is of English origin, derived from an occupational name for a baker or seller of tarts, pastries, and pies. The name is believed to have emerged in the early 14th century, stemming from the Old English word "tarte," meaning a small pie or pastry.
The earliest recorded instance of the surname Tart can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire, England, dated 1327, where a William le Tart is mentioned. The prefix "le" in this case denotes the occupation or trade of the individual.
During the medieval period, the Tart surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Worcestershire, Gloucestershire, and Somerset, where the baking and selling of tarts and pastries was a common trade. The name may also be derived from the Old French word "tarte," which has the same meaning, reflecting the Norman influence on the English language after the Norman Conquest in 1066.
One notable early bearer of the name was John Tart, a prominent merchant and landowner from Bristol, England, who lived in the late 15th century. Records show that he owned several properties and businesses in the city, including a bakery and a tavern.
In the 16th century, the Tart surname is mentioned in the Visitation of Gloucestershire, a historical record of the gentry and nobility of the county. The record includes details of the Tart family's coat of arms and lineage.
Another notable figure with the surname Tart was Sir Thomas Tart, a wealthy merchant and Member of Parliament for Bristol in the early 17th century. He was born in 1585 and died in 1652, and was known for his involvement in the English Civil War, supporting the Parliamentarian cause.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Tart surname spread across various parts of England, with families bearing the name settling in counties such as Oxfordshire, Warwickshire, and Lincolnshire. One example is John Tart, a prominent clockmaker from Oxfordshire, who was born in 1698 and died in 1768.
In the 19th century, the Tart surname was also found in parts of Scotland and Wales, likely due to migration and intermarriage. One notable individual from this period was William Tart, a Scottish poet and writer born in 1842 in Aberdeenshire, who published several volumes of poetry and literary works.
Overall, the surname Tart has a rich history rooted in the baking and culinary trades of medieval England, and its bearers have contributed to various fields, including commerce, politics, and literature, across several centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tart
Among Census respondents with the surname Tart, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.7%. The next largest groups are Black (26.0%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Tart 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 Tart surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White67.7% · 2,065
- Black or African American26.0% · 793
- Two or more races3.2% · 98
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 73
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tart
Tart 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
#9,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,417
+143 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 1.16
Rank movement Down 351 places
2020
#10,072
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,051
-366 bearers (-10.7%)
Per 100,000 1.02
Rank movement Down 561 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,160 | 3,274 | 1.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,511 | 3,417 | 1.16 | +143 bearers (+4.4%) | Down 351 places |
| 2020 | #10,072 | 3,051 | 1.02 | -366 bearers (-10.7%) | Down 561 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 Tart 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 | #9,511 | #10,072 | -5.9% |
| Count | 3,417 | 3,051 | -10.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.16 | 1.02 | -12.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tart bearers went from 3,417 to 3,051 (-10.7% change). The surname moved down 561 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,511 to #10,072.
FAQ
Tart surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tart?
Name Census estimates that about 3,499 living Americans carry the surname Tart. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 97,958 residents.
How common is Tart?
Tart ranks #10,072 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.02 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 3,051 people with the surname Tart. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,499), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.02 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.02 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 Tart.
Has Tart become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tart went from 3,417 recorded bearers to 3,051. That is a decrease of 366 (-10.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,511 to #10,072.
What does the Census say about the background of Tart?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tart, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.7%. The next largest groups are Black (26.0%) and Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Tart in the 2020 Census, accounting for 67.7% (2,065 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tart appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (67.7%), Black (26.0%), Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Tart (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 Tart mean?
A nickname for a sharp-tongued or ill-tempered person, or an occupational name for a baker or pastry seller. 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 Tart (1.02 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 last name Tart?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Tart on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.