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

Tartar, 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 Tartar surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tartar in America

Tartar is the 114424th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tartar surname appeared 153 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 Tartar.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tartar to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Tartar

The surname Tartar has its origins in medieval England, derived from the Old French word "tarte" or "tart," which means a type of small pastry or pie. This name emerged in the 12th century and was initially an occupational surname given to bakers and pastry makers who specialized in crafting tarts or similar baked goods.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Tartar can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1166, which mention a person named Richard le Tartar. This suggests that the name was already in use as a surname during the late 12th century in northern England.

The name Tartar has also been linked to the town of Tarrant, located in Dorset, England. It's possible that some individuals with the surname Tartar may have originated from this area or had ancestors who were associated with it. The town's name itself is derived from the Old English words "tær" and "hunta," meaning a hunting ground or hunting park.

In the 13th century, the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273 record a person named Matilda Tartere, indicating the surname's continued usage and slight variations in spelling during that time period.

One notable figure with the surname Tartar was Richard Tartar, a 14th-century English landowner and member of the gentry from Yorkshire. Records show that he held lands in the village of Dalton, near Rotherham, during the reign of King Edward III (1327-1377).

Another individual of historical significance was Sir John Tartar, a 15th-century English knight who fought in the Wars of the Roses (1455-1487) on the Yorkist side. He was recorded as being present at the Battle of Towton in 1461, one of the bloodiest battles of the conflict.

In the 16th century, William Tartar, a merchant from London, was mentioned in the records of the Worshipful Company of Mercers, one of the oldest livery companies in the City of London, in 1567.

During the 17th century, a man named Thomas Tartar (1615-1674) was a prominent English lawyer and judge who served as Chief Justice of the Common Pleas from 1671 until his death.

Finally, in the 18th century, Edward Tartar (1720-1798) was a notable English clergyman and academic who served as the Master of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, from 1775 until his passing.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tartar

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

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 Tartar 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.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Tartar has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

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 Tartar was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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