2000
#142,819
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Tartell
A variation of the French surname Tarteau, meaning "maker of tarts or pies".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Tartell. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tartell 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Tartell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tartell, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.6%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tartell
The surname Tartell originated in England during the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. It is derived from the Old English words "tart" meaning sharp or pungent, and "hyll" meaning hill, potentially referring to a person who lived on a sharp or pointed hill. The name was initially spelled in various ways, including Tarthill, Tarthull, and Tarthyll.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Tartell can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, which mentions a John Tarthill. The name also appears in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1379, referring to a Robert de Tarthyll. These records suggest that the name was present in different regions of England during the medieval period.
In the 15th century, the Tartell surname is documented in the Patent Rolls of 1461, which mention a Thomas Tartell from Gloucestershire. Another notable record is the Inquisitiones post Mortem of 1487, which lists a William Tartell as a landowner in Oxfordshire.
During the 16th century, the name continued to be recorded in various parts of England. One example is Robert Tartell, born in Warwickshire in 1523, who was a renowned scholar and theologian. Another notable figure was John Tartell, born in Kent in 1567, who was a merchant and member of the Worshipful Company of Mercers in London.
In the 17th century, the Tartell surname appeared in the Hearth Tax Rolls of Buckinghamshire in 1662, listing a Thomas Tartell as a taxpayer. Additionally, the parish records of St. Michael's in Coventry mention the marriage of William Tartell and Elizabeth Woodall in 1678.
One of the most prominent individuals with the Tartell surname was Sir James Tartell, born in Lincolnshire in 1685. He was a renowned military officer who served in the British Army during the War of the Spanish Succession and later became a Member of Parliament for Stamford.
Throughout its history, the Tartell surname has been associated with various locations across England, including Worcestershire, Yorkshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Warwickshire, Kent, Buckinghamshire, and Lincolnshire. While the name has evolved in spelling over time, its origins can be traced back to the medieval period, reflecting the linguistic and cultural influences of that era.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tartell
Among Census respondents with the surname Tartell, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.6%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Tartell 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 Tartell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 99
- Hispanic or Latino5.6% · 6
- Two or more races2.8% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tartell
Tartell 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
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,950 places
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
+2 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,834 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #142,819 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 10,950 places |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.9%) | Up 2,834 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 Tartell 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 | #153,769 | #150,935 | 1.8% |
| Count | 106 | 108 | 1.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tartell bearers went from 106 to 108 (+1.9% change). The surname moved up 2,834 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #150,935.
FAQ
Tartell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tartell?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Tartell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Tartell?
Tartell ranks #150,935 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 108 people with the surname Tartell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), 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 Tartell.
Has Tartell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tartell went from 106 recorded bearers to 108. That is an increase of 2 (+1.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #153,769 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Tartell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tartell, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.6%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Tartell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tartell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Hispanic (5.6%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Tartell (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 Tartell mean?
A variation of the French surname Tarteau, meaning "maker of tarts or pies". 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 Tartell (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 have the surname Tartell?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.