2000
#9,789
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,049
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.13
Rare Last name
Tasker
An occupational surname referring to a person who performed a specific task or job, such as a reaper or thresher.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,386 Americans carry the last name Tasker. That puts it at #10,377 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.99 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 101,227 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tasker 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 Tasker with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.4K
1 in 101,227
Census rank
#10,377
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,953 bearers of the surname Tasker in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.99 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10377th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tasker, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.9%. The next largest groups are Black (9.2%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tasker
The surname Tasker originated in England during the medieval period, deriving from the Old English words "tasceran" or "tascian," which referred to the occupation of a laborer or worker. This name was initially given to individuals who performed various tasks or manual labor.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Tasker can be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appeared as "Taschere." This suggests that the surname was already in use by the 11th century in various parts of England, particularly in the counties of Lincolnshire, Yorkshire, and Nottinghamshire.
In the 13th century, the name Tasker was often associated with individuals who worked as tax collectors or assessors, as the word "tasker" also held the meaning of someone who imposed or collected taxes. This connection can be found in historical records from towns such as Ipswich and Norwich.
One notable individual with the surname Tasker was William Tasker, a prominent merchant and alderman who lived in the city of York during the late 14th century. He played a significant role in the city's affairs and is mentioned in various municipal records from that time period.
Another early example is John Tasker, a landowner and farmer from the village of Stoke Golding in Leicestershire. Records from the 15th century indicate that he owned substantial agricultural holdings in the area and contributed to the local community.
In the 16th century, the Tasker family had established itself in the county of Somerset, where they held land and estates. One member of this branch was Sir Thomas Tasker (1545-1612), a knight and landowner who served as a justice of the peace and was involved in local governance.
During the English Civil War in the 17th century, a notable figure was Captain Richard Tasker (1620-1678), who fought on the side of the Parliamentarians and played a role in the siege of Bristol in 1645.
The name Tasker has also been associated with various place names throughout England, such as Tasker's Lane in Yorkshire, Tasker's Hill in Gloucestershire, and Tasker's Field in Somerset. These locations likely derived their names from individuals or families bearing the surname Tasker who once resided or owned property in those areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tasker
Among Census respondents with the surname Tasker, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.9%. The next largest groups are Black (9.2%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Tasker 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 Tasker surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.9% · 2,447
- Black or African American9.2% · 272
- Two or more races4.5% · 134
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 65
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 23
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tasker
Tasker 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
#9,181
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,553
+504 bearers (+16.5%)
Per 100,000 1.20
Rank movement Up 608 places
2020
#10,377
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,953
-600 bearers (-16.9%)
Per 100,000 0.99
Rank movement Down 1,196 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,789 | 3,049 | 1.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,181 | 3,553 | 1.20 | +504 bearers (+16.5%) | Up 608 places |
| 2020 | #10,377 | 2,953 | 0.99 | -600 bearers (-16.9%) | Down 1,196 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 Tasker 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 | #9,181 | #10,377 | -13.0% |
| Count | 3,553 | 2,953 | -16.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.20 | 0.99 | -17.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tasker bearers went from 3,553 to 2,953 (-16.9% change). The surname moved down 1,196 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,181 to #10,377.
FAQ
Tasker surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tasker?
Name Census estimates that about 3,386 living Americans carry the surname Tasker. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 101,227 residents.
How common is Tasker?
Tasker ranks #10,377 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.99 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 2,953 people with the surname Tasker. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,386), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.99 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.99 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 Tasker.
Has Tasker become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tasker went from 3,553 recorded bearers to 2,953. That is a decrease of 600 (-16.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,181 to #10,377.
What does the Census say about the background of Tasker?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tasker, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.9%. The next largest groups are Black (9.2%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Tasker in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.9% (2,447 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tasker appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.9%), Black (9.2%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Tasker (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 Tasker mean?
An occupational surname referring to a person who performed a specific task or job, such as a reaper or thresher. 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 Tasker (0.99 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 Americans have the surname Tasker?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.