2010
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Tassa
A surname of uncertain origin, possibly derived from a place name or occupation.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Tassa. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tassa 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Tassa in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tassa, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.8%) and Black (7.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tassa
The surname Tassa originated in Italy and is believed to have derived from the Italian word "tasso," which means "badger." It is thought that the name was first used as a nickname or a descriptive name for someone who had physical or behavioral characteristics resembling a badger.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Tassa date back to the 13th century in various regions of Italy, including Tuscany, Umbria, and Lazio. One of the earliest documented bearers of this name was Guglielmo Tassa, who lived in Siena, Tuscany, in the late 1200s.
In the 14th century, the surname Tassa appeared in several historical records, such as the tax rolls and land registries of various Italian cities. For instance, a certain Niccolò Tassa was mentioned in the tax records of Florence in 1356.
The Tassa surname has also been associated with several notable figures throughout history. One such individual was Torquato Tasso (1544-1595), a renowned Italian poet and literary figure during the Renaissance period, best known for his epic poem "Gerusalemme Liberata" (Jerusalem Delivered).
Another notable bearer of the Tassa surname was Antonio Tassa (1700-1784), an Italian architect and sculptor who was active in Rome during the 18th century. He was responsible for designing several churches and palaces in the city.
In the 19th century, Gioacchino Tassa (1820-1892) was an Italian politician and statesman who served as a member of the Italian parliament and was involved in the unification movement of Italy.
The Tassa surname has also been found in other parts of Europe, although its origins are still traced back to Italy. For example, there are records of individuals with the last name Tassa in Spain, France, and even the United Kingdom, likely due to migration and intermarriage over the centuries.
While the Tassa surname may have evolved or been influenced by various local dialects and spellings in different regions, its roots can be traced back to the Italian word "tasso" and the nickname or descriptive name associated with the badger-like characteristics of its earliest bearers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tassa
Among Census respondents with the surname Tassa, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.8%) and Black (7.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Tassa 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 Tassa surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.9% · 93
- Hispanic or Latino7.8% · 9
- Black or African American7.0% · 8
- Two or more races2.6% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tassa
Tassa appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+10 bearers (+9.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 9,150 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+9.5%) | Up 9,150 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 Tassa 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 | #154,907 | #145,757 | 5.9% |
| Count | 105 | 115 | 9.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tassa bearers went from 105 to 115 (+9.5% change). The surname moved up 9,150 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #145,757.
FAQ
Tassa surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tassa?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Tassa. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Tassa?
Tassa ranks #145,757 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 115 people with the surname Tassa. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), 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 Tassa.
Has Tassa become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tassa went from 105 recorded bearers to 115. That is an increase of 10 (+9.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #154,907 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Tassa?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tassa, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.8%) and Black (7.0%). 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 Tassa in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.9% (93 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tassa appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.9%), Hispanic (7.8%), Black (7.0%). 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 Tassa (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 Tassa mean?
A surname of uncertain origin, possibly derived from a place name or occupation. 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 Tassa (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 Americans have the surname Tassa?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.