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

Tatem, 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 Tatem surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tatem in America

Tatem is the 24237th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tatem surname appeared 1,035 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 Tatem.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tatem 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 Tatem

The surname Tatem is of English origin, with its roots traced back to the early medieval period. The name is believed to be derived from the Old English word "tæt," meaning a small piece of land or a homestead. This suggests that the Tatem surname may have originally been used to identify individuals who lived on or owned a small plot of land.

The earliest recorded instances of the Tatem surname can be found in various historical documents from the 13th and 14th centuries. One notable reference is in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1275, which mentions a Richard Tate. This early spelling variation, Tate, is closely related to the modern form of Tatem.

In the 14th century, the Tatem surname appeared in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire, where a John Tatyn was recorded in 1379. The variant spelling "Tatyn" provides insight into the evolving nature of the surname over time.

During the late medieval period, the Tatem surname gained prominence in various parts of England, particularly in the counties of Worcestershire, Gloucestershire, and Staffordshire. One notable individual from this era was William Tatem, a landowner in Staffordshire, who was born in the late 15th century and lived until the mid-16th century.

As the centuries progressed, the Tatem surname continued to be documented in various historical records. In the 17th century, a notable figure was John Tatem, a merchant from London, who was born in 1624 and lived until 1702.

Another prominent individual with the Tatem surname was Thomas Tatem, an English poet and writer who was born in 1688 and died in 1771. His literary works, which included poems and essays, helped to further establish the Tatem name in the cultural and literary circles of the time.

In the 19th century, the Tatem surname gained international recognition with the accomplishments of Edward Tatem, an American inventor and engineer who was born in 1836 and died in 1909. He is best known for his contributions to the development of early electric lighting systems and his work with Thomas Edison.

Throughout its history, the Tatem surname has been associated with various place names and locations across England, particularly in areas where the name was prevalent. Some examples include Tatem Hill in Worcestershire and Tatem Farm in Gloucestershire, both of which likely derive their names from individuals bearing the Tatem surname who lived or owned land in those areas.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tatem

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

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

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

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