2000
#11,336
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,556
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.95
Rare Last name
Tatman
An English occupational surname referring to someone who mends or patches clothes, derived from the Old English "tætteman."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,684 Americans carry the last name Tatman. That puts it at #12,598 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.78 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 127,703 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tatman 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 Tatman with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.7K
1 in 127,703
Census rank
#12,598
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,341 bearers of the surname Tatman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.78 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12598th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tatman, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Black (4.9%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tatman
The surname Tatman is of English origin and dates back to the medieval period. It is believed to have originated as an occupational name for someone who worked as a thatcher, referring to a person who thatched roofs with straw or reeds.
The name is derived from the Old English word "thaeccan," meaning "to cover or thatch." Over time, this word evolved into various spellings, including "thatcher," "thacker," and eventually "Tatman." The earliest recorded instance of the name is found in the Hundredorum Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273, where it appears as "William le Thackere."
In the Domesday Book of 1086, there are references to several villages with names containing the word "thatched," such as "Tacchedene" (Thatchden) in Buckinghamshire and "Thaccheleie" (Thatchley) in Shropshire. These place names suggest the presence of thatchers in those areas during the 11th century, which may have contributed to the development of the surname.
Notable individuals with the surname Tatman throughout history include:
1. William Tatman (c. 1472 - 1536), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Exeter in the early 16th century.
2. John Tatman (c. 1550 - 1620), an English merchant and explorer who was part of the expedition to establish the Jamestown colony in Virginia in 1607.
3. Elizabeth Tatman (c. 1635 - 1702), an English Quaker who was persecuted for her religious beliefs and spent time in prison for refusing to conform to the Church of England.
4. Thomas Tatman (1725 - 1801), a British colonial administrator who served as the Governor of the Bahamas from 1783 to 1789.
5. Samuel Tatman (1812 - 1891), an American businessman and philanthropist who founded the Tatman Foundation, which provided educational opportunities for underprivileged children in the Midwest.
While the surname Tatman is not as common as some other English surnames, it has a rich history rooted in the occupational trades of medieval England and has been carried by individuals who have made significant contributions to various fields throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tatman
Among Census respondents with the surname Tatman, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Black (4.9%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Tatman 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 Tatman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.4% · 2,023
- Black or African American4.9% · 115
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 93
- Two or more races3.6% · 85
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 14
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tatman
Tatman 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
#11,081
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,864
+308 bearers (+12.1%)
Per 100,000 0.97
Rank movement Up 255 places
2020
#12,598
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,341
-523 bearers (-18.3%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Down 1,517 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,336 | 2,556 | 0.95 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,081 | 2,864 | 0.97 | +308 bearers (+12.1%) | Up 255 places |
| 2020 | #12,598 | 2,341 | 0.78 | -523 bearers (-18.3%) | Down 1,517 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 Tatman 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 | #11,081 | #12,598 | -13.7% |
| Count | 2,864 | 2,341 | -18.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.97 | 0.78 | -19.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tatman bearers went from 2,864 to 2,341 (-18.3% change). The surname moved down 1,517 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,081 to #12,598.
FAQ
Tatman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tatman?
Name Census estimates that about 2,684 living Americans carry the surname Tatman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 127,703 residents.
How common is Tatman?
Tatman ranks #12,598 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.78 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 2,341 people with the surname Tatman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,684), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.78 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.78 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 Tatman.
Has Tatman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tatman went from 2,864 recorded bearers to 2,341. That is a decrease of 523 (-18.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,081 to #12,598.
What does the Census say about the background of Tatman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tatman, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Black (4.9%) and Hispanic (4.0%). 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 Tatman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.4% (2,023 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tatman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.4%), Black (4.9%), Hispanic (4.0%). 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 Tatman (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 Tatman mean?
An English occupational surname referring to someone who mends or patches clothes, derived from the Old English "tætteman." 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 Tatman (0.78 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 are called Tatman?
If you just want to know how common the surname Tatman is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.