2000
#11,803
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,431
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.90
Rare Last name
Taub
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) surname derived from the German word "taube" meaning "dove" or "pigeon."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,163 Americans carry the last name Taub. That puts it at #11,016 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.92 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 108,364 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Taub 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 Taub with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.2K
1 in 108,364
Census rank
#11,016
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,758 bearers of the surname Taub in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.92 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11016th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Taub, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (1.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Taub
The surname Taub is of German origin, derived from the Middle High German word "tūbe," which means "dove." This name likely originated as a nickname or descriptive surname for someone who had a gentle or peaceful disposition, similar to a dove.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Taub can be traced back to the late 13th century in various regions of Germany, such as Bavaria and Saxony. It was often spelled as "Tūbe" or "Tūb" in ancient records and manuscripts.
One of the earliest known bearers of this surname was Hans Taub, a merchant from Nuremberg, who was mentioned in a trade document from around 1320. Another notable figure was Konrad Taub, a scholar and priest who lived in Cologne during the 15th century and authored several theological treatises.
In the 16th century, the surname Taub appeared in various parts of the Holy Roman Empire, including the town of Tauberbischofsheim, which derives its name from the German words "Tauber" (meaning "dove") and "Bischofsheim" (meaning "bishop's home").
During the 17th century, Johannes Taub, a German artist and engraver, gained recognition for his intricate woodcuts and engravings depicting biblical scenes and allegorical subjects. He was born in Wittenberg in 1592 and died in Nuremberg in 1659.
Another notable bearer of the Taub surname was Friedrich Taub, a German philosopher and theologian who lived from 1728 to 1799. He was influential in the development of Protestant theology and wrote extensively on the relationship between reason and faith.
As the centuries progressed, the Taub surname spread throughout various regions of Europe, particularly in German-speaking areas, and eventually made its way to other parts of the world through immigration and migration.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Taub
Among Census respondents with the surname Taub, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (1.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Taub 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 Taub surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.7% · 2,611
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 75
- Two or more races1.2% · 34
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 24
- Black or African American0.5% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Taub
Taub 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
#11,605
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,705
+274 bearers (+11.3%)
Per 100,000 0.92
Rank movement Up 198 places
2020
#11,016
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,758
+53 bearers (+2.0%)
Per 100,000 0.92
Rank movement Up 589 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,803 | 2,431 | 0.90 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,605 | 2,705 | 0.92 | +274 bearers (+11.3%) | Up 198 places |
| 2020 | #11,016 | 2,758 | 0.92 | +53 bearers (+2.0%) | Up 589 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 Taub 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 | #11,605 | #11,016 | 5.1% |
| Count | 2,705 | 2,758 | 2.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.92 | 0.92 | 0.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Taub bearers went from 2,705 to 2,758 (+2.0% change). The surname moved up 589 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,605 to #11,016.
FAQ
Taub surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Taub?
Name Census estimates that about 3,163 living Americans carry the surname Taub. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 108,364 residents.
How common is Taub?
Taub ranks #11,016 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.92 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 2,758 people with the surname Taub. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,163), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.92 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.92 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 Taub.
Has Taub become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Taub went from 2,705 recorded bearers to 2,758. That is an increase of 53 (+2.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,605 to #11,016.
What does the Census say about the background of Taub?
Among Census respondents with the surname Taub, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (1.2%). 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 Taub in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.7% (2,611 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Taub appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.7%), Hispanic (2.7%), Two or More Races (1.2%). 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 Taub (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 Taub mean?
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) surname derived from the German word "taube" meaning "dove" or "pigeon." 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 Taub (0.92 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 Taub?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.