2010
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Tauss
A surname of German origin possibly related to the word "tausch" meaning exchange or trade.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Tauss. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tauss 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
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Tauss in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tauss, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tauss
The surname TAUSS is believed to have originated in Germany and can be traced back to the 16th century. Its roots are likely derived from the German word 'Taus,' which means 'dew' or 'moisture.' This suggests that the name may have initially been a descriptive nickname for someone who lived in a particularly damp or dewy area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the parish records of Saxony, where a certain Hans Tauss was born in 1587. Another early mention comes from the town of Freiburg, where a man named Joachim Tauss was listed as a landowner in the year 1612.
During the 17th century, the name began to spread beyond its initial regions of origin. In 1649, a merchant named Johann Tauss was documented as having settled in the city of Cologne. Around the same time, a family by the name of Tauss was recorded as residing in the village of Neustadt an der Weinstraße.
As the name continued to disperse, variations in spelling began to appear. In a 1714 census record from the town of Heidelberg, the name was listed as 'Tauß,' while a 1792 document from Mainz spelled it as 'Tausse.'
Throughout history, a few notable individuals have borne the surname TAUSS. One of the earliest was Johann Michael Tauss (1629-1691), a renowned clockmaker from Augsburg whose intricate timepieces were highly sought after by European nobility. Another was Friedrich Tauss (1786-1857), a German painter and engraver known for his landscapes and portraits.
In the 19th century, the name gained some prominence in the field of science. Carl Tauss (1811-1891) was a German botanist and professor who made significant contributions to the study of plant anatomy and physiology. Meanwhile, Johann Tauss (1827-1903) was a respected astronomer and director of the observatory at the University of Breslau.
As the 20th century dawned, a notable figure emerged in the form of Hans Tauss (1914-1991), a German-American architect renowned for his modernist designs. His most famous work was the Adelphi University Center Building, completed in 1963.
While these are just a few examples, the surname TAUSS has a long and rich history dating back several centuries, with origins rooted in the German language and a notable presence in various fields throughout the years.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tauss
Among Census respondents with the surname Tauss, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Tauss 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 Tauss surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.5% · 97
- Two or more races5.7% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.8% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tauss
Tauss 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
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
+5 bearers (+5.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 7,373 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #159,712 | 101 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+5.0%) | Up 7,373 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 Tauss 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 | #159,712 | #152,339 | 4.6% |
| Count | 101 | 106 | 5.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 18.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tauss bearers went from 101 to 106 (+5.0% change). The surname moved up 7,373 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #152,339.
FAQ
Tauss surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tauss?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Tauss. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Tauss?
Tauss ranks #152,339 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 106 people with the surname Tauss. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), 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 Tauss.
Has Tauss become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tauss went from 101 recorded bearers to 106. That is an increase of 5 (+5.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Tauss?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tauss, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.8%). 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 Tauss in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tauss appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.5%), Two or More Races (5.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.8%). 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 Tauss (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 Tauss mean?
A surname of German origin possibly related to the word "tausch" meaning exchange or trade. 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 Tauss (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 Tauss?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.