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

Tave, 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 Tave surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tave in America

Tave is the 61123rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tave surname appeared 329 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 Tave.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tave 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 Tave

The surname Tave is believed to have originated in the Basque region of northern Spain and southern France, dating back to the early Middle Ages. It is thought to be derived from the Basque word "tabe," which means "shelter" or "dwelling place," suggesting that the name may have been associated with a particular location or settlement.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Cartulary of Saint-Jean de la Castelle, a medieval manuscript from the 11th century. This document mentions a certain "Sancho Tave," who was a landowner in the village of Laguinge in the Basque region.

During the 13th century, the name Tave appeared in various records in the region of Navarre, which at that time encompassed parts of both Spain and France. In the Libro de Fuegos (Book of Fires), a tax census from 1366, there are several entries for households headed by individuals with the surname Tave in the towns of Olite and Tafalla.

In the 15th century, a notable figure named Juan Tave was a prominent merchant and landowner in the city of Pamplona, the historical capital of Navarre. He is mentioned in several legal documents and property records from that era.

Another significant individual bearing the name Tave was Pedro Tave, a soldier who fought in the Reconquista, the centuries-long struggle to drive the Moors out of the Iberian Peninsula. Born in 1452 in the town of Estella, he is reported to have participated in the conquest of Granada in 1492, the final victory that ended Moorish rule in Spain.

In the 16th century, the name Tave spread beyond the Basque region as some families migrated to other parts of Spain and the Americas. One noteworthy figure was Hernán Tave, a conquistador who accompanied Hernán Cortés on his expedition to Mexico in 1519. Tave is mentioned in Cortés's letters as one of his trusted lieutenants during the conquest of the Aztec Empire.

Over the centuries, variations of the name emerged, such as Taves, Tavez, and Tavera, reflecting regional dialects and spelling conventions. The surname also became associated with various place names, such as the village of Tave in the Basque province of Álava, and the town of Taverah in the province of Soria, Castile.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tave

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!