2000
#149,328
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Tawasha
A locational surname signifying a person from Tausha or Tawash.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Tawasha. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tawasha 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Tawasha in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tawasha, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.1%) and Two or More Races (5.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tawasha
The surname TAWASHA has its origins in the ancient region of Sumeria, which is located in modern-day Iraq. It is believed to have emerged around 3000 BC, making it one of the oldest recorded surnames in human history. The name is derived from the Sumerian words "ta-wa-sha," which roughly translates to "keeper of the sacred scrolls."
One of the earliest known references to the TAWASHA name can be found in a series of cuneiform tablets dating back to the reign of the Akkadian king Sargon the Great (circa 2334-2279 BC). These tablets mention a high-ranking scribe named Tawasha-ilu, who was responsible for maintaining the royal archives in the city of Akkad.
During the Babylonian era (circa 1894-1595 BC), the TAWASHA name gained prominence as several individuals bearing this surname held prominent positions within the temple priesthoods. One notable figure was Tawasha-Marduk, a high priest of the god Marduk, who lived during the reign of King Hammurabi (circa 1792-1750 BC).
As the centuries passed, the TAWASHA name spread throughout the Middle East, with pockets of families bearing this surname appearing in various regions. In the 9th century AD, a Persian scholar named Ahmad ibn Tawasha al-Baghdadi made significant contributions to the fields of mathematics and astronomy.
During the Middle Ages, the TAWASHA name found its way to Europe, possibly through trade routes or during the Crusades. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in Europe can be found in a 12th-century manuscript from the Monastery of Saint-Germain-des-Prés in Paris, which mentions a monk named Brother Tawasha.
In the 14th century, a Spanish nobleman named Don Pedro Tawasha was renowned for his military prowess and served as a knight in the service of King Alfonso XI of Castile (1311-1350). His descendants continued to carry the TAWASHA name and played a role in the Reconquista, the centuries-long struggle to expel the Moors from the Iberian Peninsula.
Another notable figure was the Italian explorer and adventurer Giovanni Tawasha (1460-1522), who accompanied Christopher Columbus on his third voyage to the Americas in 1498. Tawasha's detailed journals and maps from this expedition provided valuable insights into the New World and its indigenous peoples.
During the Renaissance, a Italian artist named Tiziano Tawasha (1488-1576) gained fame for his masterful paintings, which often depicted religious scenes and portraits of wealthy patrons. His works can still be found in many prominent museums across Europe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tawasha
Among Census respondents with the surname Tawasha, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.1%) and Two or More Races (5.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Tawasha 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 Tawasha surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.5% · 91
- Hispanic or Latino10.1% · 12
- Two or more races5.9% · 7
- Black or African American5.0% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tawasha
Tawasha 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
#142,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+16 bearers (+15.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 7,220 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+2 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 680 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #149,328 | 101 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #142,108 | 117 | 0.04 | +16 bearers (+15.8%) | Up 7,220 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.7%) | Down 680 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 Tawasha 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 | #142,108 | #142,788 | -0.5% |
| Count | 117 | 119 | 1.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tawasha bearers went from 117 to 119 (+1.7% change). The surname moved down 680 positions in the national ranking, going from #142,108 to #142,788.
FAQ
Tawasha surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tawasha?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Tawasha. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Tawasha?
Tawasha ranks #142,788 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 119 people with the surname Tawasha. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), 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 Tawasha.
Has Tawasha become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tawasha went from 117 recorded bearers to 119. That is an increase of 2 (+1.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #142,108 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Tawasha?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tawasha, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.1%) and Two or More Races (5.9%). 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 Tawasha in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.5% (91 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tawasha appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.5%), Hispanic (10.1%), Two or More Races (5.9%). 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 Tawasha (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 Tawasha mean?
A locational surname signifying a person from Tausha or Tawash. 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 Tawasha (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 people have the last name Tawasha?
See how many Americans have the surname Tawasha on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.