2000
#125,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Taxter
A surname derived from an occupational name for a tax collector or tax assessor.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 116 Americans carry the last name Taxter. That puts it at #155,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,954,779 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Taxter 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
116
1 in 2,954,779
Census rank
#155,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
101
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 101 bearers of the surname Taxter in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Taxter, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Black (5.0%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Taxter
The surname Taxter is an English occupational name that originated in the medieval period, derived from the Old English word "taxere", meaning "tax collector". Its earliest known spelling variation was "Taxtor" in the late 12th century, referring to a person employed to collect taxes or tolls.
Taxter is believed to have originated in the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk in East Anglia, where some of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found. The surname is thought to have spread to other parts of England during the Middle Ages, as tax collectors and toll gatherers traveled for their work.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Taxter surname can be found in the Rotuli Hundredorum, a census-like record from 1273, which lists a Robert le Taxtor in Norfolk. The Pipe Rolls of 1230 also contain a reference to a William le Taxtor in Suffolk.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in various records, including the Poll Tax Returns of 1379, which listed a John Taxtere in Yorkshire. The Suffolk Subsidy Rolls of 1327 also mention a Walter Taxter.
Several notable individuals have borne the Taxter surname throughout history. One of the earliest was William Taxter (c. 1400-1470), a prominent merchant and landowner from Norwich, Norfolk. Another was Sir John Taxter (c. 1520-1585), a Member of Parliament and Sheriff of Norfolk during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
In the 17th century, Thomas Taxter (1633-1692) was a notable Puritan clergyman and author in Boston, Massachusetts, having emigrated from England. Another early American bearer of the name was John Taxter (1651-1718), a landowner and farmer in Watertown, Massachusetts.
During the 18th century, the Taxter surname appeared in various records, such as the marriage register of St. Mary's Church in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, which recorded the union of John Taxter and Mary Woodward in 1723. In the same century, William Taxter (1745-1821) was a successful merchant and landowner in Richmond, Virginia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Taxter
Among Census respondents with the surname Taxter, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Black (5.0%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Taxter 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 Taxter surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.1% · 89
- Black or African American5.0% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.0% · 2
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Taxter
Taxter 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
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-20 bearers (-15.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 28,130 places
2020
#155,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-5 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 1,501 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #125,639 | 126 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | -20 bearers (-15.9%) | Down 28,130 places |
| 2020 | #155,270 | 101 | 0.03 | -5 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 1,501 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 Taxter 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 | #153,769 | #155,270 | -1.0% |
| Count | 106 | 101 | -4.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -15.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Taxter bearers went from 106 to 101 (-4.7% change). The surname moved down 1,501 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #155,270.
FAQ
Taxter surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Taxter?
Name Census estimates that about 116 living Americans carry the surname Taxter. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,954,779 residents.
How common is Taxter?
Taxter ranks #155,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 101 people with the surname Taxter. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (116), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Taxter.
Has Taxter become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Taxter went from 106 recorded bearers to 101. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #153,769 to #155,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Taxter?
Among Census respondents with the surname Taxter, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Black (5.0%) 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 Taxter in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.1% (89 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Taxter appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.1%), Black (5.0%), 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 Taxter (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 Taxter mean?
A surname derived from an occupational name for a tax collector or tax assessor. 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 Taxter (0.03 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 Taxter?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.