2010
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Tegart
Occupational surname referring to one who worked with carts, wagons, or hauling.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Tegart. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tegart 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
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Tegart in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tegart, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tegart
The surname Tegart has its origins in Scotland and is derived from the Gaelic word "teigeard," meaning "tinker" or "tinsmith." The name first appeared in the early 13th century in the region of Ayrshire, where many Tegarts worked as tinsmiths and metal workers.
The earliest recorded instance of the name can be found in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from 1264, which mention a "Johannes le Teggard." This suggests that the name was already well-established by that time.
In the 14th century, the Tegart family held lands in the parish of Kilwinning, Ayrshire, and their name is mentioned in several charters and records from that period. A notable member of the family was John Tegart, who served as a baillie (municipal officer) in Irvine in 1452.
The name Tegart appears in various spellings throughout history, such as Tegert, Teggert, Teggard, and Teggart, reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and spelling conventions.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, some members of the Tegart family migrated to Ireland, particularly to County Antrim, where they became prominent landowners and merchants.
One of the most famous Tegarts in history was Sir Evan Tegart (1619-1687), a Scottish soldier and landowner who served as Governor of Carrickfergus Castle in Ireland during the reign of King Charles II.
Another notable figure was Robert Tegart (1740-1804), a Scottish merchant and philanthropist who made a significant fortune in the West Indies trade and donated generously to educational and religious causes in Scotland.
In the 19th century, James Tegart (1816-1892) was a Scottish engineer and inventor who made important contributions to the development of steam engines and locomotives.
Other prominent Tegarts include John Tegart (1870-1939), a Canadian politician and businessman, and William Tegart (1888-1957), a British army officer who served as the first Chief of Police in British Palestine during the 1930s.
While the name Tegart is not as common today as it once was, it continues to be a part of the rich tapestry of Scottish and Irish heritage, reflecting the enduring legacy of the skilled tinsmiths and metal workers who bore this surname throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tegart
Among Census respondents with the surname Tegart, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Tegart 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 Tegart surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.6% · 83
- Two or more races9.7% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native4.9% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 4
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tegart
Tegart 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
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
+2 bearers (+2.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 5,530 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 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | +2 bearers (+2.0%) | Up 5,530 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 Tegart 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 | #154,182 | 3.5% |
| Count | 101 | 103 | 2.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 14.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tegart bearers went from 101 to 103 (+2.0% change). The surname moved up 5,530 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #154,182.
FAQ
Tegart surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tegart?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Tegart. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Tegart?
Tegart ranks #154,182 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 103 people with the surname Tegart. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), 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 Tegart.
Has Tegart become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tegart went from 101 recorded bearers to 103. That is an increase of 2 (+2.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Tegart?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tegart, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (4.9%). 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 Tegart in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.6% (83 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tegart appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.6%), Two or More Races (9.7%), American Indian/Alaska Native (4.9%). 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 Tegart (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 Tegart mean?
Occupational surname referring to one who worked with carts, wagons, or hauling. 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 Tegart (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 people are called Tegart?
You can see how many people are called Tegart on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.