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

Tranter, 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 Tranter surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tranter in America

Tranter is the 28746th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tranter surname appeared 828 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 Tranter.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tranter 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 Tranter

The surname Tranter is of English origin, derived from the occupational term for a maker or seller of trenchers, which were plates or platters made of wood or bread. The name is believed to have emerged in the late 13th century, with the earliest known record dating back to 1296 in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex.

The surname is thought to have originated in the counties of Somerset, Gloucestershire, and Wiltshire in the Southwest of England. It is closely related to the old French word "trenchier," meaning to cut or slice, which hints at the profession's ties to the preparation and serving of food.

In the 14th century, the surname appeared in various forms, such as Trencher, Trenchour, and Trencheour, reflecting the evolution of spelling and pronunciation over time. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Tranter can be found in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of Wiltshire from 1332, where a John Tranter is mentioned.

The Domesday Book, compiled in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the surname Tranter, as it predates the widespread adoption of hereditary surnames. However, it does mention several places with names that may have influenced the formation of the surname, such as Trent in Somerset and Trentham in Staffordshire.

Notable individuals with the surname Tranter include:

1. Richard Tranter (c. 1584-1669), an English Puritan minister and author known for his work "A Treatise of Repentance."
2. William Tranter (1572-1666), an English clergyman and author of theological works.
3. Benjamin Tranter (1816-1890), a British engineer and inventor who patented improvements to the manufacture of steel.
4. John Tranter (born 1943), an Australian poet and editor who has published numerous collections of poetry.
5. John Tranter (c. 1570-1633), an English clergyman and author of religious texts.

While the surname Tranter is not among the most common in England, it has a rich history dating back to the Middle Ages, reflecting the occupational roots of many English surnames and their evolution over centuries of use.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tranter

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

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

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

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