2000
#116,835
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 138
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Tsakonas
Potentially a Greek surname derived from the noun "tsakonas," meaning a type of pastoral Greek folk
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 224 Americans carry the last name Tsakonas. That puts it at #99,304 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,530,153 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tsakonas 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
224
1 in 1,530,153
Census rank
#99,304
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
195
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 195 bearers of the surname Tsakonas in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 99304th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tsakonas, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Black (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tsakonas
The surname Tsakonas originates from Greece and can be traced back to the Byzantine period, around the 11th-12th centuries AD. It is believed to have derived from the Greek word "tsakonos," which referred to the inhabitants of the Tsakonian region in the eastern Peloponnese peninsula of Greece.
This region was known for its unique dialect, which was closely related to the ancient Doric dialect spoken in the region during the classical period. The Tsakonian dialect was considered one of the last surviving remnants of the ancient Greek language, and the people who spoke it were called Tsakonians or Tsakones.
The earliest known records of the Tsakonas surname appear in medieval manuscripts and documents from the Byzantine era, where it was often spelled in various forms, such as "Tsakonos," "Tsakonios," or "Tsakonitis." These variations likely reflected the different ways the name was pronounced and transcribed in different regions of Greece.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the Tsakonas surname was Theodoros Tsakonas, a Byzantine scholar and theologian who lived in the 13th century AD. He was known for his writings on theology and philosophy, and his works were widely circulated throughout the Byzantine Empire.
Another notable figure was Ioannis Tsakonas, a Greek military commander who fought against the Ottoman Turks during the Greek War of Independence in the early 19th century. He played a crucial role in several battles and was renowned for his bravery and leadership.
In the 20th century, Konstantinos Tsakonas (1899-1976) was a prominent Greek politician and lawyer who served as the Minister of Justice and Minister of the Interior in various governments during the 1940s and 1950s.
Georgios Tsakonas (1920-1999) was a renowned Greek author and poet, known for his works that explored themes of love, nature, and the human condition. His poetry collections, such as "The Broken Vase" and "Autumn Leaves," received critical acclaim and were widely read in Greece and abroad.
Lastly, Dimitrios Tsakonas (1925-2007) was a distinguished Greek architect and urban planner who played a significant role in the reconstruction and development of Athens after World War II. He designed several iconic buildings and public spaces in the city, leaving a lasting legacy in the field of architecture and urban planning.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tsakonas
Among Census respondents with the surname Tsakonas, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Black (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Tsakonas 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 Tsakonas surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.3% · 182
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 8
- Black or African American1.0% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tsakonas
Tsakonas 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
#106,570
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 167
+29 bearers (+21.0%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Up 10,265 places
2020
#99,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 195
+28 bearers (+16.8%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Up 7,266 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #116,835 | 138 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #106,570 | 167 | 0.06 | +29 bearers (+21.0%) | Up 10,265 places |
| 2020 | #99,304 | 195 | 0.07 | +28 bearers (+16.8%) | Up 7,266 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 Tsakonas 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 | #106,570 | #99,304 | 6.8% |
| Count | 167 | 195 | 16.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.06 | 0.07 | 8.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tsakonas bearers went from 167 to 195 (+16.8% change). The surname moved up 7,266 positions in the national ranking, going from #106,570 to #99,304.
FAQ
Tsakonas surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tsakonas?
Name Census estimates that about 224 living Americans carry the surname Tsakonas. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,530,153 residents.
How common is Tsakonas?
Tsakonas ranks #99,304 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.07 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 195 people with the surname Tsakonas. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (224), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.07 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 Tsakonas.
Has Tsakonas become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tsakonas went from 167 recorded bearers to 195. That is an increase of 28 (+16.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #106,570 to #99,304.
What does the Census say about the background of Tsakonas?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tsakonas, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Black (1.0%). 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 Tsakonas in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (182 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tsakonas appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.3%), Hispanic (4.1%), Black (1.0%). 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 Tsakonas (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 Tsakonas mean?
Potentially a Greek surname derived from the noun "tsakonas," meaning a type of pastoral Greek folk 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 Tsakonas (0.07 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 surname Tsakonas?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.