2000
#135,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Tsakos
A Greek surname potentially derived from the village of Tsakos or the Greek word "tsakos" meaning farmer or laborer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Tsakos. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tsakos 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
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Tsakos in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tsakos, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tsakos
The surname Tsakos originates from Greece, with its roots dating back to the Byzantine era. It is believed to have derived from the Greek word "tsakos," which translates to "rock" or "boulder." This suggests that the name may have initially been associated with those who lived near or worked with rocks, such as stonemasons or quarry workers.
The earliest known records of the Tsakos surname can be traced back to the 14th century on the Greek island of Crete. During this time, Crete was under Venetian rule, and many Greek families adopted surnames to comply with Venetian customs. The Tsakos name is believed to have originated in the village of Palaichora, which was known for its quarries and stonework.
In the 16th century, the Tsakos surname appears in various historical documents, including tax records and property deeds. One notable figure from this era was Georgios Tsakos, a merchant and shipowner who lived in the city of Chania, Crete, from 1520 to 1598. His successful trade ventures and involvement in maritime affairs contributed to the spread of the Tsakos name throughout the Mediterranean region.
As the centuries passed, the Tsakos family branched out across Greece and other parts of the world. In the 19th century, a prominent figure was Nikolaos Tsakos (1828-1899), a Greek revolutionary who fought against Ottoman rule and played a crucial role in the Greek War of Independence.
Another notable individual was Dimitrios Tsakos (1870-1946), a Greek shipowner and businessman who founded the Tsakos Shipping and Trading Company in the early 20th century. This company became a major player in the global shipping industry and helped establish the Tsakos name as a prominent maritime dynasty.
In the field of arts and culture, the name Tsakos is associated with Yorgos Tsakos (1912-1994), a renowned Greek painter and sculptor whose works have been exhibited in galleries and museums around the world.
While the Tsakos surname has its roots in Greece, it has since spread to various parts of the world through migration and diaspora. However, its connection to the Greek language and the island of Crete remains a significant part of its historical legacy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tsakos
Among Census respondents with the surname Tsakos, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Tsakos 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 Tsakos surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.2% · 113
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tsakos
Tsakos 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
#133,863
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
+12 bearers (+10.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,974 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
-6 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,186 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #135,837 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #133,863 | 126 | 0.04 | +12 bearers (+10.5%) | Up 1,974 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 8,186 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 Tsakos 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 | #133,863 | #142,049 | -6.1% |
| Count | 126 | 120 | -4.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tsakos bearers went from 126 to 120 (-4.8% change). The surname moved down 8,186 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,863 to #142,049.
FAQ
Tsakos surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tsakos?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Tsakos. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Tsakos?
Tsakos ranks #142,049 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 120 people with the surname Tsakos. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), 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 Tsakos.
Has Tsakos become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tsakos went from 126 recorded bearers to 120. That is a decrease of 6 (-4.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #133,863 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Tsakos?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tsakos, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%). 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 Tsakos in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.2% (113 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tsakos appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.2%), Hispanic (1.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%). 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 Tsakos (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 Tsakos mean?
A Greek surname potentially derived from the village of Tsakos or the Greek word "tsakos" meaning farmer or laborer. 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 Tsakos (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 common is the surname Tsakos?
Want to know how many people have the last name Tsakos? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.