2000
#3,544
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,209
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.41
Uncommon Last name
Taggart
A Scottish surname derived from the Old Norse nickname "Tankarth," meaning "think hard" or "difficult to deal with."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,418 Americans carry the last name Taggart. That puts it at #3,809 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 32,900 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Taggart 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Taggart with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
10K
1 in 32,900
Census rank
#3,809
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.1K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,085 bearers of the surname Taggart in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3809th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Taggart, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.0%. The next largest groups are Black (7.4%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Taggart
The surname Taggart originates from Ireland and likely emerged in the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Gaelic words "tao" meaning territory, district, or land, and "gort" meaning field or fertile land. Together, the name Taggart could be interpreted as "one who came from the fertile land or territory."
The name Taggart was first found in County Derry, Ulster province, Northern Ireland. Historical records show the presence of the Taggart family in this region as early as the 14th century. The name is also found in Scottish records, suggesting that some Taggarts may have migrated from Ireland to Scotland.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Taggart appears in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, where a Taggart is mentioned in an entry dated 1367. The name is also found in the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns, a collection of official documents from the 16th century.
Some notable individuals with the surname Taggart include:
1. Sir Thomas Taggart (1856-1929), an American politician and businessman who served as the 34th Mayor of Indianapolis from 1895 to 1901.
2. Samuel Taggart (1804-1884), an American minister and educator who served as the president of Bethany College in West Virginia.
3. Cynthia Taggart (born 1964), an American actress best known for her roles in television series such as "Veronica Mars" and "Big Love."
4. John Taggart (1799-1885), a Scottish-born American businessman and politician who served as the 17th Mayor of Philadelphia from 1838 to 1841.
5. James Taggart (1767-1849), an Irish-born American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.
The surname Taggart has also been associated with various place names, including Taghgart in County Derry, Ireland, and Taggart Township in Pennsylvania, United States. The latter was likely named after the family who settled in the area.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Taggart
Among Census respondents with the surname Taggart, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.0%. The next largest groups are Black (7.4%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Taggart 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 Taggart surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.0% · 7,629
- Black or African American7.4% · 670
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 367
- Two or more races3.4% · 313
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 64
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 42
Timeline
Historical Census data for Taggart
Taggart 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
#3,622
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,808
+599 bearers (+6.5%)
Per 100,000 3.32
Rank movement Down 78 places
2020
#3,809
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,085
-723 bearers (-7.4%)
Per 100,000 3.04
Rank movement Down 187 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,544 | 9,209 | 3.41 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,622 | 9,808 | 3.32 | +599 bearers (+6.5%) | Down 78 places |
| 2020 | #3,809 | 9,085 | 3.04 | -723 bearers (-7.4%) | Down 187 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 Taggart 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 | #3,622 | #3,809 | -5.2% |
| Count | 9,808 | 9,085 | -7.4% |
| Per 100K | 3.32 | 3.04 | -8.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Taggart bearers went from 9,808 to 9,085 (-7.4% change). The surname moved down 187 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,622 to #3,809.
FAQ
Taggart surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Taggart?
Name Census estimates that about 10,418 living Americans carry the surname Taggart. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 32,900 residents.
How common is Taggart?
Taggart ranks #3,809 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,085 people with the surname Taggart. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,418), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Taggart.
Has Taggart become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Taggart went from 9,808 recorded bearers to 9,085. That is a decrease of 723 (-7.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,622 to #3,809.
What does the Census say about the background of Taggart?
Among Census respondents with the surname Taggart, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.0%. The next largest groups are Black (7.4%) 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 Taggart in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.0% (7,629 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Taggart appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.0%), Black (7.4%), 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 Taggart (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 Taggart mean?
A Scottish surname derived from the Old Norse nickname "Tankarth," meaning "think hard" or "difficult to deal with." 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 Taggart (3.04 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 many people share the surname Taggart?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.