2000
#2,900
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,370
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.21
Uncommon Last name
Talbert
An English occupational surname referring to someone who worked as a tailor or mender of garments.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,707 Americans carry the last name Talbert. That puts it at #3,179 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.71 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 26,974 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Talbert 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 Talbert with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
13K
1 in 26,974
Census rank
#3,179
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,081 bearers of the surname Talbert in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.71 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3179th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Talbert, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.7%. The next largest groups are Black (24.5%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Talbert
The surname Talbert is of English origin, deriving from the Old English personal name "Talebert" or "Talebart." This name can be traced back to the Anglo-Saxon era, around the 5th to 11th centuries. It is a compound name composed of the elements "talu" meaning "story" or "tale" and "beorht" meaning "bright" or "famous." Therefore, the name Talbert can be interpreted as "famous storyteller" or "bright tale."
The earliest known record of the surname Talbert appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landowners commissioned by William the Conqueror after the Norman conquest of England. The Domesday Book lists a "Talebart" holding lands in Lincolnshire, suggesting the name's presence in the region during that period.
One of the earliest recorded individuals bearing the name Talbert was John Talbert, a prominent English merchant and politician who lived in the 14th century. He served as the Mayor of Bristol in 1367 and played a significant role in the city's trade and governance.
Another notable figure with the surname Talbert was Sir William Talbert (c. 1415-1490), an English landowner and Member of Parliament for Somerset during the reigns of Henry VI and Edward IV. He was a prominent figure in the Wars of the Roses and is believed to have fought for the Yorkist cause.
In the 16th century, a branch of the Talbert family settled in the village of Tolbertville, located in the county of Lincolnshire. This place name is likely derived from the surname itself, reflecting the family's presence and influence in the area.
During the 17th century, a notable member of the Talbert family was John Talbert (1630-1704), an English Puritan minister and author. He was known for his writings on religious topics and served as a minister in various parishes throughout his life.
Another significant figure was Sir George Talbert (1779-1856), a British military officer and politician. He served in the Napoleonic Wars and later became a Member of Parliament for Northampton, representing the Tory party.
While the surname Talbert has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through migration and colonization. However, the historical records and notable individuals mentioned above highlight the surname's deep English heritage and the stories woven into its origins.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Talbert
Among Census respondents with the surname Talbert, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.7%. The next largest groups are Black (24.5%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Talbert 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 Talbert surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White66.7% · 7,395
- Black or African American24.5% · 2,710
- Two or more races4.6% · 509
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 334
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 82
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 51
Timeline
Historical Census data for Talbert
Talbert 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
#2,944
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,181
+811 bearers (+7.1%)
Per 100,000 4.13
Rank movement Down 44 places
2020
#3,179
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,081
-1,100 bearers (-9.0%)
Per 100,000 3.71
Rank movement Down 235 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,900 | 11,370 | 4.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,944 | 12,181 | 4.13 | +811 bearers (+7.1%) | Down 44 places |
| 2020 | #3,179 | 11,081 | 3.71 | -1,100 bearers (-9.0%) | Down 235 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 Talbert 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 | #2,944 | #3,179 | -8.0% |
| Count | 12,181 | 11,081 | -9.0% |
| Per 100K | 4.13 | 3.71 | -10.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Talbert bearers went from 12,181 to 11,081 (-9.0% change). The surname moved down 235 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,944 to #3,179.
FAQ
Talbert surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Talbert?
Name Census estimates that about 12,707 living Americans carry the surname Talbert. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 26,974 residents.
How common is Talbert?
Talbert ranks #3,179 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.71 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,081 people with the surname Talbert. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,707), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.71 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.71 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Talbert.
Has Talbert become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Talbert went from 12,181 recorded bearers to 11,081. That is a decrease of 1,100 (-9.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,944 to #3,179.
What does the Census say about the background of Talbert?
Among Census respondents with the surname Talbert, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.7%. The next largest groups are Black (24.5%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Talbert in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.7% (7,395 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Talbert appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (66.7%), Black (24.5%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Talbert (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 Talbert mean?
An English occupational surname referring to someone who worked as a tailor or mender of garments. 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 Talbert (3.71 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 Talbert?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.