2000
#5,013
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,423
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.38
Rare Last name
Tamez
A Spanish surname derived from the given name Thomas, which means "twin."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,977 Americans carry the last name Tamez. That puts it at #4,384 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 38,181 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tamez 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
9.0K
1 in 38,181
Census rank
#4,384
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,828 bearers of the surname Tamez in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4384th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tamez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.8%. The next largest groups are White (7.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tamez
The surname Tamez has its roots in the Basque region of northern Spain and southern France. It is believed to have originated from the Basque word "tamezu," meaning "bramble" or "wild rose." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near or was associated with these thorny plants.
The earliest recorded instances of the Tamez surname date back to the 13th century in the Basque Country. In ancient manuscripts and records, the name appeared with various spellings such as "Tamezu," "Taméz," and "Tamés." These variations were likely due to regional dialects and the evolution of language over time.
During the Middle Ages, the Tamez name was found in several local documents and records in the Basque provinces of Álava, Vizcaya, and Guipúzcoa. One notable mention was in a land grant issued by the King of Navarre in 1287, which referred to a landowner named Juan Tamez.
As the Basque people migrated and settled in different parts of Spain and beyond, the Tamez surname spread to other regions. In the 16th century, the name appeared in historical records from the Spanish colonies in the Americas, particularly in Mexico and parts of Central America.
Among the earliest known individuals with the Tamez surname were:
1. García Tamez (c. 1450-1520), a Basque nobleman and landowner in the province of Álava.
2. Martín Tamez (c. 1525-1589), a Basque explorer and navigator who accompanied Spanish expeditions to the New World.
3. Isabel Tamez (c. 1570-1635), a prominent figure in the settlement of Nuevo León, Mexico, and one of the first Spanish women to establish a ranch in the region.
4. Juan Tamez de Mendoza (c. 1620-1687), a Spanish colonial administrator and governor of the province of Tabasco, Mexico.
5. Pedro Tamez y Peña (c. 1685-1758), a Basque-Mexican landowner and rancher who played a significant role in the development of the Rio Grande Valley region in what is now South Texas.
Throughout history, the Tamez surname has been associated with various professions and walks of life, including landowners, merchants, explorers, and government officials, both in Spain and its former colonies.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tamez
Among Census respondents with the surname Tamez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.8%. The next largest groups are White (7.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Tamez 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 Tamez surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino90.8% · 7,106
- White7.8% · 614
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 37
- Two or more races0.4% · 31
- Black or African American0.3% · 26
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tamez
Tamez 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
#4,492
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,894
+1,471 bearers (+22.9%)
Per 100,000 2.68
Rank movement Up 521 places
2020
#4,384
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,828
-66 bearers (-0.8%)
Per 100,000 2.62
Rank movement Up 108 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,013 | 6,423 | 2.38 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,492 | 7,894 | 2.68 | +1,471 bearers (+22.9%) | Up 521 places |
| 2020 | #4,384 | 7,828 | 2.62 | -66 bearers (-0.8%) | Up 108 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 Tamez 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 | #4,492 | #4,384 | 2.4% |
| Count | 7,894 | 7,828 | -0.8% |
| Per 100K | 2.68 | 2.62 | -2.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tamez bearers went from 7,894 to 7,828 (-0.8% change). The surname moved up 108 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,492 to #4,384.
FAQ
Tamez surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tamez?
Name Census estimates that about 8,977 living Americans carry the surname Tamez. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 38,181 residents.
How common is Tamez?
Tamez ranks #4,384 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.62 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 7,828 people with the surname Tamez. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,977), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.62 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 Tamez.
Has Tamez become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tamez went from 7,894 recorded bearers to 7,828. That is a decrease of 66 (-0.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,492 to #4,384.
What does the Census say about the background of Tamez?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tamez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.8%. The next largest groups are White (7.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.5%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Tamez in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.8% (7,106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tamez appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (90.8%), White (7.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.5%). 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 Tamez (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 Tamez mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the given name Thomas, which means "twin." 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 Tamez (2.62 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 Tamez?
See how many people have the surname Tamez on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.