2000
#4,673
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,941
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.57
Rare Last name
Tarr
An English occupational surname referring to someone who extracted or refined tar, or lived near a tar mine.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,770 Americans carry the last name Tarr. That puts it at #5,018 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.27 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 44,113 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tarr 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 Tarr with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.8K
1 in 44,113
Census rank
#5,018
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,776 bearers of the surname Tarr in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.27 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5018th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tarr, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.6%. The next largest groups are Black (5.0%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tarr
The surname "TARR" is believed to have originated in Scotland, where it first appeared in the 12th century. It is thought to have derived from the Old English word "tor," meaning a rocky hill or peak, suggesting that the name may have been initially used to identify people who lived near or on a tor or rocky outcrop.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a collection of instruments of homage and fealty made by Scottish nobles and landowners to King Edward I of England. In these rolls, the name appears as "Tarre" and "Tarre de Strauen."
The name also appears in various historical records and manuscripts from the 13th to 16th centuries, including the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland, where it is spelled "Tarr" and "Tarre." These records suggest that the name was concentrated in the Scottish Lowlands, particularly in the counties of Ayrshire and Lanarkshire.
One notable bearer of the name was John Tarr, a Scottish clergyman and academic who lived from 1508 to 1570. He served as the Principal of St. Leonard's College in St. Andrews and was a prominent figure in the Scottish Reformation.
In the 17th century, the name appears to have spread to other parts of the British Isles, with records showing individuals named Tarr in England and Ireland. One notable example is William Tarr, an English soldier and military engineer who lived from 1675 to 1737. He served as the Chief Engineer of Great Britain and played a crucial role in the construction of fortifications during the War of the Spanish Succession.
Another notable bearer of the name was Robert Tarr, an English clergyman and writer who lived from 1688 to 1756. He was the author of several books, including "The Doctrine of the Holy Eucharist" and "The Antiquities of Nottinghamshire."
In the 18th and 19th centuries, the name Tarr continued to be found in various parts of the British Isles, with some bearers of the name migrating to other parts of the world, including the United States and Canada. One notable figure was William Tarr, an American sea captain and merchant who lived from 1772 to 1856. He was involved in the China trade and amassed a considerable fortune, which he used to establish several charitable institutions in his hometown of Nantucket, Massachusetts.
Another notable bearer of the name was John Tarr, an English artist and engraver who lived from 1792 to 1851. He was known for his landscape paintings and engravings, and his works can be found in several museums and collections in the United Kingdom.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tarr
Among Census respondents with the surname Tarr, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.6%. The next largest groups are Black (5.0%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Tarr 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 Tarr surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.6% · 5,866
- Black or African American5.0% · 337
- Two or more races3.8% · 258
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 206
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 93
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tarr
Tarr 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
#5,006
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,021
+80 bearers (+1.2%)
Per 100,000 2.38
Rank movement Down 333 places
2020
#5,018
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,776
-245 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 2.27
Rank movement Down 12 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,673 | 6,941 | 2.57 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,006 | 7,021 | 2.38 | +80 bearers (+1.2%) | Down 333 places |
| 2020 | #5,018 | 6,776 | 2.27 | -245 bearers (-3.5%) | Down 12 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 Tarr 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 | #5,006 | #5,018 | -0.2% |
| Count | 7,021 | 6,776 | -3.5% |
| Per 100K | 2.38 | 2.27 | -4.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tarr bearers went from 7,021 to 6,776 (-3.5% change). The surname moved down 12 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,006 to #5,018.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Tarr
FAQ
Tarr surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tarr?
Name Census estimates that about 7,770 living Americans carry the surname Tarr. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 44,113 residents.
How common is Tarr?
Tarr ranks #5,018 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.27 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,776 people with the surname Tarr. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,770), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.27 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.27 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Tarr.
Has Tarr become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tarr went from 7,021 recorded bearers to 6,776. That is a decrease of 245 (-3.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,006 to #5,018.
What does the Census say about the background of Tarr?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tarr, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.6%. The next largest groups are Black (5.0%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Tarr in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.6% (5,866 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tarr appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.6%), Black (5.0%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Tarr (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 Tarr mean?
An English occupational surname referring to someone who extracted or refined tar, or lived near a tar mine. 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 Tarr (2.27 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 are called Tarr?
Want to know how many people have the last name Tarr? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.