2000
#51,119
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 383
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.14
Very Rare Last name
Tau
An occupational surname referring to someone who worked with oxen or cattle.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 600 Americans carry the last name Tau. That puts it at #44,282 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.17 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 571,257 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tau 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
600
1 in 571,257
Census rank
#44,282
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
523
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 523 bearers of the surname Tau in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.17 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 44282nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tau, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 54.3%. The next largest groups are White (30.0%) and Two or More Races (7.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tau
The surname "Tau" is believed to have originated in Germany during the Middle Ages. It is thought to be derived from the German word "tau," which means "dew" or "moisture." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a body of water or in a particularly dewy area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name "Tau" can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of historical documents from the region of Saxony, dating back to the 13th century. In this text, a certain "Henricus Tau" is mentioned as a witness to a land transaction.
In the 15th century, the name appears in the records of the city of Nuremberg, where a "Johannes Tau" is listed as a merchant and member of the local guild. This indicates that the name had spread beyond its presumed origins and was becoming more widespread throughout German-speaking regions.
During the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the surname "Tau" was Petrus Tau, a Protestant theologian and reformer who lived in the German city of Strasbourg from 1528 to 1595. His writings and sermons contributed to the spread of Lutheranism in the region.
In the 17th century, the name "Tau" can be found in the records of the city of Hamburg, where a "Hans Tau" is recorded as a shipwright and member of the local shipbuilders' guild in 1642.
Another prominent individual with the surname "Tau" was Johann Tau, a German botanist and naturalist who lived from 1672 to 1741. He is known for his extensive collections and contributions to the study of plant life in the regions around the Rhine River.
As the centuries progressed, the surname "Tau" continued to be found in various parts of Germany and surrounding areas, with some individuals bearing the name emigrating to other parts of Europe and eventually to other continents as well.
It is important to note that while this surname is believed to have originated in Germany, variations of the spelling and pronunciation may exist in other languages and cultures due to migration and cultural exchange over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tau
Among Census respondents with the surname Tau, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 54.3%. The next largest groups are White (30.0%) and Two or More Races (7.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Tau 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 Tau surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander54.3% · 284
- White30.0% · 157
- Two or more races7.3% · 38
- Black or African American4.8% · 25
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tau
Tau 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
#41,359
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 526
+143 bearers (+37.3%)
Per 100,000 0.18
Rank movement Up 9,760 places
2020
#44,282
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 523
-3 bearers (-0.6%)
Per 100,000 0.17
Rank movement Down 2,923 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #51,119 | 383 | 0.14 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #41,359 | 526 | 0.18 | +143 bearers (+37.3%) | Up 9,760 places |
| 2020 | #44,282 | 523 | 0.17 | -3 bearers (-0.6%) | Down 2,923 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 Tau 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 | #41,359 | #44,282 | -7.1% |
| Count | 526 | 523 | -0.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.18 | 0.17 | -2.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tau bearers went from 526 to 523 (-0.6% change). The surname moved down 2,923 positions in the national ranking, going from #41,359 to #44,282.
FAQ
Tau surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tau?
Name Census estimates that about 600 living Americans carry the surname Tau. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 571,257 residents.
How common is Tau?
Tau ranks #44,282 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.17 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 523 people with the surname Tau. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (600), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.17 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.17 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 Tau.
Has Tau become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tau went from 526 recorded bearers to 523. That is a decrease of 3 (-0.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #41,359 to #44,282.
What does the Census say about the background of Tau?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tau, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 54.3%. The next largest groups are White (30.0%) and Two or More Races (7.3%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Tau in the 2020 Census, accounting for 54.3% (284 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tau appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (54.3%), White (30.0%), Two or More Races (7.3%). 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 Tau (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 Tau mean?
An occupational surname referring to someone who worked with oxen or cattle. 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 Tau (0.17 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 Americans have the surname Tau?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.