2000
#3,130
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,583
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.92
Uncommon Last name
Tavares
A Portuguese surname derived from the personal name Álvaro, meaning "guardian" or "defender."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 15,167 Americans carry the last name Tavares. That puts it at #2,660 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.42 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 22,599 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tavares 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 Tavares with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
15K
1 in 22,599
Census rank
#2,660
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
13K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 13,226 bearers of the surname Tavares in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.42 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2660th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tavares, the largest self-reported group is White at 48.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (31.1%) and Black (12.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tavares
The surname Tavares originated in Portugal and is derived from the Latin name Tabularius, which means "keeper of records" or "scribe". This name was likely given to those who worked as record-keepers or scribes in medieval times.
Tavares is a Portuguese patronymic surname, meaning it was originally formed by adding the suffix "-es" to the given name of the father or ancestor. This practice was common in the Iberian Peninsula during the Middle Ages.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Tavares can be found in the Livro Velho de Linhagens (Old Book of Lineages), a Portuguese genealogical manuscript from the 13th century. This document mentions several individuals with the surname, indicating that the name was already well-established in Portugal by that time.
In the 14th century, there are records of a noble family called Tavares de Sousa, who held lands and properties in the region of Entre-Douro-e-Minho in northern Portugal. This family is believed to have descended from a 12th-century knight named Rodrigo Tavares.
The surname Tavares also appears in the Livro do Armeiro-Mor (Book of the Chief Armorer), a Portuguese armorial from the 15th century, suggesting that some Tavares families were part of the nobility or had achieved a certain level of prominence.
Notable individuals with the surname Tavares throughout history include:
1. João Tavares de Vellez (c. 1370-1450), a Portuguese explorer and navigator who played a crucial role in the early Portuguese explorations along the West African coast.
2. Fernão Tavares (c. 1530-1590), a Portuguese military officer and colonial administrator who served as the governor of Ilha de Moçambique (now Mozambique) in the late 16th century.
3. António Tavares de Sousa (c. 1620-1680), a Portuguese writer and historian who authored several works on the history of Portugal and its overseas territories.
4. Francisco Tavares de Proença (1722-1797), a Portuguese mathematician and astronomer who contributed to the development of nautical science and the study of celestial bodies.
5. José Tavares de Macedo (1809-1859), a Brazilian politician, writer, and lawyer who served as a senator and played a significant role in the political and intellectual life of the Brazilian Empire.
The surname Tavares has also been associated with various place names in Portugal, such as Tavares (a parish in the municipality of Vila Nova de Famalicão) and Souto Tavares (a parish in the municipality of Moimenta da Beira).
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tavares
Among Census respondents with the surname Tavares, the largest self-reported group is White at 48.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (31.1%) and Black (12.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Tavares 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 Tavares surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White48.5% · 6,421
- Hispanic or Latino31.1% · 4,108
- Black or African American12.4% · 1,639
- Two or more races4.6% · 610
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.1% · 408
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 40
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tavares
Tavares 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
#2,825
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,766
+2,183 bearers (+20.6%)
Per 100,000 4.33
Rank movement Up 305 places
2020
#2,660
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,226
+460 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 4.42
Rank movement Up 165 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,130 | 10,583 | 3.92 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,825 | 12,766 | 4.33 | +2,183 bearers (+20.6%) | Up 305 places |
| 2020 | #2,660 | 13,226 | 4.42 | +460 bearers (+3.6%) | Up 165 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 Tavares 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 | #2,825 | #2,660 | 5.8% |
| Count | 12,766 | 13,226 | 3.6% |
| Per 100K | 4.33 | 4.42 | 2.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tavares bearers went from 12,766 to 13,226 (+3.6% change). The surname moved up 165 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,825 to #2,660.
FAQ
Tavares surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tavares?
Name Census estimates that about 15,167 living Americans carry the surname Tavares. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 22,599 residents.
How common is Tavares?
Tavares ranks #2,660 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.42 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 13,226 people with the surname Tavares. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (15,167), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.42 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.42 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 Tavares.
Has Tavares become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tavares went from 12,766 recorded bearers to 13,226. That is an increase of 460 (+3.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #2,825 to #2,660.
What does the Census say about the background of Tavares?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tavares, the largest self-reported group is White at 48.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (31.1%) and Black (12.4%). 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 Tavares in the 2020 Census, accounting for 48.5% (6,421 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tavares appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (48.5%), Hispanic (31.1%), Black (12.4%). 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 Tavares (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 Tavares mean?
A Portuguese surname derived from the personal name Álvaro, meaning "guardian" or "defender." 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 Tavares (4.42 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 Tavares?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.