Explore the Family Name Tamba

The meaning of Tamba

1. West African (Senegal and the Gambia): name found among the Jola people, of unexplained etymology. 2. West African (Liberia and Sierra Leone): from a personal name found among the Kissi and Kono peoples, denoting a second-born boy. 3. Japanese: written 丹波 ‘red waves’, taken from the ancient province of Tamba, in modern times divided between Kyōto and Hyōgo prefectures. A few families use different characters in place of the second one, such as 場 (‘place’), 葉 (‘leaves’), or 馬 (‘horse’), and the name is also often Romanized as Tanba. 4. Indonesian: ornamental name or nickname from Javanese tamba ‘medicine, remedy’. 5. Romanian: unexplained.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Tamba in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Tamba has significantly increased between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Tamba was ranked 79,676th in terms of frequency, with about 222 occurrences per 100,000 people. By 2010, the rank had risen to 54,055, which represents a 32.16% change. The count of individuals with this surname also surged by 72.07%, from 222 to 382 within the same period, which corresponds to an increase of the proportion per 100k from 0.08 to 0.13, representing a 62.5% rise.

20002010Change
Rank#79,676#54,05532.16%
Count22238272.07%
Proportion per 100k0.080.1362.5%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Tamba

In terms of ethnic identity, the Decennial U.S. Census indicates that the Tamba surname has diverse affiliations. Between 2000 and 2010, there were notable shifts in ethnicity percentages. People identified as Asian/Pacific Islander decreased from 22.97% to 17.8%. On the other hand, those who identified under two or more races saw an upward trend of 107.62%, moving from 3.15% to 6.54%. The percentage of white individuals decreased significantly from 27.03% to 14.4%. Hispanic representation emerged at 2.09% in 2010, while American Indian and Alaskan Native remained at 0%. Lastly, the black population showed an increase of 26.28%, rising from 46.85% to 59.16%. This data shows the changing demographics associated with the Tamba surname over a decade.

20002010Change
Black46.85%59.16%26.28%
Asian/Pacific Islander22.97%17.8%-22.51%
White27.03%14.4%-46.73%
Two or More Races3.15%6.54%107.62%
Hispanic0%2.09%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%