Explore the Family Name Tambe

The meaning of Tambe

1. Italian (Sicily; Tambè): nickname from a derivative of medieval Greek thambos ‘surprised, amazed’. 2. Indian (Maharashtra): Kunbi (claim to be warrior caste) name from Hindi or Marathi tambra, meaning copper, perhaps referring to early engagement with coppersmithry. 3. Central African (Cameroon): unexplained.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Tambe has increased in popularity over the years. In 2000, it ranked at 68,973 while in 2010, it rose to a rank of 55,619, marking an improvement by about 19.36%. The count of individuals bearing the surname also grew from 266 in 2000 to 369 in 2010, showcasing an increase of 38.72%. As for the proportion per 100k people, it was recorded at 0.1 in 2000 and escalated to 0.13 in 2010, representing a rise of approximately 30%.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#68,973	#55,619	19.36%
Count	266	369	38.72%
Proportion per 100k	0.1	0.13	30%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Tambe

In terms of ethnic identity, data extracted from the Decennial U.S. Census reveals that the Tambe surname is most commonly associated with Asian or Pacific Islander ethnicity, which witnessed a growth from 23.31% in 2000 to 28.18% in 2010. The percentage of White individuals with this surname decreased from 49.25% to 40.65% during the same period. Hispanic representation showed significant growth, increasing from 1.88% to 2.98%, while Black representation also saw an upward trend, moving from 24.06% to 27.37%. There were no recorded instances of this surname within the American Indian and Alaskan Native or Two or More Races categories.

	2000	2010	Change
White	49.25%	40.65%	-17.46%
Asian/Pacific Islander	23.31%	28.18%	20.89%
Black	24.06%	27.37%	13.76%
Hispanic	1.88%	2.98%	58.51%
Two or More Races	0%	0%	0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0%	0%