Explore the Family Name Tango

The meaning of Tango

Italian: probably from a personal name of ancient Germanic origin composed with the element thank ‘thought’ (see Tancredi); alternatively, perhaps in some cases, from the Italian Greek name Tangos, unexplained. Some characteristic forenames: Italian Antonio, Domenic, Gioia, Raffaela, Rocco, Vito.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the Tango surname has seen a slight decrease in popularity over the decade from 2000 to 2010. The rank of the Tango surname slipped from 39,499 to 39,659, indicating a minor decrease of 0.41%. However, interestingly, the count of individuals with this surname increased by 5.73% during the same period, from 524 to 554. The proportion per 100,000 people remained stable at 0.19.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#39,499	#39,659	-0.41%
Count	524	554	5.73%
Proportion per 100k	0.19	0.19	0%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Tango

Regarding ethnic identity, the data from the Decennial U.S. Census indicates certain shifts among those bearing the Tango surname between 2000 and 2010. The Asian/Pacific Islander segment saw an increase of 18.21%, rising from 15.27% to 18.05%. People identifying as two or more ethnicities showed a minor rise of 2.02%, increasing from 2.48% to 2.53%. Conversely, those identifying as White decreased by 3.25%, dropping from 74.81% to 72.38%. The Hispanic portion also saw a decrease of 10.63%, moving from 6.87% to 6.14%. Notably, there was a presence of individuals identifying as Black in 2010, which wasn't recorded in 2000. The American Indian and Alaskan Native category, however, remained at 0.00% for both years.

	2000	2010	Change
White	74.81%	72.38%	-3.25%
Asian/Pacific Islander	15.27%	18.05%	18.21%
Hispanic	6.87%	6.14%	-10.63%
Two or More Races	2.48%	2.53%	2.02%
Black	0%	0.9%	0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0%	0%