Explore the Family Name Tansey

The meaning of Tansey

1. Irish (Connacht): shortened Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac an Tánaiste ‘son of the tanist’. In traditional Gaelic society, the tanist was a senior and respected member of a clan who was heir presumptive to its chief. Clan leadership was not hereditary, but depended on ability. 2. English (Leicestershire): usually a variant of Tanzer with the final syllable pronounced -sy, but occasionally a shortened form of Tansley. Some characteristic forenames: Irish Aileen.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Tansey has seen slight fluctuations between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Tansey was ranked 14,653 in popularity with a count of 1,861. By 2010, it had dropped to 14,937 with a count of 1,981, representing a change of -1.94 in rank and an increase of 6.45 in count. The proportion per 100,000 people also slightly decreased from 0.69 in 2000 to 0.67 in 2010, indicating a minor decline of -2.9.

20002010Change
Rank#14,653#14,937-1.94%
Count1,8611,9816.45%
Proportion per 100k0.690.67-2.9%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Tansey

In terms of ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data shows that individuals with the Tansey surname have diverse ethnic identities. As of 2000, the majority of Tanseys were White (95.11%), followed by Hispanic (1.72%), American Indian and Alaskan Native (1.24%), Two or more races (0.59%), Black (0.86%), and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.48%). However, these percentages have shifted over a decade. By 2010, there was a noticeable increase in those identifying as Two or more races (200%) and Black (169.77%), while the percentage of White Tanseys declined to 92.18%. Those identifying as Hispanic also saw a significant increase to 2.73%, whereas the Asian/Pacific Islander category saw a decrease to 0.40%. The American Indian and Alaskan Native category experienced the most substantial decline, dropping to 0.61%.

20002010Change
White95.11%92.18%-3.08%
Hispanic1.72%2.73%58.72%
Black0.86%2.32%169.77%
Two or More Races0.59%1.77%200%
American Indian and Alaskan Native1.24%0.61%-50.81%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.48%0.4%-16.67%