How common is the surname Tam?

13,327 people in the United States had the surname Tam in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 23,167 Americans. It ranked 2,703rd of 162,253 surnames.

Is the surname Tam getting more or less common?

More common. 12,150 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 13,327 in 2010, up 9.7%.

Is Tam also a first name?

Yes. Tam is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Tam

A Chinese surname, carried by 13,327 people in the United States.

1 syllable Soundex T500

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Tam is more common than 98.3% of them.

Origin

Chinese origin

Borrowed from Cantonese 譚／谭 (taam4), Cantonese 談／谈 (taam4), etc.

One of 193 Chinese surnames on this site.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 13,327 people named Tam in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 23,167 Americans. That is up 9.7% since 2000, when the Census counted 12,150.

#2,703

rank among US surnames

13,327

people in 2010

4.5

per 100,000 Americans

+9.7%

change since 2000 (was #2,723)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#2,694	William	13,373	23,087
#2,695	Asher	13,371	23,091
#2,696	Shell	13,369	23,094
#2,697	Layne	13,367	23,098
#2,698	Gilliland	13,351	23,125
#2,699	Alba	13,347	23,132
#2,700	Shank	13,343	23,139

Who is named Tam

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

90% of people named Tam identified as Asian and Pacific Islander, 5.5% as white (not Hispanic) and 2.3% as two or more races.

Asian and Pacific Islander 90%
White (not Hispanic) 5.5%
Two or more races 2.3%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 1.4%
Black (not Hispanic) 0.6%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.1%

Compare: most common surnames among Asian and Pacific Islander Americans.

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Tam

Tam has the Soundex code T500, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code T500.

Other Chinese surnames

All 193 Chinese surnames

Questions

Where does the surname Tam come from?: Borrowed from Cantonese 譚／谭 (taam4), Cantonese 談／谈 (taam4), etc.
How common is the surname Tam?: 13,327 people in the United States had the surname Tam in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 23,167 Americans. It ranked 2,703rd of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Tam?: In the 2010 Census, 90% of people named Tam identified as Asian and Pacific Islander, and 5.5% as white (not Hispanic).
Is the surname Tam getting more or less common?: More common. 12,150 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 13,327 in 2010, up 9.7%.
Is Tam also a first name?: Yes. Tam is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.