The Tam surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 13,327 people carried this name — #2,703 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 22,100 people counted. That is up 10% from 12,150 in 2000.

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Where the name comes from

The origin of the Tam surname

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

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Tam» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

In Switzerland’s population statistics

76 people named Tam live in Switzerland.

They live in 8 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Graubünden.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Graubünden 24
Zurich 20
Vaud 10
Ticino 9
Valais 4
Aargau 3
Bern 3
Solothurn 3

Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.

In Poland’s population register

61 people named Tam have a registered home in Poland.

Of the 116 in Poland’s national register, these are the ones with a permanent address on file. They live in 7 of Poland’s 16 voivodeships, most of all in Silesian.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Silesian 21
Warmian-Masurian 13
Lesser Poland 8
Masovian 6
Pomeranian 5
Lower Silesian 4
Greater Poland 4

PESEL register, Ministry of Digital Affairs of Poland (dane.gov.pl) — CC0 · living people by voivodeship of permanent residence, 20 January 2026.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 45 people named Tam.

Most of them — 34 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 6 départements, most often La Réunion.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 34
La Réunion 6
Haut-Rhin 1
Rhône 1
Paris 1
Vaucluse 1
Vienne 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In Argentina’s national register

At least 37 people named Tam live in Argentina.

RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Buenos Aires Province 19
Córdoba 18

RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.

In the Nordic population registers

34 people named Tam is counted in Sweden.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 34

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).

In print

Tam in American newspapers,
1888–1907.

Newspaper page from St. Croix Avis carrying the name Tam
St. Croix Avis 1888-06-30
Newspaper page from Lewiston Evening Teller carrying the name Tam
Lewiston Evening Teller 1907-11-20

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 1,321 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Tam in Australian newspapers,
1830s–1990s.

6,003 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Tam. The most, 952, date from the 1910s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in the Northern Territory, at 2.5 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 1,825
Queensland 1,328
Victoria 1,293
South Australia 795
Western Australia 311
Tasmania 204
ACT (Canberra) 98
Northern Territory 20

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Tam.

Who carried it

People named Tam,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Franz Joseph von Tam 1730– · veterinarian
  • Felipe Tam Fox 1944–2011 · economist
  • Jean Tam 1949–2019 · naturalist

Wikidata (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Tam,
in the records of 6 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States155 records

155 records of the Tam name in the United States
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 72
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 47
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 13
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 12
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 7
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 3
  • Irish Famine arrivals at New York, 1846–1851 1
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Cloice H. Tam

    Born 1917 in Ohio. Enlisted 1941 at Cleveland; electrician from Lorain County.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Giuseppe Tam

    Arrived at New York in 1885 aboard the Olinda Rodrigues from Havre, aged 20; farmer. From Italy; bound for Montana.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. A U.S. Army record of death and interment, Camp Nelson, Kentucky, 1864
    Example: U.S. burial record, 1864
    Burial record Marvin Yun Chung Tam

    U.S. Air Force veteran. Born 1937, died 1969; buried at National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Honolulu, Hawaii.

    U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)

Showing 3 of 155 records for Tam in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Record of death and interment, Camp Nelson, Kentucky, 1864, U.S. National Archives (public domain).

Netherlands194 records

194 records of the Tam name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 89
  • Dutch population registers 71
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 34
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Ching Tam

    Married in 1921 in Amsterdam; bookkeeper. Died 1927 in Rotterdam, aged 35.

    Open Archives, Noord-Hollands Archief (CC BY 4.0); Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Johanna Tam

    Born 1900 in Haarlem. Married in 1922 in Haarlem.

    Open Archives, Noord-Hollands Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Cornelia Sophia Johanna Tam

    Born 1851 in Loenen. Died 1852 in Loenen.

    Open Archives, Het Utrechts Archief (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 194 records for Tam in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Canada31 records

31 records of the Tam name in Canada
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 20
  • City of Winnipeg cemetery records 4
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 3
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 2
  • Halifax municipal cemeteries 1
  • City of Waterloo (Ontario) cemetery records 1
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Kam Lin Tam

    Buried in 2001 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 87.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Kie Loy Tam

    Died 1997, aged 71; buried at Brookside Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

    City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Sing Nam Tam

    Died 1973 in Truro, Colchester, Nova Scotia, aged 84.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Showing 3 of 31 records for Tam in Canada.

Counts: City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

France10 records

10 records of the Tam name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Hangchun Tam

    Born 1922 in China; died 1995 in Paris.

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Jean Pierre Tam

    Born 1939 in Joussé; died 1993 in Joussé (Vienne).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  3. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Giovanni Tam

    Born 1908 in Italy; died 1990 in Poitiers (Vienne).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 3 of 10 records for Tam in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Australia5 records

5 records of the Tam name in Australia
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 3
  • Canberra cemetery and marriage records 1
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 1
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Peter Yui Kwong Tam

    Minister of religion of Dandenong, Victoria; died 1980.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Tak Kwong Tam

    Died 1989; buried at Gungahlin Cemetery, Canberra, ACT.

    ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Michael Lok Him Tam

    Student of Glen Waverley, Victoria; died 1993.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 5 records for Tam in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Switzerland1 record

1 record of the Tam name in Switzerland Zürich marriage records, 16th–18th centuries
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Niklaus Tam

    Married in 1675 in Kilchberg, canton of Zürich; of Kassel (Deutschland).

    Staatsarchiv des Kantons Zürich, Zürcher Ehedaten (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Staatsarchiv des Kantons Zürich, Zürcher Ehedaten (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Tam.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Tam is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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