Tarr
An English surname most likely tied to the place-name Tarrant, though some examples may also reflect a short form or variant spelling.
The #5,006 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 43,975 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The strongest historical clue points to Tarr as a shortened or altered form of Tarrant, a place-name found in England. The place-name itself is generally traced to the River Tarrant in Dorset, whose name is usually linked to an older Brittonic or pre-English river name. In some cases the surname may also have been influenced by local pronunciation or by variant spellings recorded in different counties.
History
Nineteenth-century surname writers connect Tarr with Tarrant and similar place-name forms, especially in southern England. The name later appears in English and English-descended populations abroad, including the United States. Because Tarr is short and can overlap with other surnames in historical records, some family lines may have multiple spelling histories.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
One historical source explicitly treats Tarr as a variant of Tarrant, showing how easily short surname forms could evolve from place-names in older records.
From the historical record
“The Awntyrs of Arthure, 1-2. TARR, a var, of Tppr, q.v. Tarrant 210 Tawyer”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)Notable people named Tarr
- Béla Tarr (1955–2026)
Sourced from Wikidata; linked to their Wikipedia page.