How common is the surname Taft?

9,048 people in the United States had the surname Taft in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 34,123 Americans. It ranked 3,933rd of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Taft?

William Howard Taft, 27th President of the United States from 1909 to 1913 (1857–1930), followed by Robert A. Taft.

Where is the surname Taft most common?

Wikidata records people named Taft in the United States.

Is the surname Taft getting more or less common?

More common. 8,589 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 9,048 in 2010, up 5.3%.

The surname Taft

A surname, carried by 9,048 people in the United States.

Pronounced /tæft/ 1 syllable Soundex T130

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Taft is more common than 97.6% of them.

Origin

In the United States, many of the places established since 1909 are named after William Howard Taft.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 9,048 people named Taft in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 34,123 Americans. That is up 5.3% since 2000, when the Census counted 8,589.

#3,933

rank among US surnames

9,048

people in 2010

3.1

per 100,000 Americans

+5.3%

change since 2000 (was #3,787)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#3,924	Putman	9,058	34,085
#3,925	Martel	9,056	34,093
#3,927	Reimer	9,055	34,097
#3,928	Pickard	9,053	34,104
#3,930	Pond	9,052	34,108
#3,931	Gallant	9,051	34,112
#3,932	Kee	9,049	34,119

Who is named Taft

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

84% of people named Taft identified as white (not Hispanic), 10% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.5% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

White (not Hispanic) 84%
Black (not Hispanic) 10%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.5%
Two or more races 1.7%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.7%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.5%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Tafts

8 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

William Howard Taft
27th President of the United States from 1909 to 1913 (1857–1930)
Robert A. Taft
American politician, son of 27th U.S. President William Howard Taft (1889–1953)
Alphonso Taft
American diplomat (1810–1891)
Bob Taft
American politician in Ohio (born 1942)
Lorado Taft
American sculptor and writer (1860–1936)
Robert Taft Jr.
American politician (1917–1993)
Kingsley A. Taft
American politician (1903-1970)
Robert F. Taft
American Jesuit historian and liturgist (1932-2018)

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Taft

Toft

Taft has the Soundex code T130, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code T130.

Questions

Where does the surname Taft come from?: In the United States, many of the places established since 1909 are named after William Howard Taft.
How common is the surname Taft?: 9,048 people in the United States had the surname Taft in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 34,123 Americans. It ranked 3,933rd of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Taft?: In the 2010 Census, 84% of people named Taft identified as white (not Hispanic), and 10% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Taft?: William Howard Taft, 27th President of the United States from 1909 to 1913 (1857–1930), followed by Robert A. Taft.
Where is the surname Taft most common?: Wikidata records people named Taft in the United States.
How do you pronounce Taft?: Taft is /tæft/, one syllable.
Is the surname Taft getting more or less common?: More common. 8,589 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 9,048 in 2010, up 5.3%.