2000
#3,787
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,589
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.18
Rare Last name
Taft
Derived from a nickname for a tall or stout person, from the Middle English word "taft," meaning tallow.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,899 Americans carry the last name Taft. That puts it at #3,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.89 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 34,625 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Taft surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Taft with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.9K
1 in 34,625
Census rank
#3,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,632 bearers of the surname Taft in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.89 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Taft, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.4%. The next largest groups are Black (10.6%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Taft
The surname Taft has its origins in England, where it is thought to have derived from the Old English word "toft," which referred to a homestead or a small parcel of land. This name is believed to have emerged in the 11th century or earlier, during the Anglo-Saxon period.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Taft can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of landholdings and population commissioned by William the Conqueror. This suggests that the name was already well-established in certain regions of England by the late 11th century.
Throughout the Middle Ages and into the Early Modern period, the Taft surname appeared in various records and documents across different parts of England. It is thought to have originated as a place name, likely referring to individuals who lived near or owned a particular toft or homestead.
The surname Taft has been associated with several notable figures throughout history. One of the earliest was John Taft, who was born in Wiltshire, England, in the late 15th century and served as a member of Parliament during the reign of Henry VIII.
Another prominent individual with this surname was Robert Taft, an English Puritan who immigrated to Massachusetts Bay Colony in the 17th century. He became a respected figure in the colony and served as a deputy to the General Court.
In the 19th century, Alphonso Taft, born in 1810 in Vermont, was a notable lawyer and politician who served as Secretary of War and Attorney General under President Ulysses S. Grant. His son, William Howard Taft, followed in his footsteps and became the 27th President of the United States, serving from 1909 to 1913.
Lorado Taft, born in 1860 in Illinois, was a famous sculptor who created numerous public monuments and memorials across the United States. His works, such as the Fountain of Time in Chicago, are widely celebrated for their artistic merit and historical significance.
While the Taft surname has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through emigration and migration patterns. Today, it is found in various countries, including the United States, Canada, and Australia, among others.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Taft
Among Census respondents with the surname Taft, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.4%. The next largest groups are Black (10.6%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Taft bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Taft surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.4% · 7,026
- Black or African American10.6% · 917
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 298
- Two or more races3.3% · 285
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 57
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 49
Timeline
Historical Census data for Taft
Taft appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#3,933
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,048
+459 bearers (+5.3%)
Per 100,000 3.07
Rank movement Down 146 places
2020
#3,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,632
-416 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 2.89
Rank movement Down 56 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,787 | 8,589 | 3.18 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,933 | 9,048 | 3.07 | +459 bearers (+5.3%) | Down 146 places |
| 2020 | #3,989 | 8,632 | 2.89 | -416 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 56 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Taft surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #3,933 | #3,989 | -1.4% |
| Count | 9,048 | 8,632 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 3.07 | 2.89 | -5.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Taft bearers went from 9,048 to 8,632 (-4.6% change). The surname moved down 56 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,933 to #3,989.
FAQ
Taft surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Taft?
Name Census estimates that about 9,899 living Americans carry the surname Taft. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 34,625 residents.
How common is Taft?
Taft ranks #3,989 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.89 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,632 people with the surname Taft. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,899), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.89 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.89 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Taft.
Has Taft become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Taft went from 9,048 recorded bearers to 8,632. That is a decrease of 416 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,933 to #3,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Taft?
Among Census respondents with the surname Taft, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.4%. The next largest groups are Black (10.6%) and Hispanic (3.5%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Taft in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.4% (7,026 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Taft appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.4%), Black (10.6%), Hispanic (3.5%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Taft (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Taft mean?
Derived from a nickname for a tall or stout person, from the Middle English word "taft," meaning tallow. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Taft (2.89 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Taft?
See how common the surname Taft is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.