Find out how popular the last name Tafua is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Tafua.

Tafua, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Tafua surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tafua in America

Tafua is the 118853rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tafua surname appeared 146 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Tafua.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tafua to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Tafua

The surname Tafua is of Polynesian origin, specifically from the Samoan islands. It is believed to have emerged in the late 18th century or early 19th century.

Tafua is thought to be derived from the Samoan words 'tafa' meaning to strike or beat, and 'ua' which can refer to rain or a storm. Thus, the name may have originally been a descriptive term for a fierce warrior or a powerful force, akin to a striking rainstorm.

Some of the earliest written records of the name Tafua can be found in missionary accounts and colonial documents from the 1800s, when European explorers and settlers first made contact with the Samoan islands.

One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Tafua was Tafua Faletolu, a respected village chief who lived in the mid-19th century on the island of Savai'i. He is mentioned in several historical texts as a leader who negotiated with European missionaries and traders during the early period of Western influence in Samoa.

Another notable figure was Tafua Tupuola, a skilled navigator and fisherman from the village of Falealili, who was born in the late 1800s. He was renowned for his knowledge of traditional Samoan wayfinding techniques and his ability to navigate long distances across the open ocean using only the stars and ocean currents as guides.

In the early 20th century, Tafua Levi Salenga was a prominent educator and advocate for Samoan language and culture. Born in 1889, he worked tirelessly to preserve traditional Samoan knowledge and customs, and was instrumental in establishing the first Samoan language schools.

During the same era, Tafua Pilimai Aiono was a celebrated artist and woodcarver, known for his intricate and beautiful works depicting Samoan mythology and cultural motifs. He was born in 1890 and his carvings can still be found in museums and collections around the world.

More recently, Tafua Faamausili Vaa was a respected matai (chief) and leader in the village of Falefa, who played a key role in local politics and community development in the latter half of the 20th century.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tafua

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Tafua.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Tafua was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Tafua has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Tafua was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Tafua, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!