Given name & surname · also French
Taft
“from the homestead”·“from the marshes”
Taft is used as a given name and a surname. Interpretations include “from the homestead” and “from the marshes”. These belong to different or overlapping naming contexts.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “from the homestead” and “from the marshes”. These belong to different or overlapping naming contexts.
Where it comes from
This spelling has been associated with French and English naming traditions.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1907. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Taft through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,544
- 1,544 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1908
- 62 babies
- 2025
- 10
- #8,171 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −35%
- Easing
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 10 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 8,171 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 34.9% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 62 in 1908. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 750 as a first name in 2020; 8,632 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 1
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
People named Taft
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Taft, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Wright
“a wood carver; a carpenter”
>99% boys
Worth
“enclosure”
>99% boys
Bert
“one who is illustrious”
>99% boys
Grafton
“grove”
>99% boys
Alwin
“noble” · “friend”
>99% boys
Gaines
“one who acquires”
>99% boys
Sing
Sing is a surname from English.
89% boys · 11% girls
Harvard
“the guardian of the home”
>99% boys