English (mainly Staffordshire and Derbyshire): variant of Toft . Jewish (Ashkenazic): artificial or metonymic occupational name from German Taft ‘taffeta’.
Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022
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Where is the Taft family from?
You can see how Taft families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Taft family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Taft families were found in USA in 1880. In 1840 there were 151 Taft families living in Massachusetts. This was about 37% of all the recorded Taft's in USA. Massachusetts had the highest population of Taft families in 1840.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Taft surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
In 1940, Laborer and Teacher were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Taft. 15% of Taft men worked as a Laborer and 10% of Taft women worked as a Teacher. Some less common occupations for Americans named Taft were Carpenter and Clerk. .
Between 1943 and 2004, in the United States, Taft life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1945, and highest in 1999. The average life expectancy for Taft in 1943 was 41, and 75 in 2004.