NameCensus.

UK surname

Taffe

An English surname derived from the Old French word "tafu" meaning spirited or well-built.

In the 1881 census there were 107 people recorded with the Taffe surname, ranking it #18,982 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 99, ranked #31,358, down from #18,982 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Manchester, Wakefield and Liverpool. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Brent, Birmingham and Newham.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Taffe is 107 in 1881. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 7.5%.

1881 census count

107

Ranked #18,982

Modern count

99

2016, ranked #31,358

Peak year

1881

107 bearers

Map years

1

1881 to 1881

Key insights

  • Taffe had 107 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #18,982 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 99 in 2016, ranked #31,358.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 107 in 1881.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established Multi-Ethnic Communities.

Taffe surname distribution map

The map shows where the Taffe surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Taffe surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Taffe over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 45 #25,168
1861 historical 71 #24,765
1881 historical 107 #18,982
1891 historical 75 #27,414
1901 historical 52 #28,377
1911 historical 45 #28,332
1997 modern 86 #28,876
1998 modern 78 #30,192
1999 modern 82 #29,933
2000 modern 76 #30,578
2001 modern 72 #30,813
2002 modern 77 #30,709
2003 modern 73 #31,186
2004 modern 80 #30,679
2005 modern 73 #31,616
2006 modern 82 #30,933
2007 modern 86 #30,808
2008 modern 85 #31,247
2009 modern 89 #31,235
2010 modern 97 #30,697
2011 modern 90 #31,564
2012 modern 95 #31,107
2013 modern 96 #31,381
2014 modern 100 #31,033
2015 modern 96 #31,624
2016 modern 99 #31,358

Geography

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Where Taffes are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Manchester, Wakefield, Liverpool, Walton-on-the-Hill and Sheffield. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Brent, Birmingham, Newham, Mid Sussex and Lambeth. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Manchester Lancashire
2 Wakefield Yorkshire, West Riding
3 Liverpool Lancashire
4 Walton-on-the-Hill Lancashire
5 Sheffield Yorkshire, West Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Brent 029 Brent
2 Birmingham 035 Birmingham
3 Newham 003 Newham
4 Mid Sussex 004 Mid Sussex
5 Lambeth 027 Lambeth

Forenames

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First names often paired with Taffe

These lists show first names that appear often with the Taffe surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Taffe

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Taffe, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Low-Skilled Migrant and Student Communities

Group

Established Multi-Ethnic Communities

Nationally, the Taffe surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established Multi-Ethnic Communities, within Low-Skilled Migrant and Student Communities. This does not mean every Taffe household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Parents and young children in this Group are drawn from diverse ethnic backgrounds in broadly similar proportions. Employment is typically in elementary occupations, though workers in professional, intermediate or skilled trades occupations are also present. The residential landscape is dominated by terraced housing, although semi-detached houses and flats are also present. This Group is found in London and in many provincial towns and cities throughout the U.K.

Wider pattern

Young adults, many of whom are students, predominate in these high-density and overcrowded neighbourhoods of rented terrace houses or flats. Most ethnic minorities are present in these communities, as are people born in European countries that are not part of the EU. Students aside, low skilled occupations predominate, and unemployment rates are above average. Overall, the mix of students and more sedentary households means that neighbourhood average numbers of children are not very high. The Mixed or Multiple ethnic group composition of neighbourhoods is often associated with low rates of affiliation to Christian religions. This Supergroup predominates in non-central urban locations the UK, particularly within England in the Midlands and the outskirts of west, south and north-east London.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Taffe is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Taffe is most concentrated in decile 10 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Taffe falls in decile 2 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

2
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Taffe is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 50-60 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

8
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Taffe, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Taffe

The surname Taffe has its origins in Ireland, tracing back to the 16th century. It is believed to be an anglicized form of the Irish Gaelic name "O'Taidhg," which means "descendant of Taidhg." Taidhg itself is derived from an old Celtic personal name that may have meant "poet" or "philosopher."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Taffe can be found in the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns, a collection of records from the 16th and 17th centuries. In these records, a person named Richard Taffe is mentioned in 1577, living in County Louth, Ireland.

The name Taffe has also been historically associated with the Irish village of Ballytaffee, which may have been named after a prominent Taffe family in the area. This village is located in County Kilkenny, suggesting that the name had a strong presence in that region.

Notable individuals with the surname Taffe include John Taffe (1608-1677), an Irish Catholic landowner who fought for the Royalist cause during the English Civil War. Another prominent figure was Theobald Taffe (1678-1727), an Irish Jacobite who served as a colonel in the French army and participated in the War of the Spanish Succession.

In the 18th century, we find Francis Taffe (1705-1783), an Irish-born clergyman who served as the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Dublin from 1753 until his death. Around the same time, Patrick Taffe (1727-1807) was a prominent Irish writer and translator who published works in both English and French.

Moving into the 19th century, Sir John Taffe (1787-1856) was an Irish-born officer in the British Army who served in the Napoleonic Wars and later became a member of parliament for County Sligo.

These are just a few examples of notable individuals with the surname Taffe throughout history, but they illustrate the name's strong Irish roots and its presence across various fields, from military service and politics to religion and literature.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Taffe families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Taffe surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Lancashire leads with 27 Taffes recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.18x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 27 2.18x
Cheshire 18 7.81x
Yorkshire 16 1.55x
Durham 14 4.51x
Monmouthshire 10 13.26x
Surrey 7 1.38x
Middlesex 5 0.48x
Lincolnshire 4 2.40x
Angus 2 2.07x
Devon 1 0.46x
Dunbartonshire 1 3.57x
Lanarkshire 1 0.30x
Northumberland 1 0.64x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. St Woollos in Monmouthshire leads with 10 Taffes recorded in 1881 and an index of 118.76x.

Place Total Index
St Woollos 10 118.76x
Timperley 9 1125.00x
Conside Knitsley 7 290.46x
Gateshead 7 30.12x
Battersea 6 15.63x
Breightmet 6 1111.11x
Ecclesall Bierlow 6 28.53x
Manchester 6 10.77x
Nether Hallam 6 42.89x
Birkenhead 4 21.79x
Gainsborough 4 101.78x
Liverpool 4 5.32x
Sheffield 4 12.15x
Liscard 3 72.29x
Dundee 2 5.54x
Hulme 2 7.74x
Pendleton In Salford 2 13.56x
Toxteth Park 2 4.77x
Windle 2 28.69x
Bromley London 1 4.36x
Camberwell 1 1.50x
Claughton With Grange 1 95.24x
Clerkenwell London 1 4.06x
Elswick 1 8.07x
Govan 1 1.20x
Higher Bebington 1 68.03x
Kensington London 1 1.72x
New Kilpatrick 1 37.45x
Plymouth Charles The 1 10.45x
Salford 1 2.75x
Spitalfields London 1 12.74x
St Marylebone London 1 1.80x
Stretford 1 14.68x
Walton On Hill 1 14.90x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Taffe surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 9
Catherine 4
Margaret 4
Annie 3
Elizabeth 3
Ellen 3
Anne 2
Emma 2
Jane 2
Kate 2
Sarah 2
Alice 1
Ann 1
Bridget 1
Elizebeth 1
Elizth. 1
Fred. 1
Georgina 1
Jemima 1
Louisa 1
Rosannah 1
Susan 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Taffe surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
John 15
James 8
William 7
Thomas 6
George 3
Joseph 3
Francis 2
Patrick 2
Anthony 1
Christopher 1
Edward 1
Laurence 1
Maurice 1
Nicholas 1
Owen 1
Richard 1
Robt.Hy. 1
Tate 1

FAQ

Taffe surname: questions and answers

How common was the Taffe surname in 1881?

In 1881, 107 people were recorded with the Taffe surname. That placed it at #18,982 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Taffe surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 99 in 2016. That gives Taffe a modern rank of #31,358.

What does the Taffe surname mean?

An English surname derived from the Old French word "tafu" meaning spirited or well-built.

What does the Taffe map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Taffe bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.