NameCensus.

UK surname

Tait

A Scottish and northern English surname derived from a nickname meaning "cheerful" or "pleasant."

In the 1881 census there were 9,019 people recorded with the Tait surname, ranking it #466 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 11,525, ranked #564, down from #466 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Lerwick, Gateshead and Govan Combination. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Rosehearty and Strathbeg, Northumberland and West Kirkwall.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Tait is 11,625 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 27.8%.

1881 census count

9,019

Ranked #466

Modern count

11,525

2016, ranked #564

Peak year

2010

11,625 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Tait had 9,019 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #466 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 11,525 in 2016, ranked #564.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 10,828 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Tait surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Tait surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Tait 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 6,103 #455
1861 historical 5,952 #459
1881 historical 9,019 #466
1891 historical 9,030 #489
1901 historical 10,828 #481
1911 historical 4,561 #1,129
1997 modern 10,994 #561
1998 modern 11,288 #568
1999 modern 11,454 #565
2000 modern 11,535 #553
2001 modern 11,157 #559
2002 modern 11,434 #557
2003 modern 11,077 #562
2004 modern 11,069 #563
2005 modern 10,980 #558
2006 modern 11,010 #558
2007 modern 11,096 #560
2008 modern 11,153 #564
2009 modern 11,403 #565
2010 modern 11,625 #566
2011 modern 11,442 #568
2012 modern 11,242 #566
2013 modern 11,469 #565
2014 modern 11,566 #567
2015 modern 11,468 #567
2016 modern 11,525 #564

Geography

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Where Taits are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Lerwick, Gateshead, Govan Combination, Edinburgh and Glasgow. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Rosehearty and Strathbeg, Northumberland, West Kirkwall and East Mainland. 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 Lerwick Shetland
2 Gateshead Durham
3 Govan Combination Lanark
4 Edinburgh Edinburgh
5 Glasgow Lanark

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Rosehearty and Strathbeg Aberdeenshire
2 Northumberland 003 Northumberland
3 Northumberland 001 Northumberland
4 West Kirkwall Orkney Islands
5 East Mainland Orkney Islands

Forenames

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First names often paired with Tait

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Tait

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Tait, 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

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Tait surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Tait household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Tait 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

Tait is most concentrated in decile 1 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy 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.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Tait falls in decile 7 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

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

7
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Tait is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

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

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Tait

The surname Tait has its origins in Scotland, dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English word "tate," which means "cheerful" or "high-spirited." The name was likely given as a nickname to someone with a particularly cheerful demeanor.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which were scrolls containing the names of Scottish nobles who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. The name "Willelmus Tayt" is listed among the names of those from Berwickshire.

The Tait surname is also found in various medieval Scottish records, such as the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from the 14th century and the Register of the Great Seal of Scotland from the 15th century. These records show variations in the spelling of the name, including Tayt, Tate, and Tait.

In the 16th century, the name appears in the Rental Book of the Cistercian Abbey of Cupar in Fife, Scotland, where a "Thomas Tait" is listed as a tenant. This suggests that the Tait family had established themselves in the county of Fife by that time.

One notable historical figure with the surname Tait was Archibald Campbell Tait (1811-1882), an influential Scottish-born Anglican bishop who served as the Archbishop of Canterbury from 1868 until his death. He was a prominent figure in the Church of England and played a significant role in the development of the Anglican Communion.

Another well-known Tait was John Tait (1589-1644), a Scottish mathematician and educator who served as the first professor of mathematics at the University of Edinburgh. He made significant contributions to the development of mathematics education in Scotland.

In the literary world, Samuel Tait (1819-1900) was a Scottish journalist and publisher who founded the publishing firm Tait & Sons. He also established and edited the influential literary magazine Tait's Edinburgh Magazine.

James Tait (1763-1817) was a Scottish bookseller and publisher who founded the prestigious Tait's Black Horse Inn in Edinburgh, which became a popular gathering place for literary figures and intellectuals in the 19th century.

Thomas Tait (1808-1886) was a Scottish philanthropist and businessman who founded the Tait Trust, a charitable organization that provided educational opportunities for underprivileged children in Scotland.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Tait families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Tait 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. Northumberland leads with 1,440 Taits recorded in 1881 and an index of 11.25x.

County Total Index
Northumberland 1,440 11.25x
Midlothian 1,199 10.41x
Lanarkshire 783 2.81x
Shetland 528 60.11x
Durham 521 2.04x
Aberdeenshire 380 4.77x
Roxburghshire 301 19.32x
Lancashire 257 0.25x
Ayrshire 241 3.74x
Middlesex 232 0.27x
Caithness 195 16.56x
Peeblesshire 192 47.46x
Kirkcudbrightshire 180 14.46x
Berwickshire 173 16.61x
Orkney 171 18.07x
Selkirkshire 171 21.98x
Dumfriesshire 161 8.47x
Angus 160 2.01x
Renfrewshire 149 2.24x
East Lothian 131 11.50x
Yorkshire 125 0.15x
Perthshire 113 2.93x
Cumberland 99 1.34x
Surrey 90 0.21x
Fife 87 1.71x
Argyllshire 66 2.76x
Cheshire 62 0.33x
West Lothian 61 4.71x
Hampshire 48 0.27x
Kent 45 0.15x
Staffordshire 36 0.12x
Stirlingshire 34 1.07x
Dunbartonshire 32 1.38x
Inverness-shire 30 1.17x
Wigtownshire 28 2.45x
Kincardineshire 21 2.01x
Lincolnshire 20 0.15x
Warwickshire 18 0.08x
Essex 17 0.10x
Ross-shire 15 0.64x
Leicestershire 14 0.15x
Nottinghamshire 13 0.11x
Clackmannanshire 12 1.69x
Devon 11 0.06x
Morayshire 11 0.82x
Shropshire 11 0.15x
Gloucestershire 10 0.06x
Norfolk 10 0.08x
Berkshire 9 0.14x
Derbyshire 9 0.07x
Sussex 9 0.06x
Wiltshire 9 0.12x
Northamptonshire 8 0.10x
Suffolk 8 0.08x
Royal Navy 7 0.68x
Banffshire 6 0.34x
Hertfordshire 6 0.10x
Isle of Man 6 0.38x
Sutherland 6 0.91x
Monmouthshire 5 0.08x
Denbighshire 3 0.09x
Kinross-shire 3 1.38x
Buckinghamshire 2 0.04x
Buteshire 2 0.38x
Cambridgeshire 2 0.04x
Herefordshire 2 0.06x
Oxfordshire 2 0.04x
Worcestershire 2 0.02x
Brecknockshire 1 0.06x
Caernarfonshire 1 0.03x
Cornwall 1 0.01x
Dorset 1 0.02x
Glamorgan 1 0.01x
Somerset 1 0.01x
Westmorland 1 0.05x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Edinburgh St Cuthberts in Midlothian leads with 452 Taits recorded in 1881 and an index of 9.75x.

Place Total Index
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 452 9.75x
Barony 207 2.94x
Govan 175 2.54x
Glasgow 172 3.48x
South Leith 151 11.65x
Sandsting Aitsting 139 174.60x
Gateshead 130 6.79x
Bedlington 128 29.95x
Lerwick Gulberwick 120 88.26x
Westgate 112 14.13x
Innerleithen 106 98.72x
Galashiels 103 35.80x
Wick 86 22.61x
Dundee 84 2.82x
Hawick 79 22.66x
Penicuik 79 50.46x
Rathen 70 83.86x
Dunrossness 67 57.93x
Aberdeen Old Machar 62 3.73x
Aberdeen St Nicholas 62 4.16x
Fraserburgh 61 27.21x
Tingwall 60 136.67x
Elswick 57 5.58x
North Leith 46 8.63x
Thurso 44 23.95x
Westoe 44 3.03x
Melrose 43 21.96x
Dalkeith 42 18.48x
Orphir 40 133.20x
Errol 38 53.14x
Inveresk 38 12.18x
Longbenton 38 7.01x
Delting 37 74.90x
Moffat 36 41.52x
Berwick Upon Tweed 35 12.91x
Hamilton 35 4.51x
Toxteth Park 35 1.01x
Tweedmouth 35 21.94x
Islington London 33 0.40x
Coxlodge 32 32.89x
Jedburgh 32 20.96x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 32 4.19x
Tynemouth 32 4.67x
Urr 32 19.76x
Bishopwearmouth 31 1.41x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 31 2.80x
Kyloe 31 105.08x
Kirkcudbright 30 29.11x
Maybole 30 15.31x
Stow 29 48.95x
Abbey 28 2.75x
Cambusnethan 28 4.53x
Heworth 28 5.55x
Yetholm 28 91.00x
Stromness 27 38.04x
Annan 26 15.93x
Carham 26 78.50x
Cowpen 26 8.82x
Lasswade 26 9.87x
Peebles 26 21.75x
Coldstream 25 33.17x
Edinburgh Buccleuch 25 9.17x
Greenlaw 25 67.82x
Rothbury 25 68.05x
West Derby 25 0.84x
Whitekirk Tynninghame 25 80.26x
Birkenhead 24 1.59x
Bressay 24 173.79x
Byker 24 3.79x
Carluke 24 9.50x
East Greenock 24 3.81x
Edinburgh St Marys 24 10.71x
Halkirk 24 30.12x
Holm 24 75.69x
Holywell 24 36.46x
Kirkwall St Ola 24 16.93x
Newcastle On Tyne St John 24 14.26x
Wilton 24 14.04x
Hoddam 23 50.24x
St Andrews Deerness 23 46.22x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 242
Elizabeth 149
Jane 137
Margaret 131
Isabella 83
Sarah 66
Ann 62
Annie 41
Ellen 39
Alice 36
Catherine 33
Agnes 24
Eleanor 21
Jessie 21
Hannah 17
Emily 16
Florence 16
Eliza 15
Janet 15
Frances 14
Emma 13
Helen 13
Martha 13
Barbara 12
Dorothy 12
Maria 12
Anne 10
Margt. 10
Charlotte 9
Louisa 9
Edith 8
Elizth. 8
Susan 8
Christina 7
Ada 6
Amelia 6
Caroline 6
Fanny 6
Phillis 6
Euphemia 5
Henrietta 5
Jemima 5
Lizzie 5
Lucy 5
Rose 5
Ethel 4
Harriet 4
Margret 4
Marion 4
Nellie 4

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 229
William 218
James 140
George 130
Thomas 130
Robert 120
Andrew 52
Joseph 44
Henry 39
Charles 30
Adam 26
Alexander 26
David 26
Edward 21
Matthew 15
Walter 15
Richard 11
Peter 10
Wm. 10
Alfred 9
Francis 9
Frederick 9
Stephen 9
Arthur 8
Ralph 8
Samuel 8
Luke 7
Thos. 7
Ernest 6
Frank 6
Robt. 6
Edwin 5
Archibald 4
Hugh 4
Mark 4
Mathew 4
Albert 3
Donald 3
Edmund 3
Isaac 3
Michael 3
Philip 3
Tom 3
Andr. 2
Christopher 2
Douglas 2
Duncan 2
Lawrence 2
Leonard 2
Roland 2

FAQ

Tait surname: questions and answers

How common was the Tait surname in 1881?

In 1881, 9,019 people were recorded with the Tait surname. That placed it at #466 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Tait surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 11,525 in 2016. That gives Tait a modern rank of #564.

What does the Tait surname mean?

A Scottish and northern English surname derived from a nickname meaning "cheerful" or "pleasant."

What does the Tait map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Tait 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.