The Tai surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 4,401 people carried this name — #7,553 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 67,100 people counted. That is up 18% from 3,732 in 2000.

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Where the name comes from

The origin of the Tai surname

From the Wade–Giles romanization of the Mandarin 戴 (Dài), as well as from its Cantonese pronunciation Daai³.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Tai» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 45 people named Tai.

Most of them — 24 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 5 départements, most often Paris.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 24
Paris 9
French Polynesia 9
Rhône 1
Seine-Saint-Denis 1
Wallis and Futuna 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In Switzerland’s population statistics

44 people named Tai live in Switzerland.

They live in 7 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Zurich 15
Vaud 12
Valais 4
Zug 4
Aargau 3
Lucerne 3
Schwyz 3

Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.

In the Nordic population registers

21 people named Tai is counted in Sweden.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 21

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).

In print

Tai in American newspapers,
1896–1923.

Newspaper page from New Iberia Enterprise And Independent Observer carrying the name Tai
New Iberia Enterprise And Independent Observer 1919-09-06
Newspaper page from Alexandria Gazette carrying the name Tai
Alexandria Gazette 1896-11-23
Newspaper page from Ventnor News carrying the name Tai
Ventnor News 1923-12-19

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 1,441 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Tai in Australian newspapers,
1820s–2010s.

8,577 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Tai. The most, 1,486, date from the 1910s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Victoria, at 1.4 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Victoria 2,669
New South Wales 2,455
Queensland 1,503
South Australia 933
Tasmania 549
Western Australia 367
ACT (Canberra) 62
Northern Territory 7

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Tai.

Who carried it

People named Tai,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Jean de La Taille
    Jean de La Taille 1535–1608 · writer
  • Jingnong Tai 1902–1990 · writer
  • Jingnong Tai 1902–1990 · writer
  • Jingnong Tai 1902–1990 · writer
  • Jingnong Tai 1902–1990 · writer
  • Shōnosuke Tai 1922–2012 · educator

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Tai,
in the records of 5 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States231 records

231 records of the Tai name in the United States
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 185
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 28
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 13
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 4
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 1
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Ho Tai

    Born 1910. Enlisted 1945 at New York City; cook from New York County, New York. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1971, buried at Long Island National Cemetery, New York.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A U.S. Army record of death and interment, Camp Nelson, Kentucky, 1864
    Example: U.S. burial record, 1864
    Burial record David James Tai

    U.S. Army veteran of World War II. Born 1946, died 1973; buried at Long Island National Cemetery, New York.

    U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. The receipt card sent under the U.S. Alien Registration Act of 1940
    Example: U.S. alien registration card, 1940s
    Alien registration Ki A. Tai

    Born 1896 in Korea. Registered as a foreign national in Jefferson County, Montana, under the Alien Registration Act of 1940.

    U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain)

Showing 3 of 231 records for Tai in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Record of death and interment, Camp Nelson, Kentucky, 1864, U.S. National Archives (public domain); Alien Registration Receipt Card, Form AR-3, photo by Bobjgalindo via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0).

France9 records

9 records of the Tai name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Michel Jacques Julien Tai

    Born 1955 in Bamako (Soudan); died 1996 in Courcouronnes (Essonne).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Huguette Aihoa Tai

    Born 1914 in Paris; died 1995 in the Netherlands.

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  3. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Todie Honore Tai

    Born 1968 in Ivory Coast; died 1996 in Montreuil (Seine-Saint-Denis).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 3 of 9 records for Tai in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Australia8 records

8 records of the Tai name in Australia
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 5
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 3
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Gee Tai

    Miner of Bendigo, Victoria; died 1872.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Ida Lee Tai

    Of Northcote, Victoria; died 1977.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record David Lee Tai

    Of Westgarth, Victoria; died 1980.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 8 records for Tai in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

Netherlands7 records

7 records of the Tai name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 5
  • Dutch population registers 1
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 1
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Ng. Kee Tai

    Married in 1928 in Amsterdam; shopkeeper.

    Open Archives, Noord-Hollands Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Sing Tai

    Died 1959 in Rotterdam, aged 56.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Dun Tai

    In a population register.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 7 records for Tai in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

Canada6 records

6 records of the Tai name in Canada
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 5
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 1
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Margaret Suet Mui Tai

    Buried in 2001 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 66.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Sing Tai

    Died 1922; buried at Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver, British Columbia.

    City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Brenda Tai

    Died 1977; buried at Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver, British Columbia.

    City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver.

Showing 3 of 6 records for Tai in Canada.

Counts: City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Tai.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Tai is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

See the Tai volume
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