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Tait

Boy name · 19 babies recorded · 1974–2025

Tait: 19 babies born in Scotland since 1974, given to boys, peaking at 6 births in 2016.

A surname turned first name, Tait stems from the Old Norse *teitr*, meaning "cheerful" or "glad," arriving in Scotland via Norse settlers in the Northern and Western Isles. The name gained prominence through the Tait baronets, a Scottish landed gentry family, and is notably shared by Sir Peter Tait, a 19th-century Scottish politician and entrepreneur. While no major place names directly borrow the name, the root appears in the Scottish place name Tain, thought to share the same joyful origin. Tait also serves as a short, punchy variant of the more common Tate, popularized globally by musician Tait (of the Christian rock band Newsboys), giving it a modern, cool edge without losing its historic Scottish charm.

Boy 5 of 52 years

Peak year
20166 babies
Latest (2021)
#7203 babies
Total births
19since 2007
5-year trend
≈ stablevs prior 5y
1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 2016 · 6
Births per year in Scotland. Missing years had a count of 2 or fewer (suppressed by NRS).