Tai
Tai is often an Anglicized form of an Asian surname or a short ethnic name, but in older English sources it can also appear as a variant spelling in unrelated names.
The #7,553 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 70,153 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The evidence here does not point to a single secure origin for Tai. In English surname studies, the name is sometimes treated as a short form or variant spelling in a larger cluster of names, while in modern usage it is also common as a romanization of East and Southeast Asian surnames. Because the historical excerpts do not provide a clear headword entry for Tai itself, the safest explanation is that it may have multiple independent origins depending on the family.
History
The historical material provided does not show a solid medieval English surname line for Tai on its own. In the United States today, Tai is found as a relatively uncommon surname, and many bearers likely inherit it through immigration and transliteration from Asian-language naming systems. In older English records, similar-looking spellings can reflect unrelated names, nickname forms, or scribal variation rather than one fixed family line.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Tai is short enough to look simple, but in surname research that brevity often hides several different origins rather than one family story.
From the historical record
“TAINTER 1 (A.-Fr.-Lat.) Tinter, Dyer TAI NTERER S- [f. Fr. teint, a dye (Fr. teinturier, TAI NTOR ) a dyer) ; Lat. tinct-^s, a dyeing —'tingere, to dye] Stephen le Teynterer. — Hund. Rolls. John le Teyntour.— i?oWs of Pari. TAIT "I (A.-Scand.) Cheerful, Gay, Brisk TAITE • [M.E. te:v/, tete (Scot, tait), O.E. tdt”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)