TAGGART
The surname Taggart is of Gaelic origin, with its roots embedded in the linguistic and cultural heritage of the British Isles, particularly Scotland and Ireland. It derives from the Gaelic patronymic Mac an t‑Sagairt, which translates literally to son of the priest.
Historically, the name is linked to an ancestral relationship with the clergy or a priestly vocation. According to medieval records, the earliest documented bearer of the name was Ferchar Mackinsagart, noted in the Medieval Scottish Chronicles in 1215 during the reign of King Alexander XI. Subsequent entries include Donald McKyntagart in the Scottish Exchequer Rolls of 1459, William Maktygar in Edinburgh in 1504, and Thomas McKyntaggart in Strathdee in 1527. William MacTeggart, serving as Dean of Derry in 1606, is recorded as a “worthy man speaking Irish and Latin.” These instances illustrate the surname’s prominence across Scotland and northern Ireland from the fifteenth to early sixteenth centuries.
The variation of the spelling throughout history reflects both phonetic evolution and the influence of local dialects. Contemporary forms include MacTaggart, MacTaggert, McTaggert, Taggert, Taggart, Taggerty, MacEtegart, Ateggart, and the diminutive Taggerty. Earlier documents also show spellings such as MacTeggart and Macan t‑Sagairt. In Ulster, the surname appears as MacEtegart and Ateggart, underscoring its prevalence in that region.
In the present day, the surname is most commonly associated with Scotland and Ireland, especially Northern Ireland where it remains one of the more popular family names. Estimates indicate that over six thousand individuals bear the surname in Northern Ireland alone, with a significant concentration in counties Donegal and Derry. In the United Kingdom at large, people with the surname are found in Glasgow, Edinburgh, and the Western Isles, as well as throughout England. The diaspora has extended the name beyond Britain and Ireland to the United States, Canada, and Australia; the United States records more than ten thousand individuals named Taggart, with the highest concentrations in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, New York, Virginia, and California. Canadian figures exceed three thousand. The varied spellings such as Tagert, Teggert, Teggart, Tegert, Tegarts, Teigert, Tickert, Tigart, Teaport are especially evident in the United States and Canada.
While some scholars propose that the original bearer of the name was a priest who fathered a child, or that the name was applied to children fostered by the clergy, such explanations remain within the realm of plausible historical inference rather than definitive fact. The surname, like many family names, functions primarily as an indicator of kinship and lineage rather than conveying a contemporary meaning.
An interesting cultural reference to the name appears in television history: Taggart was the title of a widely recognised Scottish detective series that ran from 1983 to 2010, further embedding the surname in the public consciousness.
Typical given names associated with the Taggart surname
Male
- Andrew
- David
- James
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Robert
- Thomas
- William
Female
- Anne
- Carol
- Catherine
- Elizabeth
- Helen
- Jennifer
- Kathleen
- Louise
- Margaret
- Mary
- Patricia
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Taggart in...
Braille
⠞⠁⠛⠛⠁⠗⠞
Morse
-.---.--..-.-.-
Semaphore
There are approximately 3,756 people named Taggart in the UK. That makes it roughly the 2,477th most common surname in Britain. Around 58 in a million people in Britain are named Taggart.
Surname type: From given name or forename
Origin: Celtic
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: Ireland
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: Gaelic
Famous people named Taggart
- Gerry Taggart - Northern Irish football player
- Scott Taggart - Scottish football player
- Edith Taggart - Politician (1909 to 1997)
- Fred Taggart - Golfer (1906 to 1986)
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.