Within this unusual name lies the origin of the Welsh pet name "Taff" a pre medieval form of the personal name "David". The name also appears within the Irish "Taffe". The original members of the name being with the Norman Invaders of Ireland in 1169 - 1170. The name development has included Tath, Teft, Tefte, Teffe and Tefft. It has been suggested that some name holders may be locational and derive from the Olde English (Midlands) word "Toft" meaning one who resides at a small farm. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of James Tefte (Baptised). which was dated 1680, St. Martin in the Fields, London. during the reign of King Charles II, The Merry Monarch, 1660 - 1685. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

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