Show ContentsTax History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The German surname Tax is derived from the Old German word "dachs" or "dahs," meaning "badger." The name was probably given as a nickname to someone who resembled a badger in some way, perhaps with a streak of white in dark hair or with nocturnal habits. Tax was likely passed down as a surname to the descendants of a bearer of the nickname, perhaps as early as the twelfth century, when Germany first began to pass down hereditary surnames.

Early Origins of the Tax family

The surname Tax was first found in the various regions of Germany, and Tax began to emerge as a surname. The first instances of Tax as a surname most likely occurred towards the end of the twelfth century, when surnames began to be passed down through a family line in Germany.

Early History of the Tax family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Tax research. Another 74 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1524, 1570, 1605, 1640, 1659, 1705, 1848 and 1871 are included under the topic Early Tax History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Tax Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Dach, Dachs, Das, Taks, Tax, Dache, Dax, Dacks and many more.

Early Notables of the Tax family

Notables of the time with the name Tax included Gabriel Dachs (b. 1570), a painter; Simon Dach (1605-1659), a Prussian German lyrical poet and writer of hymns; Nicolas Dachs (1640-1705), a preacher; and Richard Dachs (1848-1871), a military officer. Wolfgang...
Another 39 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Tax Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Tax family

Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: Johann Dach, who settled in Philadelphia in 1753; Xaver Dachs, who sailed from Bremen to New York in 1852; Christian Das, who was naturalized in Fairfield County, Ohio in 1863.


Contemporary Notables of the name Tax (post 1700) +

  • Meredith Tax (1942-2022), American writer and political activist, a pioneer of the US women's liberation movement


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