Show ContentsTafoya History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The surname Tafoya comes from the place name Tafalla, a town in the Basque region.

Early Origins of the Tafoya family

The surname Tafoya was first found in the region of Navarre.

Early History of the Tafoya family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Tafoya research. Another 128 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1533, 1679 and 1758 are included under the topic Early Tafoya History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Tafoya Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Tafalla, Tafolla, Tafala, Tafallo, Tafoya and others.

Early Notables of the Tafoya family

More information is included under the topic Early Tafoya Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Tafoya Ranking

In the United States, the name Tafoya is the 4,982nd most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 1

Migration of the Tafoya family

Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: Victorian Tafalla, who settled in Peru in 1592; and Domingo Tafallo, who landed in the Philippines in 1594. Some emigrants, who had been residents of Tafalla, Spain, founded and populated the city of Tafalla in the state of Michoacan, Mexico..


Contemporary Notables of the name Tafoya (post 1700) +

  • Michael Anthony Tafoya (b. 1954), American professional lead guitarist and two time Epic Records recording artist
  • Arthur Nicholas Tafoya (b. 1933), American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church
  • Joseph Peter Tafoya (b. 1978), former American football player in the NFL
  • Michele Tafoya (b. 1964), American sportscaster
  • Thomas Tafoya, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New Mexico, 2008 2
  • Charles E. Tafoya, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Michigan State House of Representatives from Saginaw County 1st District, 1952 2
  • Cecilia Tafoya Cleveland, American politician, Secretary of State of New Mexico, 1944 3


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 8) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  3. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 21) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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