| region =[[English people|England]], [[Scottish people|Scotland]]

'''Taylor''' (''\ta(y)-lor\'') is a [[surname]] in the [[English language]] which originated as an [[occupational surname]] in England.<ref>[http://www.britishsurnames.co.uk/surnames/TAYLOR/origin Taylor: British surnames, Origin and Classification]</ref> The name is derived from the [[Old French]] ''tailleur'', which is in turn derived from the [[Late Latin]] ''taliator'', from ''taliare'' meaning "to cut".<ref name="ancestry"/><ref>{{cite book |author=Cottle, Basil |title=Penguin Dictionary of Surnames|publisher=Penguin Books|year=1967 |location=Baltimore, MDISBN: |isbn:9780140510324 }}</ref> The first historical evidence of the surname dates to the [[County of Somerset]], [[South West England]] in 1182.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.surnamedb.com/surname.aspx?name=Taylor |title=Surname: Taylor |publisher=surnamedb.com |accessdate=2008-02-01}}</ref> According to the UK National Trust surname profiler, Taylor is the fifth most common surname in the [[United Kingdom]].<ref name=SUR>[http://www.britishsurnames.co.uk/surnames/TAYLOR/ Taylor: British surnames, surname distribution and surname]</ref> It is also common in other [[English speaking countries]] (especially [[Australia]], [[Canada]], [[New Zealand]], and the [[United States]] where it was the tenth most frequently encountered surname in the 2000 US Census.),<ref>[[United States Census Bureau]] (9 May 1995). [[s:2000 Census Name Files dist.all.last (1-100)]]. Retrieved on 10-5-2010.</ref> but has a low incidence in [[Ireland]] where it is mostly concentrated in [[Ulster|the North]].<ref>[http://www.nationaltrustnames.org.uk National Trust Names<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>http://www.nationaltrustnames.org.uk/Statistics.aspx?name=TAYLOR&year=1998&altyear=1881&country=GB&type=name</ref> The popularity of the surname has swelled by its adoption as an [[Americanized]] form of many other surnames from Europe, many of which are common among [[Ashkenazic Jews]]; examples of such names are: ''[[Schneider (surname)|Schneider]]'', ''[[Szabó]]'', and ''Portnov''.<ref name="ancestry">{{cite web |url=http://www.ancestry.com/learn/facts/default.aspx? |title=Learn about the family history of your surname |publisher=[[Ancestry.com]] |accessdate=14 October 2010}} which cited {{cite book |title=Dictionary of American Family Names |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=0-19-508137-4 }} for the surname "Taylor".</ref> [[Scottish people|Scottish]] namebearers in the [[Cowal]] region may be historically associated with the [[Taylor sept|Taylor]] [[sept]] of [[Clan Cameron]]; their surname evolving from the [[nickname]] ''Taillear Dubh'' ("black tailor"), to the surname ''Mac-an-taillear'' ("son of the tailor"), to present-day ''Taylor''.