Tavai is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
Etuate Tavai (died 1999), Fijian politician, 31st Attorney General of Fiji J. R. Tavai (born 1993), Samoan-American football defensive lineman Jahlani Tavai (born 1996), Samoan-American football linebacker Jonah Tavai (born 2000), Samoan-American football player Justus Tavai (born 1998), American football player