Taylor was born Taylor Daniel Lautner on February 11, 1992 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. His mother, Deborah, works in a software development company and his father, Daniel, works as a commercial airline pilot.

At an early age, Taylor began to learn Karate and quickly started to win many tournaments. At eight years old, he competed at the World Karate Association, won three gold medals, and became the Junior World Forms and Weapons champion. Within a few years, Taylor Lautner was ranked number one in multiple forms of Karate and had won three Junior World Championships.