Tabitha
A feminine name of Aramaic origin meaning "gazelle" or "beauty".
Name Census estimates that about 55,468 living Americans carry the first name Tabitha. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Tabitha today is around 37 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tabitha births was 1978 (2,325 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tabitha. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Although Tabitha is used almost entirely for girls, the SSA data does show 146 boys registered with the name since 1880.
- • Compared to the 1980s, recent registration numbers for Tabitha have dropped to less than 5% of what they once were.
People living today
55K
~ 1 in 6,179 Americans
Peak year
1978
2,325 babies that year
Average age
37
years old
1993 SSA rank
#1,519
Tracked since 1880
Gender
Gender distribution for Tabitha
Out of the 59,170 babies given the name Tabitha since 1880, 99.8% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Tabitha as a male name
- Ranked #9,973 in 1993
- 5 male births in 1993
- Peak: 1978 (15 births)
Tabitha as a female name
- Ranked #1,519 in 2024
- 142 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1978 (2,310 births)
Popularity
Tabitha: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Tabitha from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 19,660 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Tabitha by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Tabitha during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Tabithas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 51 states and territories. Texas, California, Ohio recorded the most babies named Tabitha, while Vermont, Wyoming, North Dakota recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 1,104 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Tabitha
The name Tabitha has its origins in the Aramaic language, with the earliest known use dating back to ancient times in the Middle East. It is derived from the Aramaic word "tsebiyah," which means "gazelle" or "doe." The name likely emerged as a term of endearment, likening the grace and beauty of a young woman to that of a graceful gazelle.
In the New Testament of the Bible, the name Tabitha is mentioned in the Book of Acts, where it refers to a woman named Dorcas, a disciple who lived in Joppa (modern-day Jaffa, Israel). She was known for her charitable works and was raised from the dead by the apostle Peter, who called her by her Aramaic name, Tabitha.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Tabitha was Tabitha of Bethania, a 4th-century Christian martyr who lived in Bethania, near Jerusalem. She is venerated as a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church.
In the 17th century, the name Tabitha gained popularity among Puritans in England and later in the American colonies. It was seen as a virtuous and biblical name, reflecting the values of the Puritan movement.
Notable individuals named Tabitha throughout history include:
1. Tabitha Babbitt (1784-1853), an American folk artist and painter known for her portraits and still-life paintings.
2. Tabitha Cadbury (1766-1832), an English Quaker and philanthropist who established the Cadbury chocolate company with her husband, John Cadbury.
3. Tabitha King (born 1949), an American writer and the wife of acclaimed author Stephen King.
4. Tabitha Soren (born 1967), an American photographer and former MTV News correspondent.
5. Tabitha St. Germain (born 1957), a Canadian voice actress known for her work in various animated series and video games.
The name Tabitha has maintained a steady presence throughout history, appreciated for its biblical roots and its association with grace, beauty, and charitable deeds. While its popularity may have fluctuated over time, it remains a beloved name with a rich cultural heritage.
People
Tabitha + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tabitha as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with T
Other first names starting with T with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Tabitha: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tabitha?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 55,468 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tabitha going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 6,179 US residents.
Is Tabitha a common name?
We classify Tabitha as "Uncommon". It ranks above 99.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 59,170 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tabitha most popular?
The single biggest year for Tabitha was 1978, when 2,325 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tabitha is about 37 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Tabitha a female name?
Yes, 99.8% of people registered as Tabitha in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.