Tacoya
A feminine name of Native American origin meaning "mother."
Name Census estimates that about 68 living Americans carry the first name Tacoya. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Tacoya today is around 35 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tacoya births was 1991 (10 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tacoya. 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
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Tacoya. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
68
~ 1 in 5,040,505 Americans
Peak year
1991
10 babies that year
Average age
35
years old
2001 SSA rank
#13,333
Tracked since 1983
Popularity
Tacoya: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Tacoya from the 1980s through to the 2000s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 31 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1990s peak, Tacoya remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Tacoya 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 Tacoya during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Tacoya
The name Tacoya has its roots in the Nahuatl language, spoken by the Aztec people of ancient Mexico. It is believed to have originated around the 14th century, during the height of the Aztec Empire. The name is derived from the Nahuatl words "tlacatl" meaning person and "coyotl" meaning coyote, a canine species native to North America.
In Aztec mythology, the coyote was often associated with trickery and cunning, but also with wisdom and guidance. The combination of these two words, Tlacatl and Coyotl, suggests that the name Tacoya may have been given to individuals who were believed to possess a unique blend of intelligence, wit, and leadership qualities.
While there are no known historical references to individuals specifically named Tacoya in ancient Aztec texts or records, the name's origins are deeply rooted in the rich cultural heritage of the Nahuatl-speaking peoples of Mesoamerica.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Tacoya can be traced back to the 16th century, shortly after the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire. One notable figure from this period was Tacoya, a Nahua woman who served as an interpreter and cultural guide for the Spanish conquistadors, helping to bridge the gap between the two worlds.
In the centuries that followed, the name Tacoya appeared sporadically in various historical records and accounts. One such individual was Tacoya, a renowned warrior and leader of the Tarahumara people in the Sierra Madre Occidental region of present-day Mexico during the 18th century.
Another notable figure was Tacoya, a Mexican artist and sculptor who lived in the early 19th century and was renowned for his intricate woodcarvings depicting scenes from Nahua mythology and culture.
In the 20th century, Tacoya was the name of a prominent Mexican-American activist and educator who played a pivotal role in advocating for bilingual education and preserving indigenous languages and traditions in the United States.
Finally, in the realm of literature, Tacoya was the name of a fictional character in a series of novels written by a Mexican author in the 1960s, which explored the clash between traditional Nahua beliefs and modern society.
While the name Tacoya may not be as widely used today as it once was, its rich cultural heritage and historical significance continue to resonate, serving as a reminder of the enduring legacy of the Nahuatl-speaking peoples and their contributions to the tapestry of human civilization.
People
Tacoya + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tacoya 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
Tacoya: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tacoya?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 68 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tacoya 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 5,040,505 US residents.
Is Tacoya a common name?
We classify Tacoya as "Very Rare". It ranks above 58.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 71 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tacoya most popular?
The single biggest year for Tacoya was 1991, when 10 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tacoya is about 35 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Tacoya in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Tacoya a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Tacoya 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.
Is Tacoya still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Tacoya in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Tacoya can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are called Tacoya?
You can see how many people share the name Tacoya on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.