Tahira
An Arabic feminine name meaning "pure" or "virtuous".
Name Census estimates that about 1,229 living Americans carry the first name Tahira. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Tahira today is around 29 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tahira births was 1975 (43 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tahira. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Tahira with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
1.2K
~ 1 in 278,889 Americans
Peak year
1975
43 babies that year
Average age
29
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,347
Tracked since 1970
Census
Tahira in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 2,125 people with the first name Tahira, which placed it at #7,242 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#7,242
National first-name rank
People counted
2.1K
2,125 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.7
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
54.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tahira
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Tahira is Asian/Pacific Islander at 54.4%. The next largest groups are Black (30.7%) and White (5.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Tahira described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Tahira at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander54.4% · 1,155
- Black or African American30.7% · 652
- White5.6% · 119
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 98
- Two or more races4.5% · 96
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Popularity
Tahira: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Tahira from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 269 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1970s peak, Tahira remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Tahira 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 Tahira during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Tahiras live
The SSA's state-level files cover 8 states and territories. New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey recorded the most babies named Tahira, while Texas, Ohio, Connecticut recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 38 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Tahira
The name Tahira is of Arabic origin and has its roots in the word "taher," which means "pure" or "virtuous." It is believed to have emerged in the 7th century during the early days of Islam, as the religion placed a strong emphasis on purity and righteousness.
Tahira was a name commonly used in the Arabian Peninsula and surrounding regions during the medieval period. It gained popularity among Muslim communities as a name that embodied the values of piety and moral excellence.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Tahira can be found in the works of renowned Islamic scholars and historians from the 8th and 9th centuries. These writings often referred to pious women and female companions of the Prophet Muhammad with the name Tahira, highlighting their virtuous character.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Tahira. One of the most prominent was Tahira Qaddusi (1938-2022), a renowned Palestinian poet and writer known for her powerful literary works that explored themes of identity, resistance, and the Palestinian struggle.
Another influential figure was Tahira Sultana (1735-1800), a skilled military commander and leader from the Sultanate of Mysore in India. She played a crucial role in the Kingdom's resistance against British colonial rule and is celebrated for her bravery and leadership.
In the realm of science, Tahira Noor (born 1974) is a prominent Pakistani astrophysicist and the first woman from her country to earn a PhD in astrophysics. Her research has contributed significantly to the understanding of galaxy formation and evolution.
Tahira Mazhar Ali Khan (1892-1957) was a pioneering Pakistani educator and social reformer who advocated for women's education and empowerment. She founded several educational institutions and played a pivotal role in advancing women's rights in the region.
Lastly, Tahira Kashyap Khurrana (born 1983) is a contemporary Indian film director, writer, and actor. Her directorial debut, "Sharmaji Ki Bitti," received critical acclaim for its portrayal of modern Indian women and their challenges.
These are just a few examples of remarkable individuals who have carried the name Tahira throughout history, each leaving an indelible mark in their respective fields and embodying the virtues associated with the name's meaning.
People
Tahira + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tahira 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
Tahira: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tahira?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,229 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tahira 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 278,889 US residents.
Is Tahira a common name?
We classify Tahira as "Rare". It ranks above 91.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,281 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tahira most popular?
The single biggest year for Tahira was 1975, when 43 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tahira is about 29 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Tahira in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 2,125 people with the name Tahira, or 0.70 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #7,242 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Tahira in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Tahira?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Tahira appears almost entirely female. Of the 2,130 people counted with this name, 99.6% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Tahira?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Tahira is Asian/Pacific Islander at 54.4%. The next largest groups are Black (30.7%) and White (5.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Tahira most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Tahira in the 2020 Census, accounting for 54.4% (1,155 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Tahira in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Tahira a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Tahira 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 Tahira still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Tahira 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 Tahira 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.
How many people have Tahira as a first name?
For a quick modern take, check how many people share the name Tahira on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.