Tahja
A feminine name of African origin meaning "she who dances".
Name Census estimates that about 242 living Americans carry the first name Tahja. It is a predominantly female name (94.0% of registrations). The average person named Tahja today is around 27 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tahja births was 1999 (38 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tahja. 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.
People living today
242
~ 1 in 1,416,340 Americans
Peak year
1999
38 babies that year
Average age
27
years old
2000 SSA rank
#7,331
Tracked since 1990
Gender
Gender distribution for Tahja
Tahja leans heavily female at 94.0% of total registrations, but 15 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Tahja as a male name
- Ranked #7,331 in 2000
- 9 male births in 2000
- Peak: 2000 (9 births)
Tahja as a female name
- Ranked #18,927 in 2014
- 5 female births in 2014
- Peak: 1999 (32 births)
Popularity
Tahja: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Tahja from the 1990s through to the 2010s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 140 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Tahja 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 Tahja during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Tahjas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Tahja
The name Tahja originates from the Semitic languages of the Middle East, with roots dating back to ancient times. It is believed to have been derived from the Arabic word "tahara," which means "purity" or "cleanliness." The earliest known records of this name can be traced back to the 7th century, during the rise of Islam in the Arabian Peninsula.
In Islamic tradition, the concept of purity holds great significance, and names with meanings related to purity or righteousness were often given to children. The name Tahja may have been chosen for its symbolic association with these virtues, reflecting the hopes and aspirations of parents for their child's spiritual growth and moral character.
One of the earliest known historical figures with the name Tahja was Tahja bint Al-Mundhir, a noble woman who lived in the 7th century and was renowned for her patronage of poets and scholars in the court of the Lakhmid Kingdom in modern-day Iraq.
In the 9th century, Tahja al-Zaynabiyya was a prominent female scholar and poet from Baghdad, celebrated for her contributions to Arabic literature and her expertise in various fields of knowledge.
During the Mamluk Sultanate in Egypt and Syria, which ruled from the 13th to the 16th century, there was a prominent military leader named Tahja al-Mansuri, who served as a governor and played a significant role in the expansion and defense of the Mamluk territories.
In the 16th century, Tahja al-Isfahani was a renowned Persian calligrapher and artist, renowned for her mastery of the intricate art of Persian calligraphy and her beautiful illuminated manuscripts.
Another notable figure was Tahja Khanum, a 19th-century Uzbek princess and philanthropist, who founded several schools and hospitals in the region and was known for her charitable works and support for education.
While the name Tahja has ancient roots and historical significance, it remains a relatively uncommon name in modern times, particularly outside of the Middle Eastern and Islamic cultural spheres. However, its meaning and connection to the virtues of purity and righteousness continue to resonate with those who choose this name for their children.
People
Tahja + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tahja 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
Tahja: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tahja?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 242 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tahja 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 1,416,340 US residents.
Is Tahja a common name?
We classify Tahja as "Very Rare". It ranks above 76.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 248 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tahja most popular?
The single biggest year for Tahja was 1999, when 38 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tahja is about 27 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Tahja a female name?
Yes, 94.0% of people registered as Tahja 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.