Taija
A feminine name of Finnish origin meaning "crown" or "wreath".
Name Census estimates that about 800 living Americans carry the first name Taija. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Taija today is around 27 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Taija births was 1999 (54 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Taija. 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
800
~ 1 in 428,443 Americans
Peak year
1999
54 babies that year
Average age
27
years old
2019 SSA rank
#17,685
Tracked since 1985
Popularity
Taija: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Taija from the 1980s through to the 2010s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 336 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
Taija 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 Taija during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Taijas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 8 states and territories. Illinois, Texas, Virginia recorded the most babies named Taija, while Ohio, North Carolina, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 8 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Taija
The name Taija has its origins in the Finnish language and culture. It is a diminutive form of the name Taina, which itself is a shortened form of the Finnish name Katariina, derived from the Greek name Katharina. The name Katharina ultimately traces its roots back to the Ancient Greek word "katharos," meaning "pure" or "clear."
The name Taija gained popularity in Finland during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It was particularly common among families in the Finnish-speaking regions of the country. The earliest recorded instance of the name Taija can be found in Finnish church records dating back to the late 1800s.
While the name Taija does not appear to have any direct historical references in ancient texts or religious scriptures, it is worth noting that the name Katharina, from which Taija is derived, has biblical connections. Katharina is a variant of the name Catherine, which is associated with St. Catherine of Alexandria, a Christian martyr from the 4th century.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who have borne the name Taija. One of the earliest recorded instances is Taija Räisänen, a Finnish politician who served as a member of the Finnish Parliament from 1945 to 1962. Another notable Taija was Taija Tuukkanen, a Finnish painter and graphic artist who lived from 1918 to 2003.
In the world of sports, Taija Kuula (born 1979) is a former Finnish cross-country skier who competed in the 2002 and 2006 Winter Olympics. Taija Rintala (born 1970) is a Finnish former professional tennis player who reached a career-high ranking of No. 18 in the world in 1995.
Taija Taskinen (born 1981) is a Finnish pop singer and songwriter who has released several successful albums and singles in her home country. She is known for her powerful vocal range and captivating stage performances.
People
Taija + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Taija 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
Taija: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Taija?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 800 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Taija 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 428,443 US residents.
Is Taija a common name?
We classify Taija as "Very Rare". It ranks above 88.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 822 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Taija most popular?
The single biggest year for Taija was 1999, when 54 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Taija is about 27 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Taija a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Taija 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.