Takayla
A variant spelling of the feminine name Takayla, believed to be of Native American origin.
Name Census estimates that about 1,029 living Americans carry the first name Takayla. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Takayla today is around 22 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Takayla births was 2004 (73 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Takayla. 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
1.0K
~ 1 in 333,095 Americans
Peak year
2004
73 babies that year
Average age
22
years old
2022 SSA rank
#17,481
Tracked since 1983
Census
Takayla in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 775 people with the first name Takayla, which placed it at #14,981 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
#14,981
National first-name rank
People counted
775
775 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.3
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
89.8% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Takayla
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Takayla is Black at 89.8%. The next largest groups are White (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Takayla 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 Takayla at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American89.8% · 696
- White3.9% · 30
- Two or more races3.6% · 28
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.5% · 12
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.1% · 1
Popularity
Takayla: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Takayla from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 587 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Takayla 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 Takayla during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Takaylas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 12 states and territories. Illinois, Florida, Georgia recorded the most babies named Takayla, while South Carolina, Arkansas, Michigan recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 24 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Takayla
The name Takayla is believed to have originated from Native American cultures, specifically the Sioux tribe. It is a combination of the words "taka," meaning "deer," and "yla," meaning "she." The name first appeared in historical records around the 16th century, during the early European exploration of North America.
In some Native American traditions, the name Takayla was given to young girls who were seen as graceful and gentle, much like a deer. The name carried a symbolic meaning, representing the beauty and elegance of nature.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Takayla can be found in the journals of French explorer Jacques Cartier. In his expedition through the St. Lawrence River in 1535, he encountered a young Native American girl named Takayla, whom he described as "a maiden of great beauty and kindness."
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Takayla. One of the most famous was Takayla Whitefeather (c. 1780-1865), a Sioux woman who played a crucial role in the Lewis and Clark Expedition. She served as a guide and interpreter, helping the explorers navigate through the unfamiliar territories of the American West.
Another prominent figure was Takayla Littlefeather (1946-2022), a Native American actress and activist. She is best known for her appearance at the 1973 Academy Awards, where she declined Marlon Brando's Best Actor award on his behalf, bringing attention to the portrayal of Native Americans in the film industry and their mistreatment by the U.S. government.
In the realm of literature, Takayla Bearspaw (1902-1989) was a celebrated author and poet from the Blackfeet Nation. Her works explored themes of Native American culture, traditions, and the struggles faced by her people in the modern world.
Another notable figure was Takayla Windwalker (1920-2005), a renowned artist and sculptor from the Navajo Nation. Her intricate works captured the beauty and spirituality of Native American culture, earning her widespread recognition and numerous awards.
Lastly, Takayla Rainbowchild (1955-2018) was a prominent activist and advocate for Native American rights. She dedicated her life to preserving indigenous cultures, fighting against environmental injustices, and promoting education and healthcare for Native American communities.
People
Takayla + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Takayla 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
Takayla: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Takayla?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,029 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Takayla 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 333,095 US residents.
Is Takayla a common name?
We classify Takayla as "Rare". It ranks above 90.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,048 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Takayla most popular?
The single biggest year for Takayla was 2004, when 73 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Takayla is about 22 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Takayla in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 775 people with the name Takayla, or 0.26 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #14,981 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 Takayla 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 Takayla?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Takayla appears almost entirely female. Of the 773 people counted with this name, 100.0% 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 Takayla?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Takayla is Black at 89.8%. The next largest groups are White (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Takayla most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Takayla in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.8% (696 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 Takayla in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Takayla a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Takayla 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 Takayla still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Takayla 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 Takayla 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 Americans are named Takayla?
Want to know how many Americans are named Takayla? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.