Takenya
An invented name with no definite meaning.
Name Census estimates that about 270 living Americans carry the first name Takenya. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Takenya today is around 39 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Takenya births was 1978 (20 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Takenya. 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
270
~ 1 in 1,269,461 Americans
Peak year
1978
20 babies that year
Average age
39
years old
2006 SSA rank
#12,320
Tracked since 1974
Census
Takenya in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 266 people with the first name Takenya, which placed it at #31,950 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
#31,950
National first-name rank
People counted
266
266 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
92.1% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Takenya
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Takenya is Black at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.5%). 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 Takenya 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 Takenya at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American92.1% · 245
- Two or more races4.1% · 11
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.5% · 4
- White1.1% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 3
Popularity
Takenya: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Takenya from the 1970s through to the 2000s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 91 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1970s peak, Takenya remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Takenya 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 Takenya 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 Takenya
The name Takenya is believed to have originated from the Yoruba people of West Africa. The Yoruba language is spoken primarily in southwestern Nigeria and the adjoining parts of Benin and Togo. The name is thought to be derived from the Yoruba word "takun," meaning "wealth" or "abundance."
In Yoruba culture, names often hold deep symbolic meaning and are chosen to reflect the circumstances surrounding a child's birth or the hopes and aspirations of the parents for their offspring. The name Takenya may have been bestowed upon children born during a time of prosperity or abundance, or as a way of invoking blessings of wealth and plenty upon the newborn.
While the name Takenya has its roots in West African culture, it has been adopted and used in various parts of the world throughout history. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the writings of the 17th-century English explorer and author, Richard Jobson. In his book "The Golden Trade," published in 1623, Jobson mentions encountering a Yoruba woman named Takenya during his travels in the region.
Another notable figure bearing the name Takenya was a prominent merchant and trader who lived in the Kingdom of Dahomey (present-day Benin) during the 18th century. Known for her shrewd business acumen and success in the lucrative slave trade, she amassed considerable wealth and influence, earning her the nickname "Takenya the Wealthy."
In the 19th century, a woman named Takenya Adeyemi gained recognition as a skilled weaver and textile artist in the city of Ibadan, Nigeria. Her intricate and vibrant designs were highly sought after, and she passed on her craft to several generations of her family.
Moving into the 20th century, Takenya Okanlawon was a Nigerian educator and activist who dedicated her life to promoting girls' education and empowering women. Born in 1918, she founded several schools and established programs to support young women's access to education and vocational training.
More recently, Takenya Quashie was a prominent figure in the Jamaican reggae music scene of the 1970s and 1980s. Born in 1952, she was a singer and songwriter known for her powerful vocals and socially conscious lyrics, often addressing issues of social justice and black empowerment.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who have borne the name Takenya, showcasing its enduring presence across various cultures and eras.
People
Takenya + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Takenya 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
Takenya: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Takenya?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 270 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Takenya 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 1,269,461 US residents.
Is Takenya a common name?
We classify Takenya as "Very Rare". It ranks above 78% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 286 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Takenya most popular?
The single biggest year for Takenya was 1978, when 20 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Takenya is about 39 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Takenya in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 266 people with the name Takenya, or 0.09 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #31,950 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 Takenya 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 Takenya?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Takenya leans strongly female. 265 people counted with this name were female (98.9%), compared with 3 male bearers (1.1%). 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 Takenya?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Takenya is Black at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.5%). 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 Takenya most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Takenya in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.1% (245 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 Takenya in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Takenya a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Takenya 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 Takenya still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Takenya 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 Takenya 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 Takenya as a first name?
If you just want to know how many Americans are named Takenya, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.