Talani
A feminine name of Native American origin meaning "beautiful, lovely".
Name Census estimates that about 266 living Americans carry the first name Talani. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Talani today is around 8 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Talani births was 2024 (47 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Talani. 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
266
~ 1 in 1,288,550 Americans
Peak year
2024
47 babies that year
Average age
8
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,371
Tracked since 1997
Popularity
Talani: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Talani from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 178 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Talani 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 Talani during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Talanis live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. Florida, Georgia, North Carolina recorded the most babies named Talani, while New York, North Carolina, Georgia recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 9 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Talani
The name Talani is believed to have its origins in the ancient Aramaic language, spoken in the Middle East during the 8th century BC. It is derived from the Aramaic word "talana," which means "to be graceful" or "to be beautiful." The name was commonly used among the Aramaic people who inhabited parts of modern-day Syria, Iraq, and Lebanon.
One of the earliest known references to the name Talani can be found in the ancient Aramaic inscriptions discovered in the ruins of Palmyra, an oasis city in present-day Syria. These inscriptions, dating back to the 3rd century AD, mention a woman named Talani who was a prominent figure in the city's social and religious life.
In ancient times, the name Talani was also associated with the goddess Ishtar, the Babylonian deity of love, beauty, and fertility. Some scholars believe that the name may have been used as a tribute to this revered goddess, reflecting the qualities of grace and beauty that were highly valued in ancient Mesopotamian cultures.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Talani. One of the earliest recorded examples is Talani of Cilicia, a 4th-century BC philosopher and writer who was known for her works on ethics and virtue. Another historical figure was Talani ibn Khalid, an 8th-century Arab mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the development of algebra and trigonometry.
In the medieval period, Talani al-Andalusi (1010-1080) was a renowned poet and scholar from the Iberian Peninsula. Her poetry, which celebrated love and nature, was widely admired and influential during the golden age of Moorish culture in Spain.
Moving forward in time, Talani Silao (1820-1898) was a Hawaiian chieftain and advisor to King Kamehameha IV. She played a crucial role in preserving traditional Hawaiian culture and promoting the education of young women during the 19th century.
Finally, in the 20th century, Talani Ramsaran (1925-2002) was a prominent Indian-Guyanese activist and politician. She was a vocal advocate for women's rights and social justice, and served as a member of the Guyanese Parliament for several decades.
People
Talani + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Talani 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
Talani: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Talani?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 266 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Talani 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 1,288,550 US residents.
Is Talani a common name?
We classify Talani as "Very Rare". It ranks above 77.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 268 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Talani most popular?
The single biggest year for Talani was 2024, when 47 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Talani is about 8 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Talani a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Talani 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.