Tallulah
A feminine name of Native American and uncertain origin meaning "leaping waters".
Name Census estimates that about 3,680 living Americans carry the first name Tallulah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Tallulah today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tallulah births was 2023 (342 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tallulah. 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.
Key insights
- • Tallulah is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 11 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
3.7K
~ 1 in 93,140 Americans
Peak year
2023
342 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2024 SSA rank
#815
Tracked since 1917
Popularity
Tallulah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Tallulah from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 11 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 1,540 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
Tallulah 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 Tallulah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Tallulahs live
The SSA's state-level files cover 35 states and territories. California, New York, Texas recorded the most babies named Tallulah, while Nebraska, Montana, South Dakota recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 70 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Tallulah
The name Tallulah is a feminine given name of Native American origin, specifically derived from the Creek and Choctaw languages. It is believed to have originated in the Southeastern United States during the 17th or 18th century.
The name is a combination of two words from the Creek language: "talu" meaning "town" and "luhhi" meaning "beautiful". Thus, Tallulah can be interpreted as "beautiful town" or "beautiful place". In the Choctaw language, the name is spelled "Talhulli" and has a similar meaning.
While the name Tallulah does not appear to have been recorded in ancient texts or religious scriptures, it has been used as a given name for centuries among Native American tribes in the region. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name was Tallulah Falls, a town in Georgia named after a nearby waterfall, which was documented in the late 18th century.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Tallulah. One of the most famous was Tallulah Bankhead (1902-1968), an American actress known for her husky voice and outrageous personality. She appeared in numerous films and stage productions during the Golden Age of Hollywood.
Another prominent figure was Tallulah Brockman Bankhead (1775-1858), an American politician and lawyer who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Alabama in the early 19th century.
In the literary world, Tallulah Pitt (1901-1989) was a British writer and poet known for her works on mysticism and spirituality. She was also a close friend of the renowned author Dion Fortune.
Tallulah Gorge (1805-1850), also known as Mary Musgrove, was a Native American woman of the Creek Nation who played a significant role as an interpreter and negotiator during the colonial era in Georgia.
Lastly, Tallulah Morgan (1860-1920) was an American educator and advocate for women's rights. She was the founder of the Mississippi Industrial Institute and College, now known as Mississippi University for Women.
These are just a few examples of the diverse individuals who have carried the name Tallulah throughout history, showcasing its rich cultural heritage and lasting impact.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Tallulah
People
Tallulah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tallulah 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
Tallulah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tallulah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 3,680 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tallulah 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 93,140 US residents.
Is Tallulah a common name?
We classify Tallulah as "Rare". It ranks above 95.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 3,819 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tallulah most popular?
The single biggest year for Tallulah was 2023, when 342 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tallulah is about 11 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Tallulah a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Tallulah 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.