Tamaka
A feminine Japanese name meaning "beautiful child".
Name Census estimates that about 167 living Americans carry the first name Tamaka. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Tamaka today is around 47 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tamaka births was 1973 (17 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tamaka. 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
167
~ 1 in 2,052,421 Americans
Peak year
1973
17 babies that year
Average age
47
years old
1998 SSA rank
#16,332
Tracked since 1971
Census
Tamaka in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 120 people with the first name Tamaka, which placed it at #50,338 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
#50,338
National first-name rank
People counted
120
120 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
86.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tamaka
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Tamaka is Black at 86.7%. The next largest groups are White (5.0%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Tamaka 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 Tamaka at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American86.7% · 104
- White5.0% · 6
- Two or more races4.2% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.5% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
Popularity
Tamaka: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Tamaka from the 1970s through to the 1990s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 117 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Tamaka 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 Tamaka 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 Tamaka
The name Tamaka has its origins rooted in the ancient Sumerian language, one of the earliest known civilizations that emerged in Mesopotamia around 3500 BCE. It is believed to be derived from the Sumerian words "ta-ma-ka," which translates to "eternal light" or "everlasting brilliance." This name was likely bestowed upon individuals as a symbol of hope, longevity, and reverence for the celestial bodies that illuminated the night sky.
Throughout the course of history, the name Tamaka has been found inscribed on clay tablets and cuneiform writings, indicating its usage among the Sumerians and later civilizations that inhabited the region. One of the earliest known references can be traced back to a record from the city of Ur, where a high-ranking official named Tamaka-ili was mentioned during the reign of the Akkadian king Sargon the Great (2334-2279 BCE).
In the realm of ancient literature, the name Tamaka appears in several Sumerian myths and legends, often associated with deities or celestial beings. One notable example is the Epic of Gilgamesh, where a character bearing this name is described as a radiant and immortal being who guides the hero on his journey.
The name Tamaka has also been carried by various notable individuals throughout history. One such figure was Tamaka, a renowned astronomer and mathematician who lived in Babylon during the 7th century BCE. His contributions to the study of celestial bodies and the development of the lunar calendar were highly regarded in his time.
Another prominent bearer of this name was Tamaka ibn Al-Muqanna, a 9th century CE Persian philosopher and mystic who left a lasting impact on the intellectual circles of his era. His writings on metaphysics and the nature of existence continue to be studied and analyzed by scholars to this day.
In the 12th century, a skilled artisan named Tamaka was renowned for his intricate metalwork and jewelry designs, which adorned the palaces and courts of the Seljuk Empire. His creations were highly sought after and celebrated for their exquisite craftsmanship.
During the Renaissance period, a Italian painter named Tamaka Vecchio gained recognition for his vibrant frescoes and religious works that adorned numerous churches and cathedrals throughout Italy. His masterpieces, depicting scenes from biblical narratives and classical mythology, are still admired for their rich colors and intricate details.
Finally, in the 19th century, a celebrated French explorer and naturalist named Tamaka Durand embarked on several expeditions to the heart of Africa, documenting the diverse flora and fauna of the continent. His meticulous observations and illustrations contributed significantly to the field of natural history and garnered him widespread acclaim among his contemporaries.
People
Tamaka + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tamaka 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
Tamaka: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tamaka?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 167 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tamaka 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 2,052,421 US residents.
Is Tamaka a common name?
We classify Tamaka as "Very Rare". It ranks above 71.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 182 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tamaka most popular?
The single biggest year for Tamaka was 1973, when 17 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tamaka is about 47 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Tamaka in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 120 people with the name Tamaka, or 0.04 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #50,338 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 Tamaka 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 Tamaka?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Tamaka leans strongly female. 120 people counted with this name were female (93.8%), compared with 8 male bearers (6.3%). 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 Tamaka?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Tamaka is Black at 86.7%. The next largest groups are White (5.0%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Tamaka most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Tamaka in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.7% (104 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 Tamaka in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Tamaka a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Tamaka 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 Tamaka still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Tamaka 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 Tamaka 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 common is the name Tamaka?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people share the name Tamaka at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.