Tamaya
A feminine name of Native American origin meaning "earth water".
Name Census estimates that about 1,099 living Americans carry the first name Tamaya. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Tamaya today is around 23 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tamaya births was 2006 (73 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tamaya. 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
1.1K
~ 1 in 311,878 Americans
Peak year
2006
73 babies that year
Average age
23
years old
2024 SSA rank
#8,872
Tracked since 1973
Popularity
Tamaya: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Tamaya from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 545 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
Tamaya 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 Tamaya during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Tamayas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 13 states and territories. Georgia, Florida, New York recorded the most babies named Tamaya, while Virginia, Mississippi, Maryland recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 19 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Tamaya
The name Tamaya is believed to have originated from the Native American Navajo language. It is a feminine given name that has been in use since ancient times among the Navajo people, who are indigenous to the Southwestern United States. The name Tamaya is derived from the Navajo word "tamaya," which means "sun rays" or "sunbeam."
In Navajo culture, the sun holds significant spiritual and symbolic importance. It is revered as a life-giving force and a representation of warmth, energy, and renewal. The name Tamaya is thought to have been given to children with the hope that they would embody the radiant qualities associated with the sun's rays.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Tamaya can be found in the oral traditions and stories passed down through generations of Navajo storytellers. These narratives often featured characters with names that reflected the natural world and the spiritual beliefs of the Navajo people.
While the name Tamaya has its roots in the Navajo culture, it has gained popularity beyond its origins. Throughout history, there have been notable individuals who bore this name.
One such individual was Tamaya Dekhissi, a Moroccan writer and activist born in 1942. She was a prominent figure in the women's rights movement and advocated for gender equality and social justice. Her works explored themes of identity, culture, and the experiences of women in Morocco.
Another notable figure was Tamaya Kagitani, a Japanese artist and calligrapher who lived from 1888 to 1963. She was renowned for her mastery of traditional Japanese calligraphy and her contributions to the art form.
In the realm of sports, Tamaya Marcelino was a Brazilian track and field athlete who specialized in the long jump. She competed in the 1988 and 1992 Summer Olympics, representing Brazil on the international stage.
The name Tamaya has also been found in historical records from various cultures and regions. For instance, there are references to an ancient Egyptian priestess named Tamaya who served in the temple of Isis during the Ptolemaic period (305-30 BC).
Additionally, in the Hindu epic Mahabharata, there is a character named Tamaya who was a skilled archer and warrior. This mention of the name dates back to the 8th or 9th century BCE, further highlighting the name's ancient origins.
While the name Tamaya has undergone various spelling variations over time, its essence and meaning have remained rooted in the reverence for the sun and its life-giving qualities. The name continues to be cherished and bestowed upon children across different cultures, carrying with it a rich tapestry of history and symbolism.
People
Tamaya + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tamaya 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
Tamaya: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tamaya?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,099 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tamaya 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 311,878 US residents.
Is Tamaya a common name?
We classify Tamaya as "Rare". It ranks above 90.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,123 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tamaya most popular?
The single biggest year for Tamaya was 2006, when 73 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tamaya is about 23 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Tamaya a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Tamaya 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.