Tamula
A feminine name of unknown origin, possibly derived from the Spanish word "tamalan".
Name Census estimates that about 167 living Americans carry the first name Tamula. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Tamula today is around 57 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tamula births was 1967 (14 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tamula. 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
1967
14 babies that year
Average age
57
years old
1981 SSA rank
#8,061
Tracked since 1958
Census
Tamula in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 197 people with the first name Tamula, which placed it at #38,754 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
#38,754
National first-name rank
People counted
197
197 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
59.9% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tamula
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Tamula is White at 59.9%. The next largest groups are Black (34.5%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Tamula 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 Tamula at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White59.9% · 118
- Black or African American34.5% · 68
- Two or more races3.0% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.0% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 1
Popularity
Tamula: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Tamula from the 1950s through to the 1980s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 110 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1960s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Tamula 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 Tamula 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 Tamula
The name Tamula is believed to have originated from the Sanskrit language, which is an ancient Indo-Aryan language that was prevalent in the Indian subcontinent. The word "Tamula" is thought to be derived from the Sanskrit root "tamu," which means "dark" or "black." This suggests that the name may have been initially used to describe someone with a darker complexion or hair color.
In ancient Hindu texts and scriptures, the name Tamula is mentioned as a variant of the name "Tamala," which was often associated with the Tamala tree, a species of the mangrove plant found in coastal regions of South Asia. The Tamala tree held significant cultural and religious importance in various Hindu traditions, as its leaves were used in rituals and ceremonies.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Tamula can be found in the Mahabharata, an ancient Indian epic composed around the 8th century BCE. In this epic, Tamula is mentioned as the name of a character who was a skilled archer and warrior. However, the details surrounding this character are scarce, and their significance in the narrative is not well documented.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Tamula, although some variations in spelling may exist. One such person was Tamula Kannan (1888-1958), an Indian freedom fighter and social reformer from the state of Tamil Nadu. He was actively involved in the Indian independence movement and advocated for the rights of marginalized communities.
Another prominent figure with the name Tamula was Tamula Reddiar (1830-1902), an influential poet and scholar from Tamil Nadu. He is celebrated for his contributions to Tamil literature and his efforts in preserving and promoting the Tamil language and culture.
In the realm of sports, Tamula Somi (born 1972) is a former Indian cricketer who played domestic cricket for Tamil Nadu. She represented the Indian national women's cricket team and was known for her batting prowess.
Tamula Sikdar (born 1984) is a contemporary Indian actress and model who has appeared in various Bengali films and television shows. She gained recognition for her roles in several popular productions and has received critical acclaim for her performances.
Lastly, Tamula Devi (1910-1995) was a renowned Indian classical dancer and choreographer. She was a pioneer in the revival and promotion of the Odissi dance form, an ancient classical dance style originating from the Indian state of Odisha. Tamula Devi's contributions to the preservation and dissemination of Odissi dance were highly influential and earned her numerous accolades during her lifetime.
People
Tamula + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tamula 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
Tamula: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tamula?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 167 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tamula 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 Tamula a common name?
We classify Tamula 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, 196 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tamula most popular?
The single biggest year for Tamula was 1967, when 14 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tamula is about 57 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Tamula in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 197 people with the name Tamula, or 0.07 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #38,754 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 Tamula 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 Tamula?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Tamula appears almost entirely female. Of the 194 people counted with this name, 100.0% were female and only a very small share were male. 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 Tamula?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Tamula is White at 59.9%. The next largest groups are Black (34.5%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Tamula most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Tamula in the 2020 Census, accounting for 59.9% (118 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 Tamula in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Tamula a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Tamula 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 Tamula still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Tamula 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 Tamula 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 share the name Tamula?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.