Tanaja
Of undetermined origin, potentially a blend of names like Tamara and Nadya.
Name Census estimates that about 270 living Americans carry the first name Tanaja. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Tanaja today is around 25 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tanaja births was 2006 (25 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tanaja. 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
270
~ 1 in 1,269,461 Americans
Peak year
2006
25 babies that year
Average age
25
years old
2011 SSA rank
#14,695
Tracked since 1988
Popularity
Tanaja: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Tanaja from the 1980s through to the 2010s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 157 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
Tanaja 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 Tanaja 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 Tanaja
The name Tanaja is believed to have originated from the Sanskrit language, which was an ancient Indo-Aryan language primarily spoken in the Indian subcontinent. The name is thought to be derived from the Sanskrit word "tana," which means "body" or "form," and "ja," which means "born" or "created." Together, the name can be interpreted as "born with a beautiful form" or "created with a beautiful body."
In ancient Hindu texts and scriptures, there are references to the name Tanaja being used as a feminine name, often associated with goddesses or female deities celebrated for their beauty and grace. However, historical records indicating the earliest documented use of the name are scarce, as many ancient Sanskrit texts and records have been lost or damaged over time.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Tanaja was a Hindu queen who lived in the 7th century CE in the Chalukya dynasty, which ruled parts of present-day Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh in southern India. Queen Tanaja was known for her patronage of the arts and her support of Hindu temples and religious institutions.
Another notable figure with the name Tanaja was a 10th-century Hindu poetess and scholar from the Chola kingdom in present-day Tamil Nadu, India. She was renowned for her contributions to Tamil literature and her expertise in Sanskrit language and philosophy.
In the 16th century, there was a Rajput princess named Tanaja who was celebrated for her beauty and courage. She was known for her involvement in battles and her skill in horseback riding, which was uncommon for women of her time.
During the Mughal Empire in the 17th century, there was a renowned courtesan and dancer named Tanaja who was a favorite in the court of Emperor Jahangir. She was praised for her grace, beauty, and talent in the performing arts.
In more recent times, there was a 19th-century Bengali writer and poet named Tanaja Devi, who was known for her contributions to Bengali literature and her advocacy for women's education and empowerment.
While the name Tanaja has its roots in Sanskrit and ancient Hindu culture, it has been adopted by various communities across South Asia and beyond, with its meaning and significance evolving over time.
People
Tanaja + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tanaja 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
Tanaja: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tanaja?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 270 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tanaja 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 1,269,461 US residents.
Is Tanaja a common name?
We classify Tanaja as "Very Rare". It ranks above 78% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 276 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tanaja most popular?
The single biggest year for Tanaja was 2006, when 25 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tanaja is about 25 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Tanaja a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Tanaja 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.