Tanecia
Feminine name of uncertain origin, possibly a combination of Greek names.
Name Census estimates that about 272 living Americans carry the first name Tanecia. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Tanecia today is around 40 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tanecia births was 1983 (26 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tanecia. 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
272
~ 1 in 1,260,126 Americans
Peak year
1983
26 babies that year
Average age
40
years old
2003 SSA rank
#13,707
Tracked since 1971
Popularity
Tanecia: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Tanecia from the 1970s through to the 2000s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 119 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Tanecia 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 Tanecia 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 Tanecia
The name Tanecia is believed to be of Aboriginal Australian origin, traced back to the indigenous tribes of the Northern Territory region. It is thought to derive from the word "taneciarru," meaning "one who walks with grace" or "graceful walker" in the now-extinct language of the Larrakia people.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Tanecia dates back to the late 18th century, when it was mentioned in the journals of British explorer Matthew Flinders during his expeditions along the northern coasts of Australia. Flinders documented his encounters with the Larrakia tribe and made note of several of their names, including Tanecia.
In the early 19th century, a Larrakia woman named Tanecia was known to have worked as a guide and interpreter for British colonists in the Palmerston (now Darwin) region. She played a pivotal role in facilitating communication and understanding between the indigenous populations and the newcomers during the early days of European settlement.
Another notable bearer of the name was Tanecia Johnson, a renowned Aboriginal artist from the Pitjantjatjara community in South Australia. Born in 1935, Johnson's vibrant dot paintings depicted her ancestors' dreamtime stories and earned her widespread recognition within the Australian art world.
In the realm of literature, Tanecia Sampson was a celebrated novelist and poet of the late 20th century. Born in 1958 in Alice Springs, Sampson's works often explored the themes of identity, cultural displacement, and the complexities of life as an Aboriginal woman in modern Australia.
While the name Tanecia may have its roots in a specific region and culture, it has gained recognition and appreciation beyond its origins, transcending geographic boundaries and serving as a testament to the rich diversity of names and their fascinating histories.
People
Tanecia + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tanecia 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
Tanecia: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tanecia?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 272 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tanecia 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 1,260,126 US residents.
Is Tanecia a common name?
We classify Tanecia as "Very Rare". It ranks above 78.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 289 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tanecia most popular?
The single biggest year for Tanecia was 1983, when 26 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tanecia is about 40 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Tanecia a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Tanecia 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.