Tanek
An Arabic masculine name meaning "delicate" or "graceful".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Tanek. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Tanek today is around 20 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tanek births was 2006 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tanek. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Tanek. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2006
5 babies that year
Average age
20
years old
2006 SSA rank
#13,780
Tracked since 2006
Popularity
Tanek: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Tanek 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 Tanek during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Tanek
The given name Tanek is believed to have originated in the Middle East, specifically in the region of ancient Persia (modern-day Iran). Its roots can be traced back to the ancient Persian language, which was a member of the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European language family.
In ancient Persian, the name Tanek is thought to be derived from the word "tanak," which means "slender" or "thin." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to individuals who were of a slim or slender build. However, over time, the name's meaning likely evolved and expanded beyond this physical connotation.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Tanek can be found in the ancient Persian epic poem, the Shahnameh, written by the renowned poet Ferdowsi in the late 10th and early 11th centuries. In the epic, Tanek is mentioned as a warrior and nobleman who fought alongside the legendary hero Rostam.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Tanek. One such figure was Tanek al-Razi, a renowned Persian philosopher and mathematician who lived in the 9th century CE. He made significant contributions to the fields of logic, metaphysics, and astronomy, and his works were widely studied and celebrated in the Islamic world.
Another prominent figure with the name Tanek was Tanek ibn Habib, a 9th-century Arabian poet and scholar from Basra, Iraq. He was renowned for his mastery of Arabic poetry and his contributions to the preservation of literary heritage.
In the realm of religion, Tanek al-Bukhari was a prominent Islamic scholar and hadith collector who lived in the 9th century CE. He is best known for his seminal work, Sahih al-Bukhari, which is regarded as one of the most authentic and authoritative collections of hadith (sayings and traditions of the Prophet Muhammad).
Moving forward in time, Tanek Khan was a 16th-century Mughal nobleman and military commander who served under the renowned emperor Akbar. He played a crucial role in several military campaigns and was highly respected for his valor and strategic acumen.
Lastly, Tanek Ismail was a 20th-century Turkish journalist and writer who made significant contributions to the literary and cultural landscape of modern Turkey. His works explored themes of identity, social issues, and the complexities of human experience.
People
Tanek + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tanek 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
Tanek: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tanek?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tanek 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Tanek a common name?
We classify Tanek as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tanek most popular?
The single biggest year for Tanek was 2006, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tanek is about 20 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Tanek in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Tanek a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Tanek in the SSA data are male. 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 Tanek still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Tanek 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 Tanek 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have Tanek as a first name?
For a quick modern take, check how many people share the name Tanek on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.