Tanganika
From a Bantu language, referring to a vast lake region.
Name Census estimates that about 56 living Americans carry the first name Tanganika. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Tanganika today is around 47 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tanganika births was 1974 (11 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tanganika. 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 Tanganika. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
56
~ 1 in 6,120,613 Americans
Peak year
1974
11 babies that year
Average age
47
years old
1993 SSA rank
#13,269
Tracked since 1973
Popularity
Tanganika: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Tanganika from the 1970s through to the 1990s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 40 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Tanganika 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 Tanganika 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 Tanganika
The name Tanganika is believed to have its origins in the Swahili language, which is spoken primarily in East Africa. It is derived from the word "tanganyika," which means "great lake" or "lake of great length." The name is likely a reference to Lake Tanganyika, one of the largest and oldest freshwater lakes in the world, located in the Great Rift Valley of East Africa.
The earliest recorded use of the name Tanganika dates back to the 19th century, when European explorers and missionaries began to document the regions around Lake Tanganyika. However, it is possible that the name was used by local indigenous communities long before that.
One of the earliest known references to the name Tanganika is found in the journals of Sir Richard Burton, a renowned British explorer who visited the region in the 1850s. Burton wrote extensively about his travels and encounters with the people living around Lake Tanganyika.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Tanganika. One of the earliest was Tanganika Mwampamba, a 19th-century Tanzanian chief who ruled over a territory near the shores of Lake Tanganyika. Another famous bearer of the name was Tanganika Mamba, a 20th-century Tanzanian politician and activist who played a significant role in the country's independence movement.
In the realm of literature, Tanganika Mukanya was a prominent Congolese writer and poet who lived from 1932 to 1988. Her works explored themes of identity, culture, and the struggle for independence in the African continent.
Another notable figure was Tanganika Maseko, a South African artist and sculptor who was active in the late 20th century. Her works often depicted scenes from everyday life and celebrated the rich cultural heritage of her homeland.
Lastly, Tanganika Mbemba was a Congolese musician and singer who gained popularity in the 1970s and 1980s with his unique blend of traditional African rhythms and contemporary styles. His music was widely celebrated for its energy and cultural authenticity.
While the name Tanganika has its roots in East Africa, it has transcended geographical boundaries and has been embraced by people from diverse cultural backgrounds, making it a truly global name with a rich history and cultural significance.
People
Tanganika + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tanganika 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
Tanganika: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tanganika?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 56 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tanganika 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 6,120,613 US residents.
Is Tanganika a common name?
We classify Tanganika as "Very Rare". It ranks above 56% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 61 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tanganika most popular?
The single biggest year for Tanganika was 1974, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tanganika is about 47 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 Tanganika in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Tanganika a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Tanganika 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 Tanganika still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Tanganika 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 Tanganika 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 common is the name Tanganika?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.