Tanger
Of Arabic origin, meaning "pomegranate" or "abundant."
Name Census estimates that about 16 living Americans carry the first name Tanger. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Tanger today is around 63 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tanger births was 1955 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tanger. 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 Tanger. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
16
~ 1 in 21,422,146 Americans
Peak year
1955
5 babies that year
Average age
63
years old
1967 SSA rank
#7,734
Tracked since 1955
Popularity
Tanger: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Tanger from the 1950s through to the 1960s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 15 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Tanger 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 Tanger 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 Tanger
The name Tanger is believed to have originated from the Arabic word "Tanjah," which means "fertile land." This name is commonly associated with the city of Tangier, located in northern Morocco, which was a significant trading hub during the Middle Ages.
The earliest recorded use of the name Tanger dates back to the 7th century, during the Islamic conquest of North Africa. It was often used as a descriptive name for individuals who hailed from the region around Tangier or had connections to the city's thriving trade and commerce.
One of the earliest known historical figures with the name Tanger was Ibn Tanger, a Moroccan scholar and poet who lived in the 11th century. He was renowned for his contributions to Arabic literature and his works have been studied and preserved over the centuries.
During the 15th and 16th centuries, the name Tanger gained popularity among European traders and explorers who frequented the city of Tangier. One notable figure was John Tanger, an English merchant and diplomat who served as the British consul in Tangier in the late 16th century.
In the 19th century, the name Tanger was also adopted by some Jewish families living in Morocco and other parts of North Africa. One prominent individual was Rabbi Shlomo Tanger, a renowned Torah scholar and kabbalist who lived in Fez, Morocco, during the early 1800s.
Another historical figure with the name Tanger was Ahmed Tanger, a Moroccan military leader and diplomat who played a significant role in the country's resistance against French colonization in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Throughout history, the name Tanger has been associated with individuals from diverse backgrounds, reflecting the city's rich cultural heritage and its significance as a crossroads of trade and cultural exchange.
People
Tanger + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tanger 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
Tanger: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tanger?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 16 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tanger 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 21,422,146 US residents.
Is Tanger a common name?
We classify Tanger as "Very Rare". It ranks above 36.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 20 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tanger most popular?
The single biggest year for Tanger was 1955, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tanger is about 63 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 Tanger in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Tanger a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Tanger 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 Tanger still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Tanger 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 Tanger 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 are called Tanger?
You can see how many people have the name Tanger on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.