Tangi
A feminine name of Tahitian origin meaning "lullaby" or "song".
Name Census estimates that about 301 living Americans carry the first name Tangi. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Tangi today is around 52 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tangi births was 1980 (27 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tangi. 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
301
~ 1 in 1,138,719 Americans
Peak year
1980
27 babies that year
Average age
52
years old
1995 SSA rank
#7,471
Tracked since 1955
Census
Tangi in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 366 people with the first name Tangi, which placed it at #25,756 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#25,756
National first-name rank
People counted
366
366 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
45.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tangi
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Tangi is Black at 45.6%. The next largest groups are White (42.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Tangi described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Tangi at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American45.6% · 167
- White42.6% · 156
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.6% · 17
- Two or more races3.3% · 12
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.4% · 5
Popularity
Tangi: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Tangi from the 1950s through to the 1990s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 142 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
Tangi 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 Tangi during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Tangis live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. Georgia, Alabama, California recorded the most babies named Tangi, while Florida, California, Alabama recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 6 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Tangi
The name Tangi originates from the Maori language, spoken by the indigenous people of New Zealand. It is derived from the Maori word "tangi," which means "to cry" or "to weep." The name has been in use since ancient times, and its earliest recorded instances date back to the 14th century.
Tangi was a common name among the Maori people and was often given to children born during times of mourning or sadness. It was believed that giving a child such a name would help them develop a deep emotional connection and sensitivity towards the world around them.
In Maori mythology, Tangi was also the name of a minor deity associated with the art of weaving. According to legend, Tangi was the daughter of the god Tane and was gifted with exceptional skills in crafting intricate patterns and designs.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Tangi can be found in the historical accounts of the Maori explorer Kupe, who is believed to have discovered New Zealand in the 10th century. Kupe's daughter, Tangi-te-kiwi, is mentioned in these records and is said to have played a significant role in the settlement of the new land.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Tangi. In the 18th century, Tangi Huata was a renowned Maori chief and warrior who played a pivotal role in defending his tribe against rival groups. He was known for his bravery and strategic prowess in battle.
Another famous Tangi was Tangi Tutaki, a 19th-century Maori artist and woodcarver. His intricate carvings adorned many significant buildings and structures throughout New Zealand, and he is widely regarded as one of the greatest Maori artists of his time.
In the realm of literature, Tangi Kingi was a prominent Maori writer and poet in the early 20th century. Her works explored themes of cultural identity, spirituality, and the changing landscape of New Zealand society.
More recently, Tangi Ihumatao was a Maori activist and leader who played a crucial role in the peaceful protest against the proposed construction on sacred Maori land in the 2010s. Her unwavering commitment to preserving Maori heritage and rights earned her widespread admiration and respect.
While the name Tangi is still used today, its origins and historical significance remain deeply rooted in the rich cultural traditions of the Maori people, serving as a reminder of their unique heritage and the enduring power of names to connect us to our ancestors and their stories.
People
Tangi + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tangi 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
Tangi: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tangi?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 301 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tangi 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 1,138,719 US residents.
Is Tangi a common name?
We classify Tangi as "Very Rare". It ranks above 79.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 340 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tangi most popular?
The single biggest year for Tangi was 1980, when 27 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tangi is about 52 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Tangi in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 366 people with the name Tangi, or 0.12 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #25,756 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Tangi in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Tangi?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Tangi leans strongly female. 339 people counted with this name were female (95.8%), compared with 15 male bearers (4.2%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Tangi?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Tangi is Black at 45.6%. The next largest groups are White (42.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Tangi most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Tangi in the 2020 Census, accounting for 45.6% (167 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Tangi in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Tangi a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Tangi 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 Tangi still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Tangi 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 Tangi 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.
How many people are called Tangi?
You can see how many people have the name Tangi on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.