Tangila
A feminine name of uncertain origin potentially derived from the Sanskrit word "tanga" meaning "climbing plant".
Name Census estimates that about 19 living Americans carry the first name Tangila. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Tangila today is around 56 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tangila births was 1969 (9 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tangila. 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 Tangila. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
19
~ 1 in 18,039,702 Americans
Peak year
1969
9 babies that year
Average age
56
years old
1973 SSA rank
#7,348
Tracked since 1969
Popularity
Tangila: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Tangila from the 1960s through to the 1970s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 13 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
Tangila 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 Tangila 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 Tangila
The name Tangila is believed to have originated from the ancient Sumerian language, which was spoken in the region of Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq) around 3500-3000 BCE. The name is thought to be derived from the Sumerian words "tan" meaning "to live" and "gila" meaning "precious" or "valuable". Hence, the name Tangila can be interpreted as "precious life" or "valuable life".
In the Epic of Gilgamesh, one of the earliest known literary works from ancient Mesopotamia, there is a reference to a character named "Tangila-Estarra", which some scholars believe may be an early occurrence of the name Tangila. However, the exact meaning and significance of this character's name is still debated among scholars.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Tangila was a Sumerian priestess who lived in the city of Uruk around 2500 BCE. She was known for her devotion to the goddess Inanna and her influential role in the religious practices of the time.
In the 7th century BCE, there was a Babylonian scribe named Tangila who was renowned for his expertise in cuneiform writing and his contributions to preserving ancient texts and records.
During the Parthian Empire (247 BCE - 224 CE), a woman named Tangila served as a high-ranking official and advisor to one of the Parthian kings. She was known for her wisdom and strategic counsel in matters of state.
In the 11th century CE, a Persian poet named Tangila ibn Abi Bakr al-Shirazi gained recognition for his beautiful and intricate poems celebrating love and nature. His works were highly regarded in the literary circles of the time.
In the 15th century, there was a Mughal princess named Tangila Begum who was renowned for her patronage of the arts and her support of various cultural and educational initiatives in the region.
These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who bore the name Tangila, highlighting its ancient roots and its presence across various cultures and time periods.
People
Tangila + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tangila 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
Tangila: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tangila?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 19 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tangila 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 18,039,702 US residents.
Is Tangila a common name?
We classify Tangila as "Very Rare". It ranks above 39.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 22 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tangila most popular?
The single biggest year for Tangila was 1969, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tangila is about 56 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 Tangila in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Tangila a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Tangila 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 Tangila still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Tangila 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 Tangila 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 named Tangila?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.