Taniqua
A feminine name derived from the Sioux language meaning "gentle being".
Name Census estimates that about 577 living Americans carry the first name Taniqua. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Taniqua today is around 37 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Taniqua births was 1991 (70 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Taniqua. 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
577
~ 1 in 594,028 Americans
Peak year
1991
70 babies that year
Average age
37
years old
2002 SSA rank
#13,473
Tracked since 1974
Census
Taniqua in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 475 people with the first name Taniqua, which placed it at #21,400 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
#21,400
National first-name rank
People counted
475
475 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
91.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Taniqua
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Taniqua is Black at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Taniqua 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 Taniqua at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American91.2% · 433
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 15
- Two or more races2.9% · 14
- White2.7% · 13
Popularity
Taniqua: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Taniqua from the 1970s through to the 2000s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 334 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Taniqua 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 Taniqua during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Taniquas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 8 states and territories. New York, Texas, Illinois recorded the most babies named Taniqua, while California, Virginia, Ohio recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 26 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Taniqua
Taniqua is a name with a rich and fascinating history that spans across different cultures and time periods. The origins of this name can be traced back to the indigenous Mapuche people of South America, particularly in the region now known as Chile and Argentina.
In the Mapuche language, the word "tani" means "sun" or "sunlight," while "qua" is believed to be a suffix indicating a place or location. Thus, the name Taniqua may have originally referred to a place associated with the sun or sunlight, perhaps a sacred site or a location with a significant celestial alignment.
The earliest recorded use of the name Taniqua can be found in the oral traditions and storytelling of the Mapuche people. It is possible that the name was given to individuals born during significant solar events or those who were believed to possess a special connection with the sun's energy and power.
One of the earliest known historical figures to bear the name Taniqua was a revered Mapuche shaman and healer who lived in the 16th century. She was renowned for her knowledge of medicinal plants and her ability to harness the power of the sun's rays in her healing practices.
In the 18th century, a Mapuche warrior named Taniqua gained fame for her bravery and leadership in battles against Spanish colonizers. Her exploits were documented in the accounts of Spanish conquistadors, who marveled at her skill and tenacity on the battlefield.
Another notable figure with this name was Taniqua, an influential Mapuche poet and storyteller who lived in the late 19th century. Her works celebrated the rich cultural traditions of her people and played a crucial role in preserving the Mapuche language and oral histories.
In the 20th century, Taniqua became a prominent name among indigenous rights activists and leaders in South America. One such figure was Taniqua Huenumilla, a Chilean activist who fought tirelessly for the recognition and preservation of Mapuche land rights and cultural heritage.
While the name Taniqua has its roots in the Mapuche culture, it has also been adopted and adapted by other cultures around the world, each adding their own unique interpretations and meanings to this ancient name.
People
Taniqua + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Taniqua 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
Taniqua: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Taniqua?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 577 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Taniqua 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 594,028 US residents.
Is Taniqua a common name?
We classify Taniqua as "Very Rare". It ranks above 85.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 605 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Taniqua most popular?
The single biggest year for Taniqua was 1991, when 70 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Taniqua is about 37 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Taniqua in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 475 people with the name Taniqua, or 0.16 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #21,400 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 Taniqua 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 Taniqua?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Taniqua appears almost entirely female. Of the 487 people counted with this name, 100.0% were female and only a very small share were male. 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 Taniqua?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Taniqua is Black at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Taniqua most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Taniqua in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.2% (433 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 Taniqua in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Taniqua a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Taniqua 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 Taniqua still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Taniqua 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 Taniqua 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 Taniqua?
Find out how many Americans are named Taniqua on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.