Tanja
Feminine diminutive form of Russian/Slavic origin derived from Tatyana, meaning "fairy queen".
Name Census estimates that about 2,234 living Americans carry the first name Tanja. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Tanja today is around 54 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tanja births was 1970 (153 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tanja. 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
2.2K
~ 1 in 153,426 Americans
Peak year
1970
153 babies that year
Average age
54
years old
2007 SSA rank
#15,319
Tracked since 1943
Popularity
Tanja: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Tanja from the 1940s through to the 2000s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 951 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1960s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Tanja 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 Tanja during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Tanjas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 19 states and territories. California, Illinois, Texas recorded the most babies named Tanja, while Oregon, Maryland, Washington recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 46 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Tanja
The name Tanja originates from the Russian language and is a diminutive form of the feminine name Tatiana. It first emerged as a popular name in Eastern Europe, particularly in Russia and neighboring Slavic countries, during the Middle Ages.
The name Tatiana itself is derived from the ancient Roman family name Tatius, which is believed to have originated from the Sabine-Italic word "tata," meaning "father." It gained widespread popularity after the 3rd century AD, when a Christian martyr named Tatiana was venerated for her steadfast faith and courage in the face of persecution.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Tanja can be found in the Russian epic poem "The Tale of Igor's Campaign," written in the 12th century. In this literary work, a character named Tanja is mentioned, demonstrating the use of the name during the Kievan Rus' period.
Over the centuries, several notable women have borne the name Tanja, including Tanja Frieden (1976-), a Swiss film director and screenwriter known for her work in the German-language film industry. Another notable figure is Tanja Valković (1979-), a Croatian singer and songwriter who has represented her country at the Eurovision Song Contest.
In the world of sports, Tanja Szewczenko (1977-) is a German former professional tennis player who achieved a career-high singles ranking of No. 9 in the world. Tanja Gräff (1940-2022) was a renowned German ballet dancer and choreographer who served as the director of the Berlin State Ballet from 1977 to 1990.
Tanja Savić (1981-) is a Serbian writer and journalist who has published several critically acclaimed novels and short story collections, addressing themes of identity, memory, and the complexities of modern life.
While the name Tanja has its roots in Eastern Europe, it has gained popularity worldwide, particularly in Western European countries and North America. However, its historical origins and cultural significance remain closely tied to the Slavic regions where it first emerged as a beloved and widely used name.
People
Tanja + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tanja 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
Tanja: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tanja?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2,234 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tanja 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 153,426 US residents.
Is Tanja a common name?
We classify Tanja as "Rare". It ranks above 94.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,580 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tanja most popular?
The single biggest year for Tanja was 1970, when 153 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tanja is about 54 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Tanja a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Tanja 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.
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.