Tanner
One who tans leather or has an occupation related to tanning.
Name Census estimates that about 97,628 living Americans carry the first name Tanner. It sits at #443 in the overall ranking, outside the top 50 but still well-represented. It is a predominantly male name (97.5% of registrations). The average person named Tanner today is around 24 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tanner births was 1998 (4,827 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tanner. 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
- • Although Tanner is used almost entirely for boys, the SSA data does show 2,498 girls registered with the name since 1880.
People living today
98K
~ 1 in 3,511 Americans
Peak year
1998
4,827 babies that year
Average age
24
years old
2024 SSA rank
#443
Tracked since 1913
Gender
Gender distribution for Tanner
Tanner leans heavily male at 97.5% of total registrations, but 2,498 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Tanner as a male name
- Ranked #443 in 2024
- 711 male births in 2024
- Peak: 1998 (4,704 births)
Tanner as a female name
- Ranked #3,158 in 2024
- 51 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1998 (123 births)
Popularity
Tanner: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Tanner from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 11 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 38,271 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
Tanner 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 Tanner during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Tanners live
The SSA's state-level files cover 50 states and territories. California, Texas, Pennsylvania recorded the most babies named Tanner, while Rhode Island, Delaware, Vermont recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 1,930 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Tanner
The given name Tanner has its origins in the English language and is derived from the occupational surname "tanner," which refers to a person who tanned hides and skins for a living. The name can be traced back to the Middle English word "tannere," which in turn comes from the Old French word "taneor," meaning "one who tans hides."
The tanning profession has a long and rich history, dating back to ancient civilizations where animal hides were used for clothing, shelter, and various other purposes. The process of tanning, which involves treating skins to prevent them from decomposing, was an essential skill that allowed for the preservation and utilization of these valuable materials.
While the name Tanner does not have any direct historical references in ancient texts or religious scriptures, it is closely linked to the development of the leather industry, which played a significant role in the economic and cultural life of many societies throughout history.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Tanner can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of land and property in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The book mentions several individuals with the surname "Tannere" or "Tannur," indicating that the occupation of tanning was well-established in England at that time.
Over the centuries, various notable individuals have borne the first name Tanner, contributing to its enduring legacy. Here are five examples:
1. Tanner Houck (born 1996) is an American professional baseball pitcher who currently plays for the Boston Red Sox in Major League Baseball.
2. Tanner Foust (born 1973) is an American professional racing driver and television host, known for his appearances on various motorsports shows and his successful rallycross career.
3. Tanner Pearson (born 1992) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who currently plays for the Vancouver Canucks in the National Hockey League.
4. Tanner Muse (born 1997) is an American football safety who was drafted by the Las Vegas Raiders in the 2020 NFL Draft.
5. Tanner Eberle (born 1992) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and record producer, best known for his work in the pop and electronic music genres.
These individuals, spanning various fields and eras, have helped to shape and perpetuate the legacy of the given name Tanner, ensuring its continued relevance and recognition across diverse cultural landscapes.
People
Tanner + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tanner 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
Tanner: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tanner?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 97,628 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tanner 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 3,511 US residents.
Is Tanner a common name?
We classify Tanner as "Uncommon". It ranks above 99.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 99,478 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tanner most popular?
The single biggest year for Tanner was 1998, when 4,827 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tanner is about 24 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Tanner a male name?
Yes, 97.5% of people registered as Tanner in the SSA data are male. 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.