Tannim
A masculine name of Hebrew origin meaning "dragon" or "serpent".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Tannim. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Tannim today is around 30 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tannim births was 1995 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tannim. 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 Tannim. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
1995
5 babies that year
Average age
30
years old
1995 SSA rank
#10,157
Tracked since 1995
Popularity
Tannim: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Tannim 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 Tannim during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Tannim
The name Tannim is believed to have its origins in ancient Semitic languages, particularly Hebrew and Aramaic. It is derived from the word "tannin," which means "dragon" or "serpent" in these languages. The earliest known usage of this name can be traced back to the Hebrew Bible, where it appears in various passages referring to mythical sea monsters or dragons.
In the Book of Genesis, the term "tannin" is used to describe the great sea creatures created by God on the fifth day of creation. In the Book of Job, it is mentioned as a powerful and fearsome creature that God has dominion over. The name Tannim may have been adopted as a personal name to symbolize strength, power, or even a connection to these mythical beings.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Tannim was Tannim ben Hushim, a member of the Israelite tribe of Dan mentioned in the Book of Numbers. He lived around the 13th century BCE during the Exodus from Egypt.
In the 6th century BCE, the prophet Ezekiel used the term "tannin" to describe the Pharaoh of Egypt, likening him to a powerful and dangerous sea monster. This metaphorical usage further cemented the association between the name and concepts of strength and dominance.
Another notable individual with the name Tannim was Tannim ben Joseph, a Jewish scholar and philosopher who lived in the 11th century CE in Cordoba, Spain. He was known for his contributions to the study of Jewish law and his commentaries on various religious texts.
In the 12th century, there was a Jewish poet named Tannim ben Judah from Andalusia, Spain, who wrote numerous works in Hebrew and Arabic. His poetry often explored themes of love, nature, and religious devotion.
During the 14th century, Tannim ben Hayyim was a prominent Jewish physician and scholar in Aragon, Spain. He authored several medical treatises and was highly respected in his field.
While the name Tannim has been used throughout history, it has remained relatively uncommon, particularly in recent centuries. Its unique origins and connection to ancient mythology and religious texts have made it a distinctive and intriguing choice for a personal name.
People
Tannim + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tannim 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
Tannim: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tannim?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tannim 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Tannim a common name?
We classify Tannim as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tannim most popular?
The single biggest year for Tannim was 1995, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tannim is about 30 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 Tannim in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Tannim a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Tannim 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.
Is Tannim still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Tannim 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 Tannim 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 have the name Tannim?
If you just want to know how many people share the name Tannim, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.