Tansy
A feminine name of Greek origin meaning "immortal".
Name Census estimates that about 340 living Americans carry the first name Tansy. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Tansy today is around 33 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tansy births was 1981 (14 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tansy. 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
340
~ 1 in 1,008,101 Americans
Peak year
1981
14 babies that year
Average age
33
years old
2024 SSA rank
#12,007
Tracked since 1920
Popularity
Tansy: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Tansy from the 1920s through to the 2020s, spanning 11 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 94 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1970s peak, Tansy remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Tansy 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 Tansy 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 Tansy
The name Tansy has its origins in the Greek word 'athanasia', meaning 'immortality'. It was derived from the ancient Greek name Athanasia, which was originally used as a nickname for the herb tansy, prized for its medicinal properties and believed to confer longevity.
In the Middle Ages, the name Tansy emerged as a distinctive given name in various parts of Europe, particularly in England and France. It was often associated with the tansy plant, which had symbolic significance in medieval herbalism and folklore.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Tansy can be found in the 13th-century French text "Roman de la Rose," where a character named Tansy is mentioned. This literary reference suggests that the name was in use during that period.
In the 16th century, Tansy appeared as a character in the play "A Midsummer Night's Dream" by William Shakespeare. This literary reference further solidified the name's presence in English culture.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Tansy. One of the earliest recorded was Tansy Muschamp (1290-1352), an English noblewoman known for her philanthropy and patronage of the arts.
Another notable Tansy was Tansy Vorontsova (1537-1596), a Russian courtier and confidante of Ivan the Terrible. She played a significant role in the political intrigues of the Muscovite court during the 16th century.
In the 18th century, Tansy Browne (1698-1771) was an English writer and poet who gained recognition for her satirical works and her contributions to the literary circles of her time.
The 19th century saw the rise of Tansy Austen (1820-1892), a British artist and illustrator known for her botanical illustrations and her work in promoting the education of women in the arts.
In more recent times, Tansy Rayner Roberts (born 1980) is an Australian writer and editor who has made significant contributions to the fantasy and speculative fiction genres, earning critical acclaim for her novels and short stories.
These are just a few examples of individuals who have carried the name Tansy throughout history, each leaving their mark in various fields and disciplines.
People
Tansy + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tansy 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
Tansy: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tansy?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 340 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tansy 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 1,008,101 US residents.
Is Tansy a common name?
We classify Tansy as "Very Rare". It ranks above 80.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 375 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tansy most popular?
The single biggest year for Tansy was 1981, when 14 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tansy is about 33 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Tansy a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Tansy 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.