Tarae
A feminine name of Native American origin meaning "little rose".
Name Census estimates that about 116 living Americans carry the first name Tarae. It is a predominantly female name (91.6% of registrations). The average person named Tarae today is around 27 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tarae births was 1993 (11 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tarae. 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
116
~ 1 in 2,954,779 Americans
Peak year
1993
11 babies that year
Average age
27
years old
2006 SSA rank
#13,784
Tracked since 1986
Census
Tarae in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 198 people with the first name Tarae, which placed it at #38,638 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
#38,638
National first-name rank
People counted
198
198 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
81.8% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tarae
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Tarae is Black at 81.8%. The next largest groups are White (9.1%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Tarae 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 Tarae at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American81.8% · 162
- White9.1% · 18
- Two or more races4.0% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.0% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 2
Gender
Gender distribution for Tarae
Tarae leans heavily female at 91.6% of total registrations, but 10 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Tarae as a male name
- Ranked #13,784 in 2006
- 5 male births in 2006
- Peak: 1989 (5 births)
Tarae as a female name
- Ranked #17,266 in 2020
- 5 female births in 2020
- Peak: 1993 (11 births)
2020 Census snapshot
The 2020 Census sex table shows Tarae on both sides of the split. Of the 198 people counted with this name, 55 were male (27.8%) and 143 were female (72.2%).
Popularity
Tarae: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Tarae from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 61 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
Tarae 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 Tarae 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 Tarae
The name Tarae has its origins in the ancient Sumerian language, one of the earliest known written languages dating back to around 3500 BC in the region of Mesopotamia, modern-day Iraq. It is derived from the Sumerian word "tar," meaning "to sustain" or "to nourish," and the suffix "-ae," which was commonly used to form personal names.
In the early Sumerian civilization, names often carried deep symbolic meanings and were believed to have a profound influence on a person's character and destiny. The name Tarae was likely given to individuals with the hope that they would be sustained, nourished, and protected throughout their lives.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Tarae can be found in the ancient Sumerian cuneiform tablets, which documented various aspects of life in the Mesopotamian region. However, due to the fragmentary nature of these records, specific details about individuals bearing this name are scarce.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have carried the name Tarae, though records of their lives and accomplishments are limited. One such figure was Tarae of Ur, a high priestess in the city-state of Ur during the late 3rd millennium BC. She was revered for her spiritual guidance and influence in the religious and cultural life of the region.
Another figure of note was Tarae the Scribe, a renowned scholar and writer who lived during the reign of the Akkadian Empire in the 24th century BC. He is credited with preserving and documenting many of the ancient Sumerian literary works and religious texts, ensuring their survival for future generations.
In the 2nd millennium BC, Tarae of Mari was a prominent merchant and trader who played a significant role in the economic life of the city-state of Mari, located in modern-day Syria. His trade networks extended throughout the ancient Near East, facilitating the exchange of goods and ideas across vast distances.
During the 1st millennium BC, Tarae the Architect was a celebrated figure in the Neo-Babylonian Empire. He was responsible for the design and construction of several iconic structures, including the renowned Ishtar Gate in the city of Babylon, which remains one of the most impressive architectural achievements of the ancient world.
In the later centuries, the name Tarae appeared in various cultures and regions, though its connection to the original Sumerian roots became obscured. One notable individual was Tarae the Philosopher, a Greek scholar who lived in the 5th century BC and contributed to the development of early Western philosophy and ethics.
While the name Tarae may have faded from common usage over time, its ancient Sumerian origins and symbolic meaning have left an indelible mark on the historical tapestry of the ancient Near East, serving as a testament to the enduring legacy of one of the earliest civilizations known to humanity.
People
Tarae + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tarae 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
Tarae: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tarae?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 116 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tarae 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 2,954,779 US residents.
Is Tarae a common name?
We classify Tarae as "Very Rare". It ranks above 66.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 119 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tarae most popular?
The single biggest year for Tarae was 1993, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tarae is about 27 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Tarae in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 198 people with the name Tarae, or 0.07 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #38,638 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 Tarae 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 Tarae?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Tarae on both sides of the split. Of the 198 people counted with this name, 55 were male (27.8%) and 143 were female (72.2%). 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 Tarae?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Tarae is Black at 81.8%. The next largest groups are White (9.1%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Tarae most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Tarae in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.8% (162 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 Tarae in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Tarae a female name?
Yes, 91.6% of people registered as Tarae 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 Tarae still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Tarae 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 Tarae 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 Americans are named Tarae?
See how many people share the name Tarae on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.