Taralynn
A name of uncertain origin, possibly a combination of Celtic elements meaning "earth" and "melody".
Name Census estimates that about 413 living Americans carry the first name Taralynn. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Taralynn today is around 32 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Taralynn births was 1988 (20 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Taralynn. 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
413
~ 1 in 829,914 Americans
Peak year
1988
20 babies that year
Average age
32
years old
2020 SSA rank
#13,329
Tracked since 1971
Census
Taralynn in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 404 people with the first name Taralynn, which placed it at #24,004 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
#24,004
National first-name rank
People counted
404
404 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
67.8% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Taralynn
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Taralynn is White at 67.8%. The next largest groups are Black (9.9%) and Two or More Races (8.2%). 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 Taralynn 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 Taralynn at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White67.8% · 274
- Black or African American9.9% · 40
- Two or more races8.2% · 33
- Hispanic or Latino6.7% · 27
- American Indian and Alaska Native4.2% · 17
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.2% · 13
Popularity
Taralynn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Taralynn from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 117 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Taralynn 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 Taralynn during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Taralynns live
Origin
Meaning and history of Taralynn
The name Taralynn is a modern English name that combines the elements "Tara" and "Lynn". The first part, "Tara", has its origins in Sanskrit and means "star" or "goddess". It is a popular feminine name in Hindu culture and is often associated with Tara, the Buddhist mother goddess of mercy and compassion.
The second part, "Lynn", is an English name derived from the Celtic word "linn" meaning "lake" or "pond". It was originally a surname that later became a common given name, especially in the United States and other English-speaking countries.
While the name Taralynn itself does not have a long historical tradition, its components have been used in various forms throughout history. The name Tara has been mentioned in ancient Hindu texts, such as the Mahabharata and the Puranas, where it is associated with powerful goddesses and female deities.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Tara dates back to the 4th century BCE, when it was used as the name of a Buddhist goddess of protection and enlightenment. In the 7th century CE, the Buddhist monk and scholar Atisha wrote a renowned work called "The Praise of Tara", further popularizing the name.
As for the name Lynn, it has been used as a surname since the Middle Ages, particularly in England and Scotland. It is believed to have been derived from several place names, such as Linn in Cumbria, England, or Linn in Ayrshire, Scotland.
While the name Taralynn is relatively modern and does not have a long historical record, it is worth mentioning a few notable individuals who have borne this name:
1. Taralynn McNitt (born 1994), an American beauty vlogger and social media personality.
2. Taralynn Mackenzie (born 1997), a Canadian actress known for her role in the television series "The Latest Buzz".
3. Taralynn Owens (born 1987), an American professional basketball player who played in the WNBA for the San Antonio Stars.
4. Taralynn Wilkins (born 1986), an American model and reality television personality who appeared on the show "America's Next Top Model".
5. Taralynn Torio (born 1989), an American singer-songwriter and actress best known for her role in the musical television series "Glee".
While the name Taralynn is a modern invention, it carries elements from various cultural and linguistic traditions, reflecting the diverse influences that shape modern naming practices.
People
Taralynn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Taralynn 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
Taralynn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Taralynn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 413 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Taralynn 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 829,914 US residents.
Is Taralynn a common name?
We classify Taralynn as "Very Rare". It ranks above 82.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 431 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Taralynn most popular?
The single biggest year for Taralynn was 1988, when 20 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Taralynn is about 32 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Taralynn in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 404 people with the name Taralynn, or 0.13 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #24,004 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 Taralynn 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 Taralynn?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Taralynn appears almost entirely female. Of the 411 people counted with this name, 100.0% were female and only a very small share were male. 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 Taralynn?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Taralynn is White at 67.8%. The next largest groups are Black (9.9%) and Two or More Races (8.2%). 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 Taralynn most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Taralynn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 67.8% (274 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 Taralynn in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Taralynn a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Taralynn 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 Taralynn still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Taralynn 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 Taralynn 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 people are called Taralynn?
Want to know how many people have the name Taralynn? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.