Tarena
Of African origin, meaning "to be loved and cared for".
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the first name Tarena. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Tarena today is around 47 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tarena births was 1968 (12 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tarena. 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
139
~ 1 in 2,465,859 Americans
Peak year
1968
12 babies that year
Average age
47
years old
2001 SSA rank
#17,699
Tracked since 1964
Census
Tarena in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 188 people with the first name Tarena, which placed it at #39,872 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
#39,872
National first-name rank
People counted
188
188 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
46.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tarena
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Tarena is White at 46.3%. The next largest groups are Black (39.9%) and Two or More Races (8.0%). 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 Tarena 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 Tarena at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White46.3% · 87
- Black or African American39.9% · 75
- Two or more races8.0% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.2% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.1% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino0.5% · 1
Popularity
Tarena: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Tarena from the 1960s through to the 2000s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 66 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Tarena 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 Tarena 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 Tarena
The name Tarena is a feminine given name that originated from the Sanskrit language. Its roots can be traced back to ancient India, where it was derived from the Sanskrit word "tara," which means "star" or "celestial body." This suggests that the name Tarena was initially associated with celestial bodies and the night sky.
During the ancient Vedic period in India, the name Tarena was often used as a reference to the stars and heavenly bodies that were worshipped as deities in Hindu mythology. It was not uncommon for children to be named after celestial objects, as these were considered auspicious and symbolic of divine guidance and protection.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Tarena can be found in the ancient Hindu scripture, the Mahabharata. In this epic, Tarena is mentioned as the name of a celestial nymph who was renowned for her beauty and grace. This association with divine femininity and celestial beings further solidified the name's connection to the heavens and the night sky.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Tarena. One of the most famous was Tarena Bakshi (1932-2008), an Indian classical dancer and choreographer who was widely acclaimed for her contributions to the art of Kathak dance. Her performances and teachings helped to preserve and promote this traditional Indian dance form on a global scale.
Another prominent figure was Tarena Loehnert (1903-1988), a German-American artist and illustrator who was known for her vibrant and imaginative depictions of children's stories. Her illustrations graced the pages of numerous books and magazines, captivating generations of young readers with her whimsical and engaging artwork.
In the field of literature, Tarena Mitrovich (1920-1995) was a celebrated Serbian author and poet. Her works, which often explored themes of love, loss, and the human condition, garnered critical acclaim and established her as a significant voice in contemporary Serbian literature.
Tarena Patel (1958-2021) was an Indian-American entrepreneur and philanthropist who founded several successful businesses in the technology and healthcare sectors. She was also a dedicated advocate for women's empowerment and education, contributing to numerous charitable organizations and initiatives.
Lastly, Tarena Werdich (1927-2012) was a renowned Australian painter and sculptor. Her bold and expressive artworks, often inspired by the natural landscapes of her homeland, earned her widespread recognition and a place among the most influential Australian artists of the 20th century.
People
Tarena + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tarena 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
Tarena: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tarena?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 139 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tarena 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 2,465,859 US residents.
Is Tarena a common name?
We classify Tarena as "Very Rare". It ranks above 69.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 153 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tarena most popular?
The single biggest year for Tarena was 1968, when 12 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tarena is about 47 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Tarena in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 188 people with the name Tarena, or 0.06 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #39,872 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 Tarena 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 Tarena?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Tarena appears almost entirely female. Of the 188 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 Tarena?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Tarena is White at 46.3%. The next largest groups are Black (39.9%) and Two or More Races (8.0%). 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 Tarena most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Tarena in the 2020 Census, accounting for 46.3% (87 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 Tarena in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Tarena a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Tarena 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 Tarena still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Tarena 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 Tarena 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 named Tarena?
Find out how many people share the name Tarena on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.