Tauna
A feminine name of Hawaiian origin meaning "ocean breeze".
Name Census estimates that about 558 living Americans carry the first name Tauna. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Tauna today is around 53 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tauna births was 1966 (27 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tauna. 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
558
~ 1 in 614,255 Americans
Peak year
1966
27 babies that year
Average age
53
years old
1999 SSA rank
#12,572
Tracked since 1945
Census
Tauna in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 586 people with the first name Tauna, which placed it at #18,401 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
#18,401
National first-name rank
People counted
586
586 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
79.5% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tauna
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Tauna is White at 79.5%. The next largest groups are Black (11.6%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Tauna 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 Tauna at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.5% · 466
- Black or African American11.6% · 68
- Two or more races4.1% · 24
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 4
Popularity
Tauna: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Tauna from the 1940s through to the 1990s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 202 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
Tauna 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 Tauna during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Taunas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Tauna
The name Tauna has its origins in the Polynesian languages, specifically in the Samoan and Tongan cultures. It is believed to have emerged around the 15th century AD, during the height of the maritime exploration and settlement of the Pacific Islands by Polynesian peoples.
Tauna is derived from the Samoan and Tongan word "tau," which means "warrior" or "brave one." The addition of the suffix "-na" is a common practice in these languages, often used to create personal names. Thus, the name Tauna can be interpreted as "the brave warrior" or "the courageous one."
In the oral traditions and legends of Samoa and Tonga, the name Tauna is associated with valiant warriors and renowned chiefs who demonstrated exceptional bravery and leadership in battles or during times of conflict. However, there are no specific historical records or ancient texts that mention individuals bearing this name from that era.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Tauna can be found in the 18th century, when a Samoan chief named Tauna Nuufolau played a significant role in uniting the islands of Samoa under his rule. He lived from approximately 1730 to 1790 and was known for his military prowess and diplomatic skills.
In the 19th century, a Tongan chief named Tauna Filipe (1819-1879) gained prominence as a respected leader and advisor to the Tongan monarchy. He was instrumental in establishing diplomatic relations between Tonga and other nations, and his name is often mentioned in historical accounts of that period.
Another notable figure with the name Tauna was Tauna Uilata (1876-1944), a Samoan writer, poet, and traditional orator. He was revered for his mastery of the Samoan language and his efforts in preserving the cultural heritage of his people through his literary works.
In the 20th century, Tauna Lepuiai'ā (1903-1982) was a prominent Samoan politician and diplomat. He served as the Prime Minister of Samoa from 1959 to 1962 and played a crucial role in Samoa's transition to independence from New Zealand in 1962.
More recently, Tauna Tauanu'u (born 1952) is a Samoan politician and former member of the Samoan Parliament, known for his advocacy for environmental protection and sustainable development in the Pacific region.
While the name Tauna has its roots in the Polynesian cultures of Samoa and Tonga, it has also gained recognition and popularity in other parts of the world, particularly in communities with Polynesian diaspora or those influenced by Polynesian culture and traditions.
People
Tauna + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tauna 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
Tauna: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tauna?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 558 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tauna 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 614,255 US residents.
Is Tauna a common name?
We classify Tauna as "Very Rare". It ranks above 85.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 647 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tauna most popular?
The single biggest year for Tauna was 1966, when 27 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tauna is about 53 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Tauna in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 586 people with the name Tauna, or 0.19 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #18,401 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 Tauna 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 Tauna?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Tauna appears almost entirely female. Of the 594 people counted with this name, 99.8% 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 Tauna?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Tauna is White at 79.5%. The next largest groups are Black (11.6%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Tauna most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Tauna in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.5% (466 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 Tauna in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Tauna a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Tauna 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 Tauna still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Tauna 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 Tauna 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 have Tauna as a first name?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans are named Tauna on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.