Tavalas
Scandinavian name meaning "land by water" or "dweller near the bay".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Tavalas. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Tavalas today is around 46 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tavalas births was 1977 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tavalas. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Tavalas. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
1977
5 babies that year
Average age
46
years old
1977 SSA rank
#6,760
Tracked since 1977
Popularity
Tavalas: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Tavalas 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 Tavalas during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Tavalas
The name Tavalas is believed to have its origins in the ancient Etruscan civilization that flourished in parts of modern-day Italy from around the 8th century BCE to the 1st century BCE. The name is thought to be derived from the Etruscan word "tava", meaning "table" or "tablet", and may have been associated with trades or professions involving writing or record-keeping.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Tavalas appears in a collection of inscriptions found on bronze tablets dating back to the 6th century BCE. These tablets were unearthed in the Etruscan city of Cortona and contained various names, including Tavalas, suggesting its use as a personal name during that time period.
In the 5th century BCE, a prominent Etruscan figure named Tavalas Hufrinalisu was mentioned in historical records as a wealthy landowner and influential member of the ruling class in the city of Veii. His name was inscribed on several artifacts and monuments, indicating the significance of the name within Etruscan society.
During the 3rd century BCE, a Greek historian named Dionysius of Halicarnassus wrote about an Etruscan leader named Tavalas Rumarchius, who commanded a contingent of Etruscan troops in a battle against the Romans. This reference provides evidence of the name's continued use among the Etruscan elite during the later stages of their civilization.
In the 2nd century BCE, a Roman poet named Quintus Ennius referenced a character named Tavalas in one of his works, suggesting that the name had gained some recognition within the Roman cultural sphere as well.
Over the centuries, several notable individuals have borne the name Tavalas, including:
1. Tavalas Aruntilius (c. 250 BCE), an Etruscan philosopher and scholar known for his writings on Etruscan mythology and cosmology.
2. Tavalas Velthurna (c. 100 BCE - 50 BCE), a renowned Etruscan painter whose frescoes adorned numerous temples and noble residences in the region.
3. Tavalas Valerius (c. 50 CE - 120 CE), a Roman statesman and military commander who served under several emperors, including Vespasian and Trajan.
4. Tavalas Benedictus (c. 1050 - 1120), a Benedictine monk and calligrapher renowned for his beautifully illuminated manuscripts produced in the Abbey of Monte Cassino.
5. Tavalas Grimaldi (c. 1400 - 1460), a Genoese nobleman and diplomat who played a crucial role in negotiating trade agreements between the Republic of Genoa and various Mediterranean powers.
While the name Tavalas has its roots in the ancient Etruscan culture, it has been carried through the generations and has left its mark on various historical figures and cultural traditions over the centuries.
People
Tavalas + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tavalas 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
Tavalas: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tavalas?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tavalas 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Tavalas a common name?
We classify Tavalas as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tavalas most popular?
The single biggest year for Tavalas was 1977, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tavalas is about 46 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Tavalas in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Tavalas a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Tavalas in the SSA data are male. 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 Tavalas still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Tavalas 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 Tavalas 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have Tavalas as a first name?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.