Tavian
A masculine name derived from the Latin name "Octavian", meaning "the eighth."
Name Census estimates that about 2,034 living Americans carry the first name Tavian. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Tavian today is around 20 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tavian births was 1998 (169 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tavian. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Tavian with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
2.0K
~ 1 in 168,512 Americans
Peak year
1998
169 babies that year
Average age
20
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,402
Tracked since 1985
Census
Tavian in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,698 people with the first name Tavian, which placed it at #8,534 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
#8,534
National first-name rank
People counted
1.7K
1,698 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.6
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
38.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tavian
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Tavian is Black at 38.2%. The next largest groups are White (23.9%) and Two or More Races (21.3%). 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 Tavian 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 Tavian at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American38.2% · 649
- White23.9% · 406
- Two or more races21.3% · 361
- Hispanic or Latino12.5% · 213
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.3% · 39
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 30
Popularity
Tavian: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Tavian from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 975 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Tavian 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 Tavian during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Tavians live
The SSA's state-level files cover 26 states and territories. Texas, Florida, California recorded the most babies named Tavian, while Minnesota, Massachusetts, Louisiana recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 24 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Tavian
The name Tavian is believed to have originated from the Latin language, with its roots tracing back to ancient Rome. It is derived from the Latin word "tavus," which means "peacock." This connection suggests that the name may have been associated with beauty, elegance, and pride in its early usage.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Tavian can be found in the writings of the Roman historian Tacitus, who lived from around 56 to 120 AD. He mentioned a Roman soldier named Tavianus who fought bravely in the Batavian revolt against the Roman Empire in the 1st century AD.
During the Middle Ages, the name Tavian gained popularity among certain noble families in parts of Europe, particularly in regions with strong Roman influences. One notable historical figure bearing this name was Tavian of Spoleto, an Italian nobleman who lived in the 9th century and served as the Duke of Spoleto from 842 to 844 AD.
In the Renaissance period, the name Tavian was associated with artists and scholars who drew inspiration from classical Roman culture. One such individual was Tavian Calco, an Italian humanist and philosopher who lived from 1438 to 1508. He was known for his contributions to the study of ancient Greek and Roman texts.
Another prominent figure with the name Tavian was Tavian Tebaldi, an Italian opera singer who lived from 1922 to 2004. She was renowned for her performances in the roles of Verdi and Puccini operas, and her interpretations of these characters were highly acclaimed.
In more recent times, the name Tavian has been used by individuals from various backgrounds and cultures, although its popularity has remained relatively low compared to other names. One notable modern bearer of the name is Tavian Banks, an American football player who currently plays as a defensive back for the San Francisco 49ers in the National Football League.
While the name Tavian has its roots in ancient Rome and has been carried by individuals throughout history, it remains a relatively uncommon name in many parts of the world today. However, its connection to beauty, elegance, and classical culture has endured, making it a unique and distinctive choice for those seeking a name with a rich historical background.
People
Tavian + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tavian 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
Tavian: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tavian?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2,034 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tavian 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 168,512 US residents.
Is Tavian a common name?
We classify Tavian as "Rare". It ranks above 93.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,062 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tavian most popular?
The single biggest year for Tavian was 1998, when 169 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tavian is about 20 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Tavian in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,698 people with the name Tavian, or 0.56 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #8,534 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 Tavian 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 Tavian?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Tavian leans strongly male. 1,665 people counted with this name were male (98.1%), compared with 33 female bearers (1.9%). 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 Tavian?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Tavian is Black at 38.2%. The next largest groups are White (23.9%) and Two or More Races (21.3%). 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 Tavian most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Tavian in the 2020 Census, accounting for 38.2% (649 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 Tavian in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Tavian a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Tavian 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 Tavian still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Tavian 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 Tavian 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 common is the name Tavian?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans are named Tavian at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.