Tavias
A masculine name of Latin origin meaning "supplanter" or "one who compensates".
Name Census estimates that about 7 living Americans carry the first name Tavias. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Tavias today is around 27 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tavias births was 1999 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tavias. 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 Tavias. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
7
~ 1 in 48,964,905 Americans
Peak year
1999
7 babies that year
Average age
27
years old
1999 SSA rank
#8,609
Tracked since 1999
Popularity
Tavias: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Tavias 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 Tavias during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 7 | 0 | 7 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Tavias
The name Tavias has its roots in the ancient Greek language, tracing back to the classical period of Greek civilization around the 5th century BCE. It is derived from the Greek word "tavos," meaning "peacock," which was a revered and symbolic creature in Greek mythology. The peacock was associated with the goddess Hera, the queen of the gods, and represented renewal, beauty, and immortality.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Tavias can be found in the writings of the Greek historian Herodotus, who mentioned a soldier by that name who fought in the Greco-Persian Wars. Unfortunately, there are no additional details provided about this individual.
In the 3rd century BCE, a philosopher named Tavias of Miletus gained recognition for his teachings on ethics and virtue. He was a follower of the Stoic school of thought and is mentioned in the works of later philosophers, such as Cicero and Seneca.
During the Byzantine era, which spanned from the 4th to the 15th century CE, the name Tavias became more widespread. A notable figure was Tavias the Calligrapher, a renowned scribe and illuminator who lived in the 10th century. His exquisite calligraphic works adorned numerous manuscripts and religious texts of that time.
In the 16th century, a Italian Renaissance painter named Tavias Vecelli, born in 1501 and died in 1576, gained recognition for his religious paintings and frescoes. He was a contemporary of the famous artist Titian and worked on commissions for churches and wealthy patrons in Venice and the surrounding areas.
Another notable bearer of the name was Tavias Koniates, a 12th-century Byzantine scholar and historian. Born in 1155, he served as the Metropolitan Bishop of Naupaktos and wrote extensively about the fall of Constantinople to the Crusaders in 1204, providing a valuable eyewitness account of the events.
While the name Tavias has its origins in ancient Greece, it has been used across various cultures and time periods, though it remains relatively uncommon. These historical figures and references offer a glimpse into the rich heritage and significance of this unique name.
People
Tavias + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tavias 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
Tavias: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tavias?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 7 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tavias 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 48,964,905 US residents.
Is Tavias a common name?
We classify Tavias as "Very Rare". It ranks above 23.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 7 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tavias most popular?
The single biggest year for Tavias was 1999, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tavias is about 27 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 Tavias in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Tavias a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Tavias 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 Tavias still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Tavias 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 Tavias 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 are named Tavias?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.