Tavis
Anglicized spelling of a Welsh name meaning "twin" or "twin stream".
Name Census estimates that about 2,120 living Americans carry the first name Tavis. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Tavis today is around 35 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tavis births was 1977 (79 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tavis. 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
2.1K
~ 1 in 161,677 Americans
Peak year
1977
79 babies that year
Average age
35
years old
2024 SSA rank
#9,528
Tracked since 1963
Gender
Gender distribution for Tavis
Out of the 2,207 babies given the name Tavis since 1880, 99.7% were registered as male. The name sits firmly on the male side of the spectrum, with only a handful of female registrations across the entire dataset.
Tavis as a male name
- Ranked #12,148 in 2024
- 6 male births in 2024
- Peak: 1999 (79 births)
Tavis as a female name
- Ranked #9,528 in 1977
- 6 female births in 1977
- Peak: 1977 (6 births)
Popularity
Tavis: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Tavis from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 551 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Tavis 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 Tavis during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Tavis' live
The SSA's state-level files cover 15 states and territories. California, Florida, North Carolina recorded the most babies named Tavis, while Wisconsin, Virginia, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 18 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Tavis
The name Tavis is believed to have originated from the Welsh language, where it is a variant spelling of the name Travis. The name Travis itself is derived from the French place name Tréveray or Trèvres, which comes from the Gaulish word "travers," meaning "crossing" or "thoroughfare."
In its earliest recorded use, the name Tavis appeared in medieval Welsh records and chronicles, often associated with individuals from noble or prominent families in Wales. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Tavis ap Rhys, a Welsh nobleman who lived in the 12th century and was known for his role in the conflicts between the Welsh and the Normans.
The name Tavis gained wider recognition in the late 16th and early 17th centuries, when it was adopted by English families who were drawn to its Welsh origins and perceived as a distinctive and fashionable name. One notable figure from this period was Tavis Gedde (1558-1631), an English poet and playwright who was part of the literary circle around Shakespeare.
As the name spread across the British Isles, it also found its way to the American colonies, where it became popular among families of Welsh and English descent. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in America was Tavis Browne (1654-1719), a merchant and landowner in colonial Virginia.
Throughout the centuries, the name Tavis has been borne by various individuals from different walks of life. Some notable examples include Tavis Smiley (born 1964), an American broadcaster, author, and political commentator; Tavis Ormandy (1901-1985), a renowned American conductor and violinist; and Tavis Beene (born 1973), an American fashion designer.
Another noteworthy figure was Tavis Stockman (1826-1903), an English artist and illustrator who was known for his illustrations of works by Charles Dickens and other Victorian authors. The name has also been associated with academic and literary figures, such as Tavis J. Anderson (1922-2003), an American historian and author who specialized in the history of the American West.
While the name Tavis has its roots in the Welsh language and culture, it has transcended its origins and has been embraced by individuals from diverse backgrounds and nationalities, becoming a part of the rich tapestry of human names and identities.
People
Tavis + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tavis 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
Tavis: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tavis?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2,120 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tavis 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 161,677 US residents.
Is Tavis a common name?
We classify Tavis as "Rare". It ranks above 93.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,207 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tavis most popular?
The single biggest year for Tavis was 1977, when 79 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tavis is about 35 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Tavis a male name?
Yes, 99.7% of people registered as Tavis 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.
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.