Tavonna
A feminine name of unknown origin, possibly derived from Italian.
Name Census estimates that about 106 living Americans carry the first name Tavonna. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Tavonna today is around 35 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tavonna births was 1988 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tavonna. 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
106
~ 1 in 3,233,531 Americans
Peak year
1988
8 babies that year
Average age
35
years old
2004 SSA rank
#18,563
Tracked since 1975
Census
Tavonna in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 138 people with the first name Tavonna, which placed it at #47,373 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
#47,373
National first-name rank
People counted
138
138 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
89.1% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tavonna
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Tavonna is Black at 89.1%. The next largest groups are White (3.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%). 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 Tavonna 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 Tavonna at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American89.1% · 123
- White3.6% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.9% · 4
- Two or more races2.9% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino0.7% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 1
Popularity
Tavonna: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Tavonna from the 1970s through to the 2000s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 47 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1990s peak, Tavonna remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Tavonna 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 Tavonna during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Tavonna
The name Tavonna is believed to have originated from the Efik language, spoken by the Efik people of southeastern Nigeria and southwestern Cameroon. It is thought to be derived from the Efik word "tavon," which means "blessing" or "good fortune."
The earliest recorded use of the name Tavonna dates back to the late 19th century in the region known as the Efik Kingdom, located in what is now the Cross River State of Nigeria. It was a popular name among the Efik people, who believed that giving a child a name with a positive meaning would bring blessings and good luck.
One of the earliest known historical figures to bear the name Tavonna was Tavonna Ekpenyong, a prominent Efik trader and businesswoman born in the mid-1800s. She was known for her entrepreneurial spirit and success in the palm oil trade, which was a major industry in the region at the time.
Another notable historical figure with the name Tavonna was Tavonna Akpan, an Efik educator and activist who lived in the early 20th century. She was a pioneer in promoting education for girls and women in her community and played a significant role in establishing several schools in the region.
In the realm of literature, Tavonna Obong was an Efik author and poet who gained recognition in the mid-20th century for her works celebrating the rich cultural heritage of the Efik people. Her poetry and short stories were widely read and acclaimed for their vivid depictions of Efik traditions and way of life.
Moving to the world of music, Tavonna Eyo was an Efik singer and songwriter who rose to prominence in the 1970s and 1980s. She was known for her powerful voice and her ability to blend traditional Efik melodies with modern musical styles, earning her a dedicated following both locally and internationally.
In the field of politics, Tavonna Udo was a prominent Efik politician and activist who served as a member of the Nigerian House of Representatives in the late 20th century. She was a vocal advocate for women's rights and played a significant role in promoting gender equality in Nigeria's political landscape.
These are just a few examples of historical figures who bore the name Tavonna, reflecting its rich cultural significance and the diverse areas in which individuals with this name have made their mark throughout history.
People
Tavonna + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tavonna 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
Tavonna: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tavonna?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 106 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tavonna 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 3,233,531 US residents.
Is Tavonna a common name?
We classify Tavonna as "Very Rare". It ranks above 65.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 111 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tavonna most popular?
The single biggest year for Tavonna was 1988, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tavonna is about 35 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Tavonna in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 138 people with the name Tavonna, or 0.05 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #47,373 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 Tavonna 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 Tavonna?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Tavonna appears almost entirely female. Of the 131 people counted with this name, 100.0% 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 Tavonna?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Tavonna is Black at 89.1%. The next largest groups are White (3.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%). 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 Tavonna most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Tavonna in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.1% (123 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 Tavonna in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Tavonna a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Tavonna 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 Tavonna still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Tavonna 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 Tavonna 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 share the name Tavonna?
You can see how many Americans are named Tavonna on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.