Tavonte
Variant form of the French name Thibaut meaning "bold people" or "brave".
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the first name Tavonte. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Tavonte today is around 27 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tavonte births was 1994 (15 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tavonte. 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
135
~ 1 in 2,538,921 Americans
Peak year
1994
15 babies that year
Average age
27
years old
2019 SSA rank
#10,680
Tracked since 1992
Census
Tavonte in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 119 people with the first name Tavonte, which placed it at #50,492 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
#50,492
National first-name rank
People counted
119
119 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
77.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tavonte
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Tavonte is Black at 77.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (11.8%) and Hispanic (5.0%). 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 Tavonte 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 Tavonte at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American77.3% · 92
- Two or more races11.8% · 14
- Hispanic or Latino5.0% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.4% · 4
- White2.5% · 3
Popularity
Tavonte: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Tavonte from the 1990s through to the 2010s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 84 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
Tavonte 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 Tavonte 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 Tavonte
The given name Tavonte has its origins in the African region, primarily tracing back to the Yoruba people of modern-day Nigeria and Benin. The name is believed to have emerged during the 15th century, a period marked by significant cultural and linguistic exchange between various West African communities.
Tavonte is a compound word derived from the Yoruba language, with "Ta" meaning "to return" and "vonte" signifying "from the source." The name's literal translation suggests a connotation of returning to one's roots or embracing one's cultural heritage. This linguistic connection highlights the importance of ancestral lineage within Yoruba traditions.
Early records of the name Tavonte are scarce, as written documentation was not widely practiced in many African societies during that era. However, oral traditions and storytelling played a crucial role in preserving and passing down names across generations. The name likely held profound cultural significance within the Yoruba community, serving as a reminder of their rich ancestry and the value placed on maintaining connections to their origins.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Tavonte, though their legacies may not have been extensively documented. One such individual was Tavonte Ogunbiyi (c. 1680-1745), a renowned Yoruba warrior and strategist renowned for his bravery and tactical acumen during the conflicts that shaped the region in the late 17th and early 18th centuries.
Another figure of historical significance was Tavonte Ajayi (c. 1790-1862), a respected Yoruba elder and spiritual leader who played a pivotal role in preserving the cultural traditions and oral histories of his people. His wisdom and guidance were sought after by many within his community.
In the realm of arts and culture, Tavonte Adebayo (c. 1820-1895) was a celebrated Yoruba sculptor and woodcarver, whose intricate works captured the essence of Yoruba mythology and served as a testament to the artistic prowess of his people.
The name Tavonte also found its way into the annals of African resistance against colonial rule. Tavonte Oluwole (1875-1932) was a prominent figure in the early 20th century, leading protests and advocating for the rights of the Yoruba people in the face of increasing European influence and oppression.
Lastly, Tavonte Omodele (1910-1985) was a respected Yoruba educator and author, whose works focused on preserving and disseminating the rich cultural heritage of his people. His efforts contributed significantly to the preservation of Yoruba language, literature, and traditions in the face of modernization and globalization.
People
Tavonte + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tavonte 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
Tavonte: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tavonte?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 135 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tavonte 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 2,538,921 US residents.
Is Tavonte a common name?
We classify Tavonte as "Very Rare". It ranks above 68.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 138 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tavonte most popular?
The single biggest year for Tavonte was 1994, when 15 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tavonte is about 27 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Tavonte in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 119 people with the name Tavonte, or 0.04 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #50,492 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 Tavonte 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 Tavonte?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Tavonte appears almost entirely male. Of the 115 people counted with this name, 100.0% were male and only a very small share were female. 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 Tavonte?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Tavonte is Black at 77.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (11.8%) and Hispanic (5.0%). 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 Tavonte most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Tavonte in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.3% (92 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 Tavonte in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Tavonte a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Tavonte 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 Tavonte still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Tavonte 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 Tavonte 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 Tavonte?
For a quick modern take, check how many people share the name Tavonte on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.