Tawney
A feminine name of English origin meaning "tawny" or "brownish-yellow".
Name Census estimates that about 531 living Americans carry the first name Tawney. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Tawney today is around 41 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tawney births was 1988 (43 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tawney. 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
531
~ 1 in 645,488 Americans
Peak year
1988
43 babies that year
Average age
41
years old
2005 SSA rank
#12,900
Tracked since 1948
Popularity
Tawney: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Tawney from the 1940s through to the 2000s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 203 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
Tawney 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 Tawney during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Tawneys live
Origin
Meaning and history of Tawney
The name Tawney is an English name with origins in the Middle English language. It is derived from the Old English word "tawny," which means "brownish-orange" or "tanned." This word was used to describe the color of leather or fur.
During the Middle Ages, the name Tawney was likely used as a descriptive nickname for someone with a tanned complexion or reddish-brown hair color. It may have also referred to someone who worked with leather or fur, such as a tanner or furrier.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Tawney is found in the 14th century English poem "The Canterbury Tales" by Geoffrey Chaucer. In the tale of the "Miller's Tale," there is a character named Alisoun, who is described as having "tawny hair."
In the 16th century, the name Tawney appears in historical records as a given name. One notable example is Tawney Revell, an English merchant and explorer who lived from 1505 to 1575. He is known for his voyages to the West Indies and his involvement in the slave trade.
Another historical figure with the name Tawney is Tawney Allertoun, an English Puritan minister who lived from 1617 to 1677. He was a prominent figure in the English Civil War and was known for his fiery sermons against the Church of England.
In the 18th century, Tawney Priscilla Wakefield was an English author and educator who lived from 1751 to 1832. She wrote several books on education and was a pioneer in the field of children's literature.
In the 19th century, Tawney Edna Ferber was an American novelist and playwright who lived from 1885 to 1968. She is best known for her novels "Show Boat" and "Giant," which were both adapted into successful films.
Another notable figure with the name Tawney is Tawney Richard Henry Tawney, a British economic historian and social critic who lived from 1880 to 1962. He was a prominent figure in the Labour Party and wrote extensively on the history of economic thought and the role of religion in society.
People
Tawney + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tawney 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
Tawney: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tawney?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 531 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tawney 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 645,488 US residents.
Is Tawney a common name?
We classify Tawney as "Very Rare". It ranks above 85.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 575 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tawney most popular?
The single biggest year for Tawney was 1988, when 43 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tawney is about 41 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Tawney a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Tawney 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.
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.