Teag
An Irish diminutive form of Theague, meaning "poet" or "philosopher".
Name Census estimates that about 12 living Americans carry the first name Teag. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Teag today is around 19 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Teag births was 2006 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Teag. 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 Teag. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
12
~ 1 in 28,562,862 Americans
Peak year
2006
7 babies that year
Average age
19
years old
2009 SSA rank
#14,267
Tracked since 2006
Popularity
Teag: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Teag 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 Teag during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 12 | 0 | 12 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Teag
The name Teag has its origins in the Old Irish language, dating back to the medieval period in Ireland. It is derived from the Gaelic word "teagair," which means "to gather or assemble." This suggests that the name may have been associated with leadership or organizational abilities.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Teag can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled by monks in the 15th century. It refers to a chieftain named Teag Ua Máille, who lived in the late 11th century and was involved in conflicts between rival clans in the western regions of Ireland.
During the Middle Ages, the name Teag was particularly prevalent in the province of Connacht, where it was borne by several members of the influential Ó Máille (O'Malley) family. This clan was known for their maritime exploits and their control over certain coastal areas of western Ireland.
One notable figure with the name Teag was Teag Ó Máille, who lived in the early 15th century and was a prominent leader of the Ó Máille clan. He was renowned for his seafaring skills and his involvement in maritime conflicts against other Irish clans and English forces.
Another individual of historical significance was Teag Mac Samhradháin, a 16th-century Irish chieftain and poet from the province of Munster. He was a member of the MacCraith bardic family and is renowned for his contributions to Irish literature, particularly his compositions in praise of the Fitzgerald earls of Desmond.
In the 17th century, Teag O'Rourke was a renowned Irish harpist and composer who lived in the region of Connacht. He is remembered for his skill in playing the traditional Irish harp and for preserving and promoting the music and culture of his time.
Another notable figure was Teag Ó Súilleabháin, an 18th-century Irish scholar and historian from County Cork. He was a member of the Ó Súilleabháin family, which produced several prominent academics and writers during the Gaelic Revival period.
While the name Teag is not as common today as it once was, it remains a part of Ireland's rich cultural heritage and a reflection of the country's ancient traditions and history.
People
Teag + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Teag 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
Teag: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Teag?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 12 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Teag 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 28,562,862 US residents.
Is Teag a common name?
We classify Teag as "Very Rare". It ranks above 32.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 12 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Teag most popular?
The single biggest year for Teag was 2006, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Teag is about 19 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 Teag in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Teag a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Teag 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 Teag still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Teag 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 Teag 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 have the name Teag?
If you just want to know how many Americans are named Teag, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.