Tej
A masculine name of Sanskrit origin meaning "radiance" or "splendor".
Name Census estimates that about 681 living Americans carry the first name Tej. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Tej today is around 17 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tej births was 2011 (33 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tej. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Tej with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
681
~ 1 in 503,310 Americans
Peak year
2011
33 babies that year
Average age
17
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,408
Tracked since 1983
Census
Tej in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,055 people with the first name Tej, which placed it at #11,962 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
#11,962
National first-name rank
People counted
1.1K
1,055 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.3
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
85.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tej
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Tej is Asian/Pacific Islander at 85.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.6%) and White (3.4%). 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 Tej 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 Tej at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander85.7% · 904
- Two or more races7.6% · 80
- White3.4% · 36
- Black or African American1.7% · 18
- Hispanic or Latino1.3% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 3
Popularity
Tej: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Tej from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 254 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Tej remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Tej 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 Tej during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Tejs live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. California, New Jersey, Texas recorded the most babies named Tej, while New York, Illinois, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 18 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Tej
The name Tej has its origins in the Sanskrit language, tracing back to ancient India. It is derived from the word "teja," which means "radiance" or "splendor." The name carries a sense of brightness, glory, and brilliance.
In Hindu mythology, Tej is associated with the concept of tejas, which represents spiritual and intellectual energy or power. It is often used as a metaphor for the radiant aura or splendor that emanates from a divine or enlightened being.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Tej can be found in the ancient Hindu scriptures, such as the Vedas and the Upanishads, where it is mentioned in various contexts related to spiritual wisdom and divine radiance.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Tej. One of the earliest known examples is Tej Bahadur, an Indian warrior and military leader from the 17th century who fought against the Mughal Empire (1675-1705). His bravery and valor in battle earned him the epithet "Tej Bahadur," meaning "Radiant Brave One."
Another notable figure was Tej Singh (1713-1768), a prominent Rajput ruler and military commander from Rajasthan, India. He played a pivotal role in the struggle against the Maratha Empire and is remembered for his strategic leadership and valor.
In more recent times, Tej Bahadur Sapru (1875-1949) was an eminent Indian lawyer, jurist, and statesman who served as a member of the Viceroy's Executive Council and played a significant role in the Indian independence movement.
Tej Pratap Singh (1912-1960) was an Indian politician and socialist leader who actively participated in the Indian independence struggle and later served as a member of the Constituent Assembly of India.
Tej Bahadur Singh (1928-2018) was an Indian soldier and recipient of the Param Vir Chakra, India's highest military decoration, for his exceptional bravery and selfless actions during the Sino-Indian War of 1962.
The name Tej has been associated with individuals who have exhibited radiance, brilliance, and valor in various fields throughout history, reflecting the essence of its Sanskrit origin.
People
Tej + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tej 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
Tej: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tej?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 681 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tej 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 503,310 US residents.
Is Tej a common name?
We classify Tej as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 689 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tej most popular?
The single biggest year for Tej was 2011, when 33 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tej is about 17 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Tej in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,055 people with the name Tej, or 0.35 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #11,962 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 Tej 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 Tej?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Tej leans strongly male. 920 people counted with this name were male (86.7%), compared with 141 female bearers (13.3%). 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 Tej?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Tej is Asian/Pacific Islander at 85.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.6%) and White (3.4%). 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 Tej most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Tej in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.7% (904 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 Tej in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Tej a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Tej 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 Tej still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Tej 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 Tej 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 are named Tej?
Want to know how many people have the name Tej? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.