Tekoa
A name of Hebrew origin meaning "to strike or pitch camp".
Name Census estimates that about 302 living Americans carry the first name Tekoa. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 51.8% of registrations being male. The average person named Tekoa today is around 23 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tekoa births was 2023 (24 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tekoa. 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
302
~ 1 in 1,134,948 Americans
Peak year
2023
24 babies that year
Average age
23
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,404
Tracked since 1972
Gender
Gender distribution for Tekoa
Tekoa is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 311 total registrations, 161 (51.8%) were male and 150 (48.2%) were female.
Tekoa as a male name
- Ranked #5,404 in 2024
- 18 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2023 (24 births)
Tekoa as a female name
- Ranked #20,204 in 2008
- 5 female births in 2008
- Peak: 1978 (12 births)
Popularity
Tekoa: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Tekoa from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 68 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Tekoa 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 Tekoa 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 Tekoa
The name Tekoa has its origins in the Hebrew language and culture, dating back to ancient times. It is believed to be derived from the Hebrew word "tekoa," which means "trumpet" or "trumpet blast." The name is also associated with the biblical town of Tekoa, located in the Judean Desert, about 10 miles south of Jerusalem.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Tekoa can be found in the Bible. In the Book of 2 Samuel, there is a mention of a wise woman from Tekoa who intervened in a dispute between King David and his son Absalom. This woman is often referred to as the "Wise Woman of Tekoa" and is believed to have lived around the 10th century BC.
Another notable figure associated with the name Tekoa is Amos, a prophet from the town of Tekoa mentioned in the Bible. Amos was a shepherd and fig farmer who lived during the 8th century BC and is known for his prophecies and teachings recorded in the Book of Amos.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Tekoa. One of the earliest recorded examples is Tekoa, a king of the Hittite city-state of Kizzuwatna, who lived around 1500 BC. Another notable figure is Tekoa, a Judean leader and military commander mentioned in the Book of Nehemiah, who lived in the 5th century BC.
In more recent times, Tekoa was the name of a prominent Native American chief of the Catawba people, who lived in the early 19th century and is known for his efforts to preserve his tribe's lands and culture.
Some other notable individuals named Tekoa include:
1. Tekoa Masters (1808-1888), an American lawyer and politician from New York.
2. Tekoa Graves (1876-1952), an American baseball player who played in the early 20th century.
3. Tekoa Pourie (1917-2003), a New Zealand artist and sculptor known for her works depicting Maori culture.
4. Tekoa Tanginoa (born 1990), a professional rugby league player from New Zealand.
5. Tekoa Smith (born 1986), an American basketball player who played in the WNBA.
While the name Tekoa has its roots in ancient Hebrew and biblical times, it has been used across various cultures and time periods, often associated with notable figures and historical events.
People
Tekoa + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tekoa 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
Tekoa: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tekoa?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 302 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tekoa 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 1,134,948 US residents.
Is Tekoa a common name?
We classify Tekoa as "Very Rare". It ranks above 79.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 311 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tekoa most popular?
The single biggest year for Tekoa was 2023, when 24 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tekoa is about 23 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Tekoa a male name?
Yes, 51.8% of people registered as Tekoa 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.
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.