Tela
Feminine form of Telo, derived from Greek telos (purpose or aim).
Name Census estimates that about 643 living Americans carry the first name Tela. It is a predominantly female name (99.0% of registrations). The average person named Tela today is around 39 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tela births was 1985 (45 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tela. 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
643
~ 1 in 533,055 Americans
Peak year
1985
45 babies that year
Average age
39
years old
1997 SSA rank
#8,022
Tracked since 1894
Gender
Gender distribution for Tela
Tela leans heavily female at 99.0% of total registrations, but 7 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Tela as a male name
- Ranked #8,022 in 1997
- 7 male births in 1997
- Peak: 1997 (7 births)
Tela as a female name
- Ranked #11,348 in 2018
- 9 female births in 2018
- Peak: 1985 (45 births)
Popularity
Tela: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Tela from the 1890s through to the 2010s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 195 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Tela 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 Tela during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Telas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Tela
The given name Tela has its origins rooted in ancient Sanskrit, one of the earliest known Indo-Aryan languages. Derived from the Sanskrit word "tela," which translates to "oil" or "ghee," this name was initially associated with individuals involved in the production or trade of these substances.
In ancient Hindu scriptures, such as the Vedas and Upanishads, the name Tela appears as a reference to the sacred oil used in religious ceremonies and rituals. This connection gives the name a spiritual connotation, often linked to purity and enlightenment.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Tela can be found in the ancient Indian epic, the Mahabharata, where a character named Tela plays a minor role. This epic is believed to have been composed between the 8th and 4th centuries BCE.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Tela. One such figure was Tela Desam (c. 1200 CE), a renowned Indian mathematician and astronomer from the Kakatiya dynasty, known for his contributions to the development of mathematical concepts and astronomical theories.
Another prominent bearer of the name was Tela Vennela (1650-1720), a Telugu poet and scholar from the Nayak dynasty of Madurai. Her literary works, particularly her poems on devotion and spirituality, have left a lasting impact on Telugu literature.
In the realm of art, Tela Cavanilles (1765-1840) was a Spanish painter and engraver known for his intricate botanical illustrations and his contributions to the field of plant taxonomy.
Tela Dozier (1909-1974), an American civil rights activist and educator, played a pivotal role in desegregating schools in the state of Alabama during the mid-20th century. Her tireless efforts and dedication to equal education rights have left a lasting legacy.
Lastly, Tela Chajkovas (1941-2018), a Lithuanian basketball player and coach, achieved great success on the international stage, leading the Soviet Union national team to numerous victories and championships during the 1960s and 1970s.
People
Tela + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tela 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
Tela: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tela?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 643 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tela 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 533,055 US residents.
Is Tela a common name?
We classify Tela as "Very Rare". It ranks above 86.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 700 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tela most popular?
The single biggest year for Tela was 1985, when 45 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tela is about 39 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Tela a female name?
Yes, 99.0% of people registered as Tela 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.