Tene
A feminine given name meaning "graceful, tender" in Hawaiian.
Name Census estimates that about 300 living Americans carry the first name Tene. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Tene today is around 44 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tene births was 1972 (30 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tene. 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
300
~ 1 in 1,142,514 Americans
Peak year
1972
30 babies that year
Average age
44
years old
2006 SSA rank
#19,810
Tracked since 1971
Popularity
Tene: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Tene from the 1970s through to the 2000s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 178 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Tene 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 Tene during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Tenes live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. New York, Michigan, Illinois recorded the most babies named Tene, while Illinois, Michigan, New York recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 17 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Tene
The name Tene has its origins in the Mapuche language, spoken by the indigenous Mapuche people of south-central Chile and southwestern Argentina. It is believed to have emerged as a given name around the 16th century, during the time of the Spanish conquest of the Americas.
Tene is derived from the Mapuche word "tenten," which means "to shine" or "to be resplendent." It was likely given as a name to signify brightness, radiance, or a person's ability to illuminate others. In Mapuche culture, names often held deep symbolic meaning and were closely tied to the natural world.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Tene can be found in the writings of Alonso de Ercilla y Zúñiga, a Spanish soldier and poet who chronicled the Arauco War between the Spanish conquistadors and the Mapuche people in the 16th century. In his epic poem "La Araucana," Ercilla mentions a Mapuche warrior named Tene, suggesting the name was in use among the Mapuche at that time.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Tene. One example is Tene Waitere (1854-1931), a prominent Māori leader and advocate for land rights in New Zealand. Waitere played a crucial role in the negotiations and legal battles surrounding the Waitangi Tribunal, which aimed to address historical grievances and land claims of the Māori people.
Another historical figure with the name Tene is Tene Masiha (1877-1947), an Indian Christian evangelist and social reformer. Masiha dedicated his life to spreading Christianity and advocating for the rights of marginalized communities in India, particularly the Dalit (formerly known as "untouchables") and other oppressed groups.
In the realm of literature, Tene Molinet (1412-1507) was a French poet and composer who served as the official court poet to King Louis XII of France. Molinet's works, including his allegorical poems and theatrical pieces, were highly regarded during the Renaissance period.
Lastly, Tene Waitere Hoeata (1940-2003) was a notable Māori artist and sculptor from New Zealand. Hoeata's work, which often featured traditional Māori motifs and themes, was widely celebrated and can be found in numerous public collections and galleries throughout New Zealand.
It is worth noting that while the name Tene may have fallen out of widespread use in recent times, its historical roots and cultural significance among the Mapuche people and other indigenous communities remain an important part of its legacy.
People
Tene + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tene 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
Tene: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tene?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 300 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tene 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 1,142,514 US residents.
Is Tene a common name?
We classify Tene as "Very Rare". It ranks above 79.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 324 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tene most popular?
The single biggest year for Tene was 1972, when 30 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tene is about 44 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Tene a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Tene 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.