Tenille
A feminine name of French origin meaning "butterfly".
Name Census estimates that about 935 living Americans carry the first name Tenille. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Tenille today is around 41 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tenille births was 1976 (124 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tenille. 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
935
~ 1 in 366,582 Americans
Peak year
1976
124 babies that year
Average age
41
years old
2024 SSA rank
#12,014
Tracked since 1975
Census
Tenille in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 873 people with the first name Tenille, which placed it at #13,725 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
#13,725
National first-name rank
People counted
873
873 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.3
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
44.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tenille
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Tenille is White at 44.3%. The next largest groups are Black (41.0%) and Hispanic (6.8%). 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 Tenille 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 Tenille at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White44.3% · 387
- Black or African American41.0% · 358
- Hispanic or Latino6.8% · 59
- Two or more races5.5% · 48
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.5% · 13
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 8
Popularity
Tenille: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Tenille from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 399 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
Tenille 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 Tenille during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Tenilles live
The SSA's state-level files cover 14 states and territories. Illinois, California, New York recorded the most babies named Tenille, while New Mexico, Missouri, Indiana recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 16 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Tenille
The name Tenille originated from the French language, derived from the word "tenille," which means "plant fiber" or "coarse cloth." Its earliest recorded use can be traced back to the Middle Ages, around the 12th century, when it was commonly used as a surname in regions of northern France.
During the Renaissance period, the name Tenille gained popularity among the French nobility, particularly in the regions of Normandy and Brittany. It was often associated with families involved in the textile industry or those who worked with plant fibers, reflecting the name's etymological roots.
One of the earliest recorded instances of Tenille as a given name dates back to the late 16th century, when Tenille de Montfort (1570-1638), a French noblewoman from Normandy, gained recognition for her philanthropic efforts and support for local artisans.
In the 17th century, the name Tenille gained prominence with the birth of Tenille de Beauvoir (1608-1673), a French philosopher and writer who was one of the earliest advocates for women's education. Her influential works on ethics and feminism made her a notable figure during the Age of Enlightenment.
Another notable historical figure bearing the name Tenille was Tenille d'Arcy (1725-1798), a French botanist and horticulturist who made significant contributions to the study of plant species native to the Caribbean islands. Her extensive research and cataloging of tropical flora earned her recognition from the French Academy of Sciences.
In the 19th century, Tenille Delacroix (1842-1915), a French painter and sculptor, gained fame for her striking portraits and allegorical works. Her masterpiece, "The Triumph of Liberty," is a celebrated mural adorning the walls of the Palais Garnier in Paris.
Moving into the 20th century, Tenille Mercier (1901-1987) was a renowned French actress and singer who captivated audiences with her performances on stage and in numerous films. Her portrayal of iconic French literary characters, such as Madame Bovary, earned her critical acclaim and numerous awards.
While the name Tenille has French origins, it has also been adopted in various other cultures and regions over time, with variations in spelling and pronunciation. However, its connection to the world of textiles, plants, and artistry has remained a common thread throughout its historical journey.
People
Tenille + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tenille 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
Tenille: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tenille?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 935 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tenille 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 366,582 US residents.
Is Tenille a common name?
We classify Tenille as "Very Rare". It ranks above 89.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 998 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tenille most popular?
The single biggest year for Tenille was 1976, when 124 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tenille is about 41 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Tenille in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 873 people with the name Tenille, or 0.29 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #13,725 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 Tenille 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 Tenille?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Tenille leans strongly female. 865 people counted with this name were female (99.0%), compared with 9 male bearers (1.0%). 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 Tenille?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Tenille is White at 44.3%. The next largest groups are Black (41.0%) and Hispanic (6.8%). 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 Tenille most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Tenille in the 2020 Census, accounting for 44.3% (387 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 Tenille in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Tenille a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Tenille 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.
Is Tenille still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Tenille 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 Tenille 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 called Tenille?
Find out how many people share the name Tenille on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.