Teniola
A feminine Nigerian name combining elements meaning "bearing wealth" or "walking with wealth".
Name Census estimates that about 192 living Americans carry the first name Teniola. It is a predominantly female name (94.8% of registrations). The average person named Teniola today is around 13 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Teniola births was 2018 (18 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Teniola. 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 Teniola with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
192
~ 1 in 1,785,179 Americans
Peak year
2018
18 babies that year
Average age
13
years old
2018 SSA rank
#13,872
Tracked since 1997
Census
Teniola in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 277 people with the first name Teniola, which placed it at #31,090 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
#31,090
National first-name rank
People counted
277
277 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
99.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Teniola
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Teniola is Black at 99.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.4%). 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 Teniola 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 Teniola at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American99.6% · 276
- Two or more races0.4% · 1
Gender
Gender distribution for Teniola
Teniola leans heavily female at 94.8% of total registrations, but 10 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Teniola as a male name
- Ranked #13,872 in 2018
- 5 male births in 2018
- Peak: 2011 (5 births)
Teniola as a female name
- Ranked #17,392 in 2024
- 5 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2013 (15 births)
2020 Census snapshot
The 2020 Census sex table shows Teniola on both sides of the split. Of the 279 people counted with this name, 63 were male (22.6%) and 216 were female (77.4%).
Popularity
Teniola: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Teniola from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 107 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Teniola remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Teniola 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 Teniola during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Teniolas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Teniola
The name Teniola is of Yoruba origin, an ethnic group native to southwestern Nigeria and the surrounding region. It is a compound name formed by combining the words "Teni" and "Ola." In the Yoruba language, "Teni" means "to acquire wealth," while "Ola" signifies "honor" or "respect." Therefore, the name Teniola can be interpreted as "one who acquires wealth and honor."
Historically, the Yoruba people have a rich cultural heritage that dates back centuries, and their naming traditions are deeply rooted in their beliefs and values. Names often carry significant meanings and are chosen to reflect the hopes and aspirations of the parents for their child.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Teniola are found in historical documents and oral traditions from the Yoruba region, although pinpointing the exact origin is challenging due to the scarcity of written records from ancient times.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Teniola. One such figure was Teniola Adeaga, a renowned Yoruba warrior and military leader from the 18th century. He was known for his bravery and strategic prowess in defending his kingdom against invaders.
Another prominent Teniola was Teniola Akinsemoyin, a respected Yoruba chief and diplomat who played a crucial role in negotiating peace treaties between warring factions in the 19th century. His diplomatic skills and wisdom helped prevent escalating conflicts and preserve the region's stability.
In the realm of arts and culture, Teniola Adeleke was a celebrated Yoruba poet and storyteller in the early 20th century. Her works were renowned for their vivid imagery, captivating narratives, and preservation of Yoruba folklore and traditions.
Teniola Ogunlesi, born in 1935, was a pioneering Nigerian educator and advocate for women's rights. She dedicated her life to promoting education and empowering women, leaving a lasting impact on the communities she served.
Lastly, Teniola Adeshina, born in 1962, is a prominent Nigerian businessman and entrepreneur. He has made significant contributions to the country's economic development through his successful ventures and investments in various industries.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who carried the name Teniola throughout history, each leaving their mark in their respective fields and contributing to the rich tapestry of Yoruba culture and society.
People
Teniola + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Teniola 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
Teniola: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Teniola?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 192 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Teniola 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 1,785,179 US residents.
Is Teniola a common name?
We classify Teniola as "Very Rare". It ranks above 73.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 194 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Teniola most popular?
The single biggest year for Teniola was 2018, when 18 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Teniola is about 13 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Teniola in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 277 people with the name Teniola, or 0.09 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #31,090 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 Teniola 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 Teniola?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Teniola on both sides of the split. Of the 279 people counted with this name, 63 were male (22.6%) and 216 were female (77.4%). 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 Teniola?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Teniola is Black at 99.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.4%). 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 Teniola most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Teniola in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.6% (276 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 Teniola in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Teniola a female name?
Yes, 94.8% of people registered as Teniola 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 Teniola still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Teniola 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 Teniola 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 have the name Teniola?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.