Tennia
A feminine name of unknown origin, possibly derived from "tennis".
Name Census estimates that about 32 living Americans carry the first name Tennia. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Tennia today is around 52 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tennia births was 1965 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tennia. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Tennia. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
32
~ 1 in 10,711,073 Americans
Peak year
1965
7 babies that year
Average age
52
years old
1985 SSA rank
#10,577
Tracked since 1964
Popularity
Tennia: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Tennia from the 1960s through to the 1980s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 13 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
Tennia 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 Tennia 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 Tennia
The name Tennia is believed to have its origins in the ancient Germanic languages, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the 5th century CE. The name is thought to be derived from the Proto-Germanic root "tenni," which means "strength" or "endurance." This root is also found in other Germanic names such as Tenny and Tennison.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name Tennia was a Frankish noblewoman who lived in the late 5th century. Historical records mention her as a prominent figure in the court of the Merovingian king Clovis I. Unfortunately, not much is known about her life beyond her name and position.
In the 8th century, a Benedictine monk named Tennia is recorded as having lived in the Monastery of St. Gall, located in present-day Switzerland. He was known for his scholarly pursuits and his contributions to the monastery's library.
During the High Middle Ages, the name Tennia gained some popularity among the nobility in parts of what is now Germany and the Low Countries. One notable figure was Tennia von Anhalt, a 13th-century noblewoman from the House of Ascania, who served as the Abbess of the Quedlinburg Abbey from 1218 to 1252.
In the 15th century, a German artist and engraver named Tennia Formschneider gained recognition for his intricate woodcut illustrations, which were often used to decorate books and religious texts of the time.
Another historical figure with the name Tennia was a 16th-century Scottish theologian and scholar named Tennia Buchanan. Born in 1506, he played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation in Scotland and was a vocal critic of the Catholic Church's practices.
While the name Tennia has been relatively uncommon throughout history, it has been borne by individuals from various backgrounds and occupations, reflecting the diverse cultural influences that have shaped its evolution and meaning over the centuries.
People
Tennia + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tennia 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
Tennia: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tennia?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 32 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tennia 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 10,711,073 US residents.
Is Tennia a common name?
We classify Tennia as "Very Rare". It ranks above 47.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 36 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tennia most popular?
The single biggest year for Tennia was 1965, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tennia is about 52 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Tennia in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Tennia a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Tennia 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 Tennia still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Tennia 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 Tennia 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How common is the name Tennia?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people share the name Tennia at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.