Testimony
A feminine name derived from Latin meaning "evidence" or "proof".
Name Census estimates that about 33 living Americans carry the first name Testimony. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 84.8% of registrations being female. The average person named Testimony today is around 8 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Testimony births was 2017 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Testimony. 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 Testimony with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Testimony. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
33
~ 1 in 10,386,495 Americans
Peak year
2017
8 babies that year
Average age
8
years old
2019 SSA rank
#12,040
Tracked since 2016
Gender
Gender distribution for Testimony
Testimony leans heavily female at 84.8% of total registrations, but 5 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Testimony as a male name
- Ranked #13,922 in 2019
- 5 male births in 2019
- Peak: 2019 (5 births)
Testimony as a female name
- Ranked #12,040 in 2020
- 8 female births in 2020
- Peak: 2017 (8 births)
Popularity
Testimony: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Testimony from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 25 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Testimony remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Testimony 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 Testimony 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 Testimony
The given name Testimony is a modern English name derived from the noun "testimony," which means "a solemn declaration or affirmation made for the purpose of establishing or proving some fact." The name is not of ancient origin and does not have a direct equivalent in other languages or cultures.
Testimony as a given name emerged in the late 20th century, likely inspired by the religious and spiritual connotations of the word. It may have been chosen by parents who wished to express their faith or gratitude for a child's birth, seeing the child as a testament or witness to their beliefs.
One of the earliest recorded instances of Testimony as a given name is Testimony Adisa, a Nigerian-American actress born in 1984. Another early bearer of the name is Testimony Akavi, a Nigerian author and entrepreneur born in 1987.
A notable historical figure with the first name Testimony is Testimony Onanuga (1907-1977), a Nigerian educator and politician who served as a member of the Western Region House of Assembly in the 1950s.
Testimony Bolton, born in 1979, is an American gospel singer and songwriter. She is known for her collaborations with Kirk Franklin and has released several solo albums.
Testimony Young, born in 1989, is a professional basketball player from the United States. She played college basketball at Florida State University and has played professionally in several countries, including Spain and Israel.
While Testimony is a relatively uncommon name, it has been used by individuals from various backgrounds, perhaps as a way to express the significance of their beliefs, experiences, or personal journeys.
People
Testimony + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Testimony 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
Testimony: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Testimony?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 33 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Testimony 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 10,386,495 US residents.
Is Testimony a common name?
We classify Testimony as "Very Rare". It ranks above 48% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 33 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Testimony most popular?
The single biggest year for Testimony was 2017, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Testimony is about 8 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 Testimony in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Testimony a female name?
Yes, 84.8% of people registered as Testimony 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 Testimony still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Testimony 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 Testimony 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 many people share the name Testimony?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.