Thanna
Of Tibetan origin, a feminine given name meaning "highest peak".
Name Census estimates that about 7 living Americans carry the first name Thanna. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Thanna today is around 85 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Thanna births was 1939 (17 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Thanna. 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
- • The typical person named Thanna is about 85 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Thannas were born before 1951.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Thanna. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
7
~ 1 in 48,964,905 Americans
Peak year
1939
17 babies that year
Average age
85
years old
1942 SSA rank
#5,304
Tracked since 1939
Popularity
Thanna: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Thanna from the 1930s through to the 1940s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1930s, with 17 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1930s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Thanna 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 Thanna 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 Thanna
The name Thanna is believed to have its origins in the ancient Sanskrit language, tracing back to around the 2nd century BCE in the Indian subcontinent. It is derived from the word "thana," which means "place" or "abode." In Hindu mythology, it is associated with the concept of a sacred or holy site.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Thanna can be found in the Puranas, a vast collection of ancient Hindu texts that detail various aspects of Hindu mythology, cosmology, and philosophy. The name appears in the context of describing sacred places of worship and pilgrimage.
In the 5th century CE, a renowned Hindu philosopher and scholar named Thanna Bhatta was widely recognized for his contributions to the study of grammar and linguistics. His works on grammar and syntax were highly influential during his time and continue to be studied by scholars of Sanskrit literature.
During the medieval period, the name Thanna gained prominence in parts of South India, particularly in the regions of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. It was often bestowed upon individuals who lived near or were associated with prominent temples or sacred sites.
In the 16th century, Thanna Pillai, a Tamil poet and scholar from the Vijayanagar Empire, gained recognition for his literary works, which celebrated the rich culture and traditions of the region. His compositions were widely appreciated and continue to be studied by scholars of Tamil literature.
Another notable figure bearing the name Thanna was Thanna Malvilli, a 17th-century Sanskrit scholar and poet from the Malabar region of present-day Kerala. He was renowned for his mastery of the Sanskrit language and his contributions to the field of poetry and literature.
Throughout history, the name Thanna has been associated with individuals who have made significant contributions to various fields, including religion, philosophy, literature, and scholarship. While its usage may have varied across different regions and time periods, it has remained a name with deep cultural and historical significance in many parts of the Indian subcontinent.
People
Thanna + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Thanna 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
Thanna: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Thanna?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 7 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Thanna 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 48,964,905 US residents.
Is Thanna a common name?
We classify Thanna as "Very Rare". It ranks above 23.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 22 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Thanna most popular?
The single biggest year for Thanna was 1939, when 17 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Thanna is about 85 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 Thanna in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Thanna a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Thanna 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 Thanna still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Thanna 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 Thanna 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 have Thanna as a first name?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.