Tiam
An uncommon unisex given name of uncertain meaning and origins.
Name Census estimates that about 108 living Americans carry the first name Tiam. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Tiam today is around 7 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tiam births was 2022 (16 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tiam. 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 Tiam with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
108
~ 1 in 3,173,651 Americans
Peak year
2022
16 babies that year
Average age
7
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,848
Tracked since 2010
Popularity
Tiam: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Tiam from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 55 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
Tiam 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 Tiam during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Tiams live
Origin
Meaning and history of Tiam
The given name Tiam is believed to have originated from the ancient Khmer language, which is the primary language spoken in Cambodia. The name is thought to be derived from the Khmer word "tiam," meaning "dark" or "black." This suggests that the name may have been initially used to describe someone with darker skin complexion or dark hair color.
Tiam was a relatively common name among the Khmer people during the Angkor era, which spanned from the 9th to the 15th century. During this period, the Khmer Empire was a major power in Southeast Asia, and its influence extended over much of what is now Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, and parts of Vietnam.
The earliest known historical reference to the name Tiam can be found in the inscriptions of the Bayon temple complex, which was built in the late 12th or early 13th century. The inscriptions mention a person named Tiam who held a high-ranking position in the Khmer court.
In the 14th century, a renowned Khmer scholar and poet named Tiam Boran authored several literary works that have become part of the cultural heritage of Cambodia. Tiam Boran's poetry is still studied and celebrated in Cambodia today.
Another notable figure in Cambodian history was Tiam Korn, who lived in the late 16th or early 17th century. Tiam Korn was a skilled artisan and architect who is credited with designing and overseeing the construction of several significant temple complexes, including the Wat Phnom Penh, which is now a iconic landmark in the Cambodian capital.
In the 19th century, a Cambodian prince named Tiam Savang played a crucial role in the country's struggle against the encroaching French colonial forces. Tiam Savang led a rebellion against the French in the late 1860s and was eventually captured and executed in 1870.
Another notable individual with the name Tiam was Tiam Malai, a Cambodian revolutionary who fought against the French colonial regime in the early 20th century. Tiam Malai was born in 1887 and played a significant role in the Cambodian independence movement before being arrested and imprisoned by the French authorities.
While the name Tiam has its roots in the Khmer culture and language, it has also been adopted by other ethnic groups in Southeast Asia, particularly in Thailand and Laos, where it is sometimes spelled as "Tiem" or "Thiem."
People
Tiam + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tiam 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
Tiam: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tiam?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 108 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tiam 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 3,173,651 US residents.
Is Tiam a common name?
We classify Tiam as "Very Rare". It ranks above 65.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 109 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tiam most popular?
The single biggest year for Tiam was 2022, when 16 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tiam is about 7 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 Tiam in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Tiam a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Tiam in the SSA data are male. 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 Tiam still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Tiam 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 Tiam 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 are named Tiam?
Find out how many Americans are named Tiam on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.