Tierza
A Modern Spanish feminine name meaning "third".
Name Census estimates that about 45 living Americans carry the first name Tierza. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Tierza today is around 30 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tierza births was 1995 (9 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tierza. 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 Tierza. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
45
~ 1 in 7,616,763 Americans
Peak year
1995
9 babies that year
Average age
30
years old
2010 SSA rank
#19,603
Tracked since 1980
Popularity
Tierza: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Tierza from the 1980s through to the 2010s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 29 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Tierza 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 Tierza 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 Tierza
The name Tierza originates from the ancient Etruscan language, which was spoken by the Etruscan civilization that flourished in what is now modern-day Italy between the 8th and 3rd centuries BC. The name is derived from the Etruscan word "tierza," which means "third" or "thrice."
In Etruscan culture, the number three held significant symbolic value, often representing the divine triad of the underworld, the earth, and the heavens. The name Tierza was likely given to children born as the third child in a family, or to those born on the third day of the month, as these were considered auspicious occasions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Tierza can be found in the Etruscan inscriptions discovered in the necropolis of Cerveteri, a UNESCO World Heritage site located in the province of Rome. These inscriptions date back to the 6th century BC and include the name Tierza inscribed on several funerary urns and sarcophagi.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Tierza. In the 3rd century AD, Tierza was the name of a Roman noblewoman known for her patronage of the arts and her involvement in the early Christian community. Another Tierza was a renowned physician in the court of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I (482-565 AD), renowned for her expertise in treating infectious diseases.
During the Renaissance period, Tierza Farnese (1497-1537) was an Italian noblewoman and patron of the arts, who commissioned several notable works of art, including paintings by Raphael and sculptures by Michelangelo. She was also a prominent figure in the Catholic Church and played a significant role in the Counter-Reformation.
In the 17th century, Tierza Gonzaga (1628-1692) was an Italian princess and composer, known for her contributions to the development of opera and sacred music. Her compositions were highly regarded and performed in courts across Europe.
More recently, Tierza Rossi (1878-1946) was an Italian-American artist and sculptor, known for her works depicting scenes from Italian-American life in New York City. Her sculptures can be found in various public spaces and museums throughout the United States.
While the name Tierza has its roots in ancient Etruscan culture, it has been carried through the centuries by individuals from diverse backgrounds and professions, each leaving their mark on history through their achievements and contributions to society.
People
Tierza + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tierza 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
Tierza: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tierza?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 45 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tierza 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 7,616,763 US residents.
Is Tierza a common name?
We classify Tierza as "Very Rare". It ranks above 52.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 46 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tierza most popular?
The single biggest year for Tierza was 1995, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tierza is about 30 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 Tierza in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Tierza a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Tierza 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 Tierza still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Tierza 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 Tierza 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 Americans are named Tierza?
See how many people share the name Tierza on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.