Tige
A French name meaning "stalk" or "stem" of a plant.
Name Census estimates that about 308 living Americans carry the first name Tige. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Tige today is around 49 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tige births was 1972 (41 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tige. 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.
People living today
308
~ 1 in 1,112,839 Americans
Peak year
1972
41 babies that year
Average age
49
years old
2008 SSA rank
#14,399
Tracked since 1969
Popularity
Tige: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Tige from the 1960s through to the 2000s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 244 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Tige 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 Tige during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Tiges live
Origin
Meaning and history of Tige
The given name Tige is believed to have originated from the Old French word "tige", which means "stem" or "stalk". This name likely emerged during the Middle Ages, around the 11th or 12th century, in regions where Old French was spoken, such as present-day France, Belgium, and parts of Switzerland.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Tige can be found in the 13th-century French epic poem "Le Roman de la Rose", where a character named Tige is mentioned. This literary reference suggests that the name was in use during that time period.
In the 15th century, a French nobleman named Tige de Vaucouleurs was recorded as a participant in the Hundred Years' War between England and France. His name, which translates to "Tige of Vaucouleurs", indicates that the name was still in use among the nobility in that era.
Moving forward to the 16th century, a French explorer named Tige de la Roche is documented as being part of an expedition to the Gulf of St. Lawrence in present-day Canada. This historical figure demonstrates the continued use of the name Tige in that period.
In the 17th century, a prominent Dutch philosopher and mathematician named Tige van Schooten (1619-1659) made significant contributions to the field of geometry. His name, which combines the Dutch "van" (meaning "of") with the French "Tige", reflects the cross-cultural influence and spread of the name.
Another notable figure was Tige de Montpellier (1760-1828), a French botanist and naturalist who made important discoveries and contributions to the study of plants. His name further solidifies the connection between the name Tige and nature, stemming from its original meaning of "stem" or "stalk".
While the name Tige may not be as common today as it once was, its rich history and linguistic origins in Old French provide a fascinating glimpse into the evolution of names and their cultural significance over time.
People
Tige + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tige 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
Tige: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tige?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 308 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tige 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 1,112,839 US residents.
Is Tige a common name?
We classify Tige as "Very Rare". It ranks above 79.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 333 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tige most popular?
The single biggest year for Tige was 1972, when 41 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tige is about 49 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Tige a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Tige 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.
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.