NameCensus.
Rare

Tinley

A feminine name of disputed origin, possibly from an English surname.

Name Census estimates that about 3,571 living Americans carry the first name Tinley. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Tinley today is around 10 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tinley births was 2016 (358 babies).

This page is the full Name Census profile for Tinley. 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

  • Tinley is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 10 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.

People living today

3.6K

~ 1 in 95,983 Americans

Peak year

2016

358 babies that year

Average age

10

years old

2024 SSA rank

#2,358

Tracked since 2002

Popularity

Tinley: popularity over time

The SSA tracks Tinley from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 2,710 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.

Babies born per year

0901792693582005201020152020

Decades

Tinley 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 Tinley during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.

DecadeMaleFemaleTotal
2000s0189189
2010s02,7102,710
2020s0699699

Geography

Where Tinleys live

The SSA's state-level files cover 32 states and territories. Texas, Illinois, Indiana recorded the most babies named Tinley, while Montana, Pennsylvania, West Virginia recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 88 registrations each.

Origin

Meaning and history of Tinley

The name Tinley originates from Old English and is a diminutive form of the name Tynley, which itself is a locational surname derived from the place name Tinley or Tynley, a village in Hertfordshire, England. The village's name is believed to come from the Old English words "tun" meaning "farm" or "enclosure" and "leah" meaning "clearing" or "meadow."

In its earliest recorded usage, the name Tinley was primarily found in the English counties of Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, and Buckinghamshire, where the village of the same name was located. The first documented instance of the name Tinley dates back to the 13th century, with records showing individuals named Tinley residing in these areas.

One of the earliest known historical figures with the name Tinley was Sir John Tinley, a prominent landowner and knight who lived in Hertfordshire during the 14th century. He was a member of the local gentry and played a role in the governance of the county during his lifetime.

In the 16th century, a notable figure named Tinley was William Tinley, a merchant and trader who was involved in the burgeoning English trade with the Americas. He was born in Buckinghamshire in 1532 and is recorded as having made several voyages to the West Indies and the American colonies.

Another historical figure with the name Tinley was Robert Tinley, a Puritan minister who lived in the 17th century. He was born in Bedfordshire in 1620 and served as a minister in several parishes in the region. He was known for his sermons and writings, which reflected the Puritan beliefs of the time.

In the 18th century, a man named Thomas Tinley gained recognition as a skilled clockmaker and watchmaker in London. He was born in Hertfordshire in 1712 and established a successful business in the city, creating timepieces that were highly regarded for their craftsmanship and accuracy.

Moving into the 19th century, a notable figure with the name Tinley was Emily Tinley, an English author and poet who was born in Buckinghamshire in 1825. She published several collections of poetry and was known for her romantic and naturalistic themes. Her works were well-received during her lifetime and contributed to the literary culture of the Victorian era.

While the name Tinley has its roots in Old English and was most prevalent in certain regions of England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, carried by individuals with English ancestry or those who have adopted the name for various reasons.

People

Tinley + last name combinations

How many people share a full name with Tinley 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

Tinley: questions and answers

How many people in the U.S. are named Tinley?

Name Census puts the figure at roughly 3,571 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tinley 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 95,983 US residents.

Is Tinley a common name?

We classify Tinley as "Rare". It ranks above 95.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 3,598 babies have been registered with this name.

When was Tinley most popular?

The single biggest year for Tinley was 2016, when 358 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tinley is about 10 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.

Is Tinley a female name?

Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Tinley 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.

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.

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