Tiona
A feminine name of Greek origin meaning "flower".
Name Census estimates that about 1,292 living Americans carry the first name Tiona. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Tiona today is around 31 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tiona births was 1993 (74 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tiona. 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
1.3K
~ 1 in 265,290 Americans
Peak year
1993
74 babies that year
Average age
31
years old
2022 SSA rank
#15,136
Tracked since 1967
Popularity
Tiona: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Tiona from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 450 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
Tiona 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 Tiona during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Tionas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 10 states and territories. California, Pennsylvania, Florida recorded the most babies named Tiona, while Texas, Illinois, Tennessee recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 14 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Tiona
The name Tiona has its linguistic origins in the Gaelic language, specifically the Irish branch of the Celtic Goidelic languages. It is believed to have emerged as a feminine variant of the name Tadhg, which itself is derived from the old Irish word "tadg," meaning "poet" or "philosopher." The earliest recorded use of the name Tiona dates back to the 16th century in Ireland.
While the name's exact etymology is not entirely clear, it is thought to be connected to the ancient Irish mythological figure Tadhg mac Nuadat, a character from the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. This cycle of tales and legends, which dates back to the 8th century, played a significant role in shaping Irish culture and storytelling traditions.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Tiona was Tiona O'Doherty, an Irish noblewoman who lived in the late 16th century. She was a member of the influential O'Doherty clan and played a role in the political and social landscape of Ireland during a tumultuous period of English colonization and conflict.
In the 17th century, Tiona O'Callaghan, born in 1620, was a notable figure in the Irish Rebellion of 1641. She was a member of the Old English gentry and participated in the uprising against English rule, highlighting the name's association with Ireland's struggle for independence.
Another noteworthy figure was Tiona MacCarthy, born in 1735, who was a prominent Irish poet and songwriter during the 18th century. Her works celebrated Irish culture and traditions, reflecting the enduring influence of the name's Celtic roots.
In the 19th century, Tiona O'Shaughnessy, born in 1822, was a renowned Irish harpist and music teacher. She played a significant role in preserving and promoting traditional Irish music, further solidifying the name's connection to Irish heritage and artistic expression.
Tiona O'Reilly, born in 1892, was a pioneering Irish feminist and political activist who fought for women's rights and Irish independence during the early 20th century. Her life and work showcased the name's enduring presence in Irish society and its association with progressive ideals.
People
Tiona + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tiona 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
Tiona: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tiona?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,292 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tiona 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 265,290 US residents.
Is Tiona a common name?
We classify Tiona as "Rare". It ranks above 91.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,341 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tiona most popular?
The single biggest year for Tiona was 1993, when 74 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tiona is about 31 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Tiona a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Tiona 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.