Tish
A diminutive form of the feminine name Letitia, derived from Latin meaning "joy or gladness".
Name Census estimates that about 652 living Americans carry the first name Tish. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Tish today is around 59 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tish births was 1971 (63 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tish. 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
652
~ 1 in 525,697 Americans
Peak year
1971
63 babies that year
Average age
59
years old
1988 SSA rank
#13,750
Tracked since 1938
Popularity
Tish: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Tish from the 1930s through to the 1980s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 283 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
Tish 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 Tish during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Tishs live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. California, Texas, Ohio recorded the most babies named Tish, while Florida, Ohio, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 21 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Tish
The name Tish is a diminutive form of the name Letitia, which has its roots in the Latin name Laetitia. Laetitia was a Roman name derived from the Latin word "laetitia," meaning joy or gladness. The name first gained popularity in ancient Rome, where it was given to girls as a symbol of happiness and joy.
The earliest recorded use of the name Letitia can be traced back to the 4th century AD, when it was mentioned in the writings of early Christian scholars. One notable example is St. Letitia, a 4th-century Roman martyr who was venerated for her faith and courage in the face of persecution.
During the Middle Ages, the name Letitia fell out of favor in most parts of Europe but remained in use in certain regions, particularly in France and Italy. It was during this period that the diminutive form Tish emerged as a nickname.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Tish can be found in the 12th century, when it was used by a French noblewoman named Tish de Montfort. In the 16th century, the name gained some prominence in England, where it was used by Tish Howard, a member of the influential Howard family.
Over the centuries, several notable figures have borne the name Tish. These include Tish Sommers (1917-2005), an American actress and singer; Tish Hinojosa (born 1955), a Mexican-American singer-songwriter; and Tish Cyrus (born 1967), an American actress and the mother of pop star Miley Cyrus.
In literature, the name Tish has been used for various characters, including Tish Carbury, a character in Anthony Trollope's novel "The Way We Live Now," and Tish Kilnam, a character in the Tish adventure novel series by Mary Roberts Rinehart.
While the name Tish may have its origins in the Latin Laetitia, it has evolved over time to take on a distinct identity of its own, becoming a beloved and enduring name in its own right.
People
Tish + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tish 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
Tish: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tish?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 652 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tish 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 525,697 US residents.
Is Tish a common name?
We classify Tish as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 797 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tish most popular?
The single biggest year for Tish was 1971, when 63 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tish is about 59 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Tish a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Tish 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.