Toa
A Polynesian name meaning "warrior" or "brave fighter".
Name Census estimates that about 151 living Americans carry the first name Toa. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Toa today is around 10 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Toa births was 2016 (14 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Toa. 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
151
~ 1 in 2,269,896 Americans
Peak year
2016
14 babies that year
Average age
10
years old
2024 SSA rank
#7,667
Tracked since 2006
Census
Toa in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 315 people with the first name Toa, which placed it at #28,488 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#28,488
National first-name rank
People counted
315
315 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
59.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Toa
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Toa is Asian/Pacific Islander at 59.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (18.1%) and Hispanic (14.0%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Toa described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Toa at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander59.7% · 188
- Two or more races18.1% · 57
- Hispanic or Latino14.0% · 44
- White4.1% · 13
- Black or African American3.5% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 2
Popularity
Toa: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Toa 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 79 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Toa remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Toa 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 Toa during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Toas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Toa
The name Toa has its origins in the Polynesian languages, particularly in Samoan and Tongan. It is derived from the Proto-Polynesian word "to'a," which means "brave" or "fearless." The name Toa has been in use since ancient times in these Polynesian cultures, reflecting the importance of courage and strength in their warrior traditions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Toa can be found in the Tongan oral traditions and legends. In these stories, Toa was often used as a descriptive term for brave warriors and chieftains who displayed exceptional valor on the battlefield or in times of crisis.
The name Toa also appears in various Polynesian creation myths and religious texts. In the Samoan creation story, Toa is mentioned as one of the primordial beings responsible for shaping the world. This association with the divine realm further solidifies the name's connection to strength and power.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals bearing the name Toa. One of the most famous was Toa Naupoto, a celebrated Samoan chief who lived in the late 18th century. He was known for his military prowess and his role in unifying various Samoan villages under his leadership.
Another significant figure was Toa Rangatira, a revered Maori chief from New Zealand in the early 19th century. He played a crucial role in facilitating peaceful relations between the Maori tribes and the European settlers during the early stages of colonization.
In the realm of sports, Toa Filipo (born 1984) is a notable Samoan-born rugby union player who has represented both Samoa and New Zealand at the international level. His name, Toa, reflects the physical strength and resilience required in the sport.
In the arts, Toa Greening (born 1961) is a celebrated Hawaiian musician and composer known for his contributions to the contemporary Hawaiian music scene. His name honors his Polynesian heritage and the cultural importance of music in these island communities.
Another noteworthy individual was Toa Nairai (1920-2001), a renowned Tahitian artist and sculptor who played a significant role in preserving and promoting traditional Polynesian art forms. His name, Toa, reflected the strength and resilience needed to keep these cultural traditions alive.
People
Toa + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Toa 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
Toa: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Toa?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 151 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Toa 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 2,269,896 US residents.
Is Toa a common name?
We classify Toa as "Very Rare". It ranks above 70.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 152 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Toa most popular?
The single biggest year for Toa was 2016, when 14 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Toa is about 10 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Toa in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 315 people with the name Toa, or 0.10 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #28,488 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Toa in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Toa?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Toa on both sides of the split. Of the 321 people counted with this name, 230 were male (71.7%) and 91 were female (28.3%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Toa?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Toa is Asian/Pacific Islander at 59.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (18.1%) and Hispanic (14.0%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Toa most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Toa in the 2020 Census, accounting for 59.7% (188 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Toa in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Toa a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Toa 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.
Is Toa still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Toa 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 Toa 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.
How many people have the name Toa?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.