Tona
Of Scandinavian origin meaning "waves of the sea".
Name Census estimates that about 1,107 living Americans carry the first name Tona. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Tona today is around 59 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tona births was 1964 (59 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tona. 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
1.1K
~ 1 in 309,625 Americans
Peak year
1964
59 babies that year
Average age
59
years old
2023 SSA rank
#15,011
Tracked since 1924
Popularity
Tona: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Tona from the 1920s through to the 2020s, spanning 10 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 422 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1960s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Tona 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 Tona during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Tonas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 9 states and territories. California, Texas, Missouri recorded the most babies named Tona, while New York, Kentucky, Illinois recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 14 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Tona
The name Tona originates from the Polynesian language of Tongan, spoken in the Tonga Islands located in the southern Pacific Ocean. It dates back to the 13th century AD when Tongan civilization flourished. Tona is believed to be derived from the Proto-Polynesian word *tonga, meaning "south" or "lie towards the south".
In ancient Tongan culture, Tona was a name bestowed upon individuals who possessed strength, courage, and resilience. It was considered a name of honor, often given to warriors or leaders. The name appears in various oral traditions and legends passed down through generations in the Tonga Islands.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Tona can be found in the epic Tongan poem "Ko e Lau Fakamotu'a", which dates back to the 16th century. It tells the story of a brave Tongan chief named Tona who led his people in battles against invading forces.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Tona. In the 18th century, Tona Hau'ofa was a renowned Tongan navigator and explorer who voyaged across the Pacific, discovering new islands and establishing trade routes. He lived from approximately 1725 to 1795.
Another historical figure was Tona Filipe, a Tongan noble and political leader in the 19th century. He played a crucial role in shaping the modern constitutional monarchy of Tonga and served as the Prime Minister from 1879 to 1890.
In the early 20th century, Tona Tuikolongahau was a respected Tongan artist and carver. His intricate woodcarvings and tapa cloth designs were celebrated for preserving traditional Tongan art and culture. He lived from 1905 to 1985.
More recently, Tona Sikoloni was a prominent Tongan athlete who represented his country in rugby union. He played as a prop for the Tongan national team from the 1970s to the 1980s and was known for his formidable strength and skill on the field. He was born in 1951 and passed away in 2018.
Tona has also been a popular name among Tongan royalty. In the late 20th century, Prince Tona Filipe was a member of the Tongan royal family and held various ceremonial roles within the kingdom. He was born in 1952 and passed away in 2018.
People
Tona + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tona 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
Tona: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tona?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,107 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tona 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 309,625 US residents.
Is Tona a common name?
We classify Tona as "Rare". It ranks above 90.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,421 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tona most popular?
The single biggest year for Tona was 1964, when 59 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tona is about 59 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Tona a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Tona 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.