Tonia
A feminine name of Greek origin meaning "praiseworthy" or "deserving of esteem".
Name Census estimates that about 19,039 living Americans carry the first name Tonia. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Tonia today is around 54 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tonia births was 1971 (1,431 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tonia. 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
- • Although Tonia is used almost entirely for girls, the SSA data does show 53 boys registered with the name since 1880.
People living today
19K
~ 1 in 18,003 Americans
Peak year
1971
1,431 babies that year
Average age
54
years old
1977 SSA rank
#6,790
Tracked since 1917
Gender
Gender distribution for Tonia
Out of the 22,239 babies given the name Tonia since 1880, 99.8% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Tonia as a male name
- Ranked #6,790 in 1977
- 5 male births in 1977
- Peak: 1976 (7 births)
Tonia as a female name
- Ranked #17,423 in 2024
- 5 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1970 (1,429 births)
Popularity
Tonia: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Tonia from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 9,974 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
Tonia 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 Tonia during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Tonias live
The SSA's state-level files cover 49 states and territories. Ohio, California, New York recorded the most babies named Tonia, while Rhode Island, Nevada, Montana recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 389 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Tonia
The name Tonia has its origins in the ancient Greek language, tracing back to the classical era of the 5th century BCE. It is a feminine form derived from the Greek name Antonios, which itself stems from the Roman family name Antonius. The root of the name is believed to be the Greek word "antos," meaning "inestimable" or "priceless."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Tonia can be found in the writings of the ancient Greek historian Herodotus, who mentioned a woman by that name in his work "The Histories." In the text, Tonia is described as a noble woman from the city of Ephesus, a prominent cultural and commercial center in Ionian Greek territories.
During the Byzantine era, the name Tonia gained popularity among the ruling classes and aristocracy of the Eastern Roman Empire. One notable figure was Tonia Palaiologina, a Byzantine princess who lived in the 14th century and was a member of the illustrious Palaiologos dynasty.
As the name spread across Europe, it underwent various linguistic adaptations and spelling variations. In the 16th century, the Italian Renaissance poet Tonia Tasso, born in 1544, gained recognition for her poetic works celebrating love and nature.
In the realm of arts and literature, Tonia Celli, an Italian actress born in 1865, made a name for herself on the stages of Europe, portraying leading roles in numerous theatrical productions during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Another notable figure was Tonia Boulanger, a French composer, conductor, and influential music teacher who lived from 1893 to 1979. She had a profound impact on generations of musicians, including renowned composers such as Aaron Copland and Philip Glass.
In the world of sports, Tonia Vicic, a Croatian tennis player born in 1975, achieved success on the professional circuit, winning multiple titles and representing her country in international competitions.
While the name Tonia has undergone various linguistic and cultural adaptations throughout history, its Greek roots and the essence of its meaning, "inestimable" or "priceless," have remained intact, carrying a rich legacy through the lives and contributions of remarkable individuals who have borne this name.
People
Tonia + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tonia 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
Tonia: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tonia?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 19,039 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tonia 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 18,003 US residents.
Is Tonia a common name?
We classify Tonia as "Uncommon". It ranks above 98.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 22,239 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tonia most popular?
The single biggest year for Tonia was 1971, when 1,431 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tonia is about 54 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Tonia a female name?
Yes, 99.8% of people registered as Tonia 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.