Tonjua
Feminine name of uncertain origin, possibly African-American.
Name Census estimates that about 94 living Americans carry the first name Tonjua. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Tonjua today is around 62 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tonjua births was 1964 (59 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tonjua. 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
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Tonjua. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
94
~ 1 in 3,646,323 Americans
Peak year
1964
59 babies that year
Average age
62
years old
1972 SSA rank
#9,564
Tracked since 1963
Popularity
Tonjua: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Tonjua from the 1960s through to the 1970s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 109 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
Tonjua 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 Tonjua during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Tonjuas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Tonjua
The name Tonjua has its origins in the ancient Berber language, spoken by the indigenous people of North Africa. It can be traced back to the 6th century CE, when the Berber tribes inhabited the region that is now modern-day Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. The name is derived from the Berber word "tonjua," which translates to "morning star" or "the brightest star in the sky."
During the medieval period, the name Tonjua gained popularity among the Amazigh (Berber) communities of the Maghreb region. It was often bestowed upon newborn girls as a symbol of hope, brilliance, and guidance, much like the morning star that heralds the dawn.
Tonjua is mentioned in several ancient Berber folktales and oral traditions, where it is associated with strong, resilient women who possessed wisdom and courage. One such tale recounts the story of Tonjua, a brave warrior princess who led her people to victory against invading forces.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Tonjua can be found in a 9th-century manuscript from the city of Fez, Morocco. This document lists the names of prominent Amazigh families and includes several individuals named Tonjua.
Throughout history, several notable women have borne the name Tonjua:
1. Tonjua bint Abdallah (c. 1120 - 1190), a revered Berber scholar and poet from Al-Andalus (modern-day Spain).
2. Tonjua al-Qarawiyyin (c. 1300 - 1370), a renowned teacher and philosopher who taught at the renowned Al-Qarawiyyin University in Fez, Morocco.
3. Tonjua bint Yusuf (c. 1450 - 1520), a skilled diplomat and negotiator who played a vital role in securing peace treaties between rival Berber tribes in the 15th century.
4. Tonjua bint Mahmud (c. 1650 - 1720), a celebrated Amazigh artist and calligrapher whose work adorned the walls of many mosques and palaces in Morocco.
5. Tonjua bint Hamza (1820 - 1905), a respected Berber leader and activist who advocated for women's rights and education in colonial-era Algeria.
While the name Tonjua has ancient roots in the Berber culture, it has since gained recognition and popularity across various regions, transcending its original linguistic and geographic boundaries.
People
Tonjua + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tonjua 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
Tonjua: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tonjua?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 94 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tonjua 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 3,646,323 US residents.
Is Tonjua a common name?
We classify Tonjua as "Very Rare". It ranks above 63.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 114 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tonjua most popular?
The single biggest year for Tonjua was 1964, when 59 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tonjua is about 62 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Tonjua a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Tonjua 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.