Toshia
A feminine given name of Japanese origin meaning "intelligent" or "wise".
Name Census estimates that about 1,062 living Americans carry the first name Toshia. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Toshia today is around 46 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Toshia births was 1976 (62 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Toshia. 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 322,744 Americans
Peak year
1976
62 babies that year
Average age
46
years old
1998 SSA rank
#16,435
Tracked since 1963
Popularity
Toshia: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Toshia from the 1960s through to the 1990s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 521 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
Toshia 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 Toshia during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Toshias live
The SSA's state-level files cover 13 states and territories. Ohio, North Carolina, California recorded the most babies named Toshia, while New Jersey, Kentucky, Florida recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 15 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Toshia
The name Toshia has its origins in Japanese culture and language. It is a feminine name that is derived from the Japanese word "toshi," which means "city" or "year." The name likely emerged during the Heian period (794-1185 CE) when Japanese names often incorporated elements of nature or abstract concepts.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Toshia can be found in the Kojiki, an ancient chronicle of Japanese mythology and history dating back to the 8th century CE. In this text, Toshia is mentioned as the name of a minor goddess associated with the changing seasons and the passage of time.
During the Kamakura period (1185-1333 CE), the name Toshia gained popularity among the samurai class and was often given to daughters born in times of peace and prosperity. It was seen as a symbol of urban sophistication and cultural refinement.
In the Edo period (1603-1868 CE), the name Toshia was particularly favored by the merchant class in major cities like Edo (modern-day Tokyo) and Osaka. This was likely due to the name's association with urban life and the passage of time, which held significant importance for those engaged in trade and commerce.
Throughout Japanese history, several notable individuals have borne the name Toshia. One of the earliest was Toshia Ono (1570-1628), a renowned courtesan and poet who was celebrated for her beauty and literary talent during the late Azuchi-Momoyama period.
Another famous Toshia was Toshia Nishi (1788-1853), a pioneering educator and scholar who established one of Japan's first modern schools for women during the late Edo period. Her efforts paved the way for greater educational opportunities for women in Japan.
In the 20th century, Toshia Miyazaki (1920-2003) was a celebrated author and playwright whose works explored themes of family, tradition, and the changing role of women in Japanese society.
Toshia Nakatani (1946-2020) was a renowned ceramic artist and potter whose works were heavily influenced by traditional Japanese aesthetics and techniques. She received numerous awards and accolades for her innovative and distinctive pottery throughout her career.
More recently, Toshia Ando (born 1975) is a successful businesswoman and entrepreneur who co-founded one of Japan's leading online retail platforms. She has been recognized for her contributions to the growth of e-commerce in Japan and her advocacy for women in leadership roles.
People
Toshia + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Toshia 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
Toshia: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Toshia?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,062 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Toshia 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 322,744 US residents.
Is Toshia a common name?
We classify Toshia as "Rare". It ranks above 90.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,154 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Toshia most popular?
The single biggest year for Toshia was 1976, when 62 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Toshia is about 46 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Toshia a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Toshia 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.