Tsuyako
A feminine Japanese name meaning "sturdy, strong child".
Name Census estimates that about 2 living Americans carry the first name Tsuyako. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Tsuyako today is around 120 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tsuyako births was 1926 (16 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tsuyako. 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
- • The typical person named Tsuyako is about 120 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Tsuyakos were born before 1916.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Tsuyako. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
2
~ 1 in 171,377,169 Americans
Peak year
1926
16 babies that year
Average age
120
years old
1932 SSA rank
#3,875
Tracked since 1913
Census
Tsuyako in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 125 people with the first name Tsuyako, which placed it at #49,507 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
#49,507
National first-name rank
People counted
125
125 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
95.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tsuyako
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Tsuyako is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Black (0.8%). 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 Tsuyako 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 Tsuyako at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander95.2% · 119
- Two or more races3.2% · 4
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 1
Popularity
Tsuyako: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Tsuyako from the 1910s through to the 1930s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 71 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Tsuyako 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 Tsuyako during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Tsuyakos live
Origin
Meaning and history of Tsuyako
The given name Tsuyako originates from Japan, with roots dating back to the Heian period (794-1185 CE). It is a combination of two Japanese words: "tsuya," meaning "radiant" or "glossy," and "ko," a common suffix used in Japanese names, often denoting a female child or daughter.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Tsuyako can be found in the ancient Japanese literary work "The Tale of Genji," written in the early 11th century by the renowned author Murasaki Shikibu. In this classic novel, Tsuyako is mentioned as a character, though her role is relatively minor.
Throughout Japanese history, the name Tsuyako has been borne by several notable figures. One such individual was Tsuyako Fujiwara (1164-1212), a prominent poet and calligrapher from the late Heian and early Kamakura periods. Her work was highly acclaimed during her lifetime and has been preserved in several anthologies.
Another historical figure named Tsuyako was Tsuyako Oda (1543-1611), the daughter of the famous daimyo (feudal lord) Nobunaga Oda. She played a significant role in the political turmoil of the Sengoku period, serving as a hostage and negotiator during her father's conflicts with rival clans.
In the Edo period (1603-1868), Tsuyako Matsudaira (1628-1705) was a renowned poet and writer who contributed to the development of Japanese literature. Her works, including haiku and tanka poems, were widely read and admired by contemporaries.
During the Meiji era (1868-1912), Tsuyako Yamauchi (1850-1927) was a pioneering educator and advocate for women's rights. She established one of Japan's first private schools for girls and played a crucial role in promoting education and empowerment for women in a traditionally patriarchal society.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who have borne the name Tsuyako throughout Japanese history. The name's enduring presence and the achievements of those who carried it reflect its cultural significance and the admiration it has garnered over centuries.
People
Tsuyako + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tsuyako 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
Tsuyako: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tsuyako?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tsuyako 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 171,377,169 US residents.
Is Tsuyako a common name?
We classify Tsuyako as "Very Rare". It ranks above 4.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 126 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tsuyako most popular?
The single biggest year for Tsuyako was 1926, when 16 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tsuyako is about 120 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Tsuyako in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 125 people with the name Tsuyako, or 0.04 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #49,507 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 Tsuyako 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 Tsuyako?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Tsuyako appears almost entirely female. Of the 127 people counted with this name, 100.0% were female and only a very small share were male. 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 Tsuyako?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Tsuyako is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Black (0.8%). 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 Tsuyako most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Tsuyako in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.2% (119 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 Tsuyako in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Tsuyako a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Tsuyako 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.
Is Tsuyako still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Tsuyako 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 Tsuyako 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 Tsuyako?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.