Tucson
An English name derived from a Spanish derivation of a Native American word meaning "at the base of the black hill".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Tucson. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Tucson today is around 27 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tucson births was 1999 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tucson. 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 Tucson. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
1999
5 babies that year
Average age
27
years old
1999 SSA rank
#11,504
Tracked since 1999
Popularity
Tucson: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Tucson 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 Tucson during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Tucson
The name Tucson is derived from the Spanish word Tucsón, which in turn originates from the O'odham word Cuk Ṣon, meaning "at the base of the black hill." This refers to the region's distinctive dark volcanic mountains and hills in what is now the city of Tucson, Arizona. The O'odham, previously known as the Pima, are a Native American people who have inhabited the region for thousands of years.
The area's name first appeared in written records in the late 17th century when Spanish missionaries established a mission in the region. The name Tucsón was used to refer to the nearby O'odham settlement and the surrounding area. Over time, the spelling evolved to the modern form of Tucson.
While the name Tucson itself does not appear in ancient texts or religious scriptures, the O'odham people have a rich oral history and tradition that likely included references to the region's name and its meaning. However, specific details of these oral traditions are not widely documented or available.
The earliest recorded use of the name Tucson can be found in the writings of Spanish missionaries and explorers in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. One of the earliest known individuals to bear the name Tucson was Tucson Antonio, an O'odham leader who lived in the late 18th century and played a significant role in the region's history.
Throughout history, there have been a few notable individuals with the first name Tucson, though it is relatively uncommon. One example is Tucson Smith, an American artist and painter who lived from 1892 to 1968 and was known for his landscape paintings of the American West. Another is Tucson Martinez, an American baseball player who played in the minor leagues in the 1960s and 1970s.
While the name Tucson is not widely used as a given name, it holds significant historical and cultural importance as the name of a major city and region in the southwestern United States. Its origins can be traced back to the O'odham people, reflecting their connection to the land and its distinctive geographical features.
People
Tucson + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tucson 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
Tucson: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tucson?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tucson 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Tucson a common name?
We classify Tucson as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tucson most popular?
The single biggest year for Tucson was 1999, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tucson is about 27 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Tucson in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Tucson a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Tucson in the SSA data are male. 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 Tucson still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Tucson 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 Tucson 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people share the name Tucson?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.