Tula
A feminine name of Sanskrit origin meaning "balance" or "scales".
Name Census estimates that about 812 living Americans carry the first name Tula. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Tula today is around 27 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tula births was 2019 (43 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tula. 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
812
~ 1 in 422,111 Americans
Peak year
2019
43 babies that year
Average age
27
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,752
Tracked since 1882
Popularity
Tula: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Tula from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 13 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 308 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Tula remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Tula 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 Tula during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Tulas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 12 states and territories. California, Alabama, Texas recorded the most babies named Tula, while Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 13 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Tula
The name Tula has its origins in several ancient languages and cultures. In Sanskrit, the word "tula" means "balance" or "scales," and it is believed to be derived from the Sanskrit root "tul," which means "to weigh" or "to measure." This connection to balance and scales suggests that the name may have been associated with the astrological sign of Libra or with professions related to weighing and measuring.
In ancient Greek, the name "Tula" is a variation of the word "telos," which means "end" or "completion." This could indicate that the name was given to individuals born at the end of a particular cycle or season, or to celebrate the completion of a significant event or journey.
The name Tula has also been traced back to the Etruscan civilization, which flourished in ancient Italy before the rise of the Roman Empire. In Etruscan culture, the word "tular" referred to a type of religious ceremony or ritual, suggesting that the name may have held spiritual or ceremonial significance.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Tula can be found in the ancient Hindu epic, the Mahabharata. In this text, Tula is mentioned as the name of a powerful warrior and ally of the Pandava princes. Another notable historical figure named Tula was Tula the Great, a 7th-century king of the Khazar Khaganate, a powerful empire that ruled over parts of modern-day Russia, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan.
In the 12th century, Tula was the name of a prominent Persian poet and philosopher who was known for her mystical writings and her contributions to Sufi literature. During the Renaissance period, Tula Vita was an Italian humanist scholar and writer who was celebrated for her intellect and her work in promoting the education of women.
In more recent history, Tula Ellice Fanning was an American painter and illustrator who lived from 1888 to 1983 and was known for her vibrant depictions of Native American life and culture. Tula Tomas was a Filipino writer and activist who played a significant role in the Philippine independence movement in the early 20th century.
These are just a few examples of the diverse individuals who have carried the name Tula throughout history, reflecting its rich cultural heritage and the variety of meanings and associations it has held across different civilizations and time periods.
People
Tula + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tula 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
Tula: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tula?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 812 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tula 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 422,111 US residents.
Is Tula a common name?
We classify Tula as "Very Rare". It ranks above 88.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,765 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tula most popular?
The single biggest year for Tula was 2019, when 43 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tula is about 27 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Tula a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Tula 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.