Tunesia
Of Arabic origin, meaning "the land of wanderers or nomads".
Name Census estimates that about 41 living Americans carry the first name Tunesia. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Tunesia today is around 50 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tunesia births was 1976 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tunesia. 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 Tunesia. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
41
~ 1 in 8,359,862 Americans
Peak year
1976
8 babies that year
Average age
50
years old
1983 SSA rank
#8,975
Tracked since 1968
Popularity
Tunesia: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Tunesia from the 1960s through to the 1980s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 33 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
Tunesia 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 Tunesia during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Tunesia
Tunesia is a unique given name that originates from the ancient Berber language, spoken by the indigenous people of North Africa. The name's roots can be traced back to the 8th century BCE and the Carthaginian civilization, located in modern-day Tunisia. The name "Tunesia" is likely derived from the Punic word "Tunisa," meaning "to encamp" or "to settle," reflecting the nomadic lifestyle of the Berber tribes.
Historically, the name Tunesia appears in several ancient manuscripts and inscriptions found in the region of Carthage. One of the earliest recorded examples is a mention in the Punic stele, a stone slab from the 5th century BCE, which lists the name among the dedicants to the goddess Tanit.
In the 2nd century CE, the Roman writer Apuleius, in his work "The Golden Ass," referred to a character named Tunesia, a young woman from Carthage. This literary reference suggests that the name was in use during the Roman era in North Africa.
One of the most notable historical figures bearing the name Tunesia was a Berber princess who lived in the 7th century CE. She was a member of the Jarawa tribe and played a pivotal role in negotiating peace treaties between the Berber tribes and the emerging Islamic caliphate.
Another notable Tunesia was a 12th-century poet and scholar from the city of Fez in modern-day Morocco. Her collection of love poems, titled "The Songbird of the Desert," is considered a significant contribution to the literary tradition of the Andalusian period.
In the 16th century, a Tunesian woman named Fatima was renowned for her skills as a court dancer and entertainer in the Ottoman Empire. She was often referred to by her first name, Tunesia, and is mentioned in several historical accounts of the time.
During the 19th century, a Tunesian woman named Aisha gained fame as a skilled weaver and textile artist. Her intricate tapestries, featuring traditional Berber designs, were highly sought after by European collectors and can be found in various museums worldwide.
Although not as common today, the name Tunesia remains a part of the cultural heritage of the Berber people and serves as a reminder of their rich history and traditions.
People
Tunesia + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tunesia 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
Tunesia: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tunesia?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 41 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tunesia 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 8,359,862 US residents.
Is Tunesia a common name?
We classify Tunesia as "Very Rare". It ranks above 51.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 45 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tunesia most popular?
The single biggest year for Tunesia was 1976, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tunesia is about 50 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 Tunesia in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Tunesia a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Tunesia 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 Tunesia still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Tunesia 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 Tunesia 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 Tunesia?
You can see how many Americans are named Tunesia on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.