Tunja
Ancient origin meaning "city at the foot of the rock".
Name Census estimates that about 19 living Americans carry the first name Tunja. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Tunja today is around 58 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tunja births was 1964 (10 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tunja. 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 Tunja. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
19
~ 1 in 18,039,702 Americans
Peak year
1964
10 babies that year
Average age
58
years old
1970 SSA rank
#7,034
Tracked since 1964
Popularity
Tunja: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Tunja from the 1960s through to the 1970s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 15 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1960s peak, Tunja remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Tunja 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 Tunja 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 Tunja
The name Tunja has its origins in the indigenous Chibcha language spoken by the Muisca people who inhabited the central highlands of present-day Colombia. Tunja was the capital of the Muisca Confederation, an advanced civilization that flourished in the region during the time of the Spanish conquest in the 16th century.
According to historical records, Tunja was the name of the principal cacique (chief) who ruled over the Muisca territory centered around the city that bore his name. The word "Tunja" is believed to derive from the Chibcha term "Hunza," meaning "capital" or "principal town."
In pre-Columbian times, Tunja was a significant urban center and a hub of political, religious, and economic activity for the Muisca people. The city was renowned for its skilled artisans, particularly in the production of intricate gold and ceramic artifacts.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Tunja can be found in the chronicles of Spanish conquistadors and missionaries who encountered the Muisca civilization during the conquest of the region. Notably, Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada, the Spanish explorer who founded the city of Bogotá, made frequent references to Tunja and its rulers in his writings from the 16th century.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Tunja, though it remains relatively uncommon outside of Colombia and certain indigenous communities. One prominent figure was Tunja Hidalgo (c. 1590-1640), a Muisca leader who played a pivotal role in the resistance against Spanish colonization and the preservation of indigenous culture in the region.
Another notable Tunja was Tunja Velásquez (1718-1788), a renowned sculptor and artisan from the colonial era, whose intricate wood carvings adorned numerous churches and religious buildings in Colombia.
In more recent times, Tunja Gutiérrez (1920-2005) was a celebrated Colombian writer and poet, known for her works that explored themes of indigenous identity and the natural landscapes of her homeland.
Tunja Molina (1937-2019) was a respected anthropologist and scholar who dedicated her life to studying and preserving the cultural heritage of the Muisca people and other indigenous communities in Colombia.
Lastly, Tunja Rodríguez (born 1982) is a contemporary Colombian artist and activist, renowned for her vibrant murals and public art installations that celebrate the rich cultural diversity of her country.
People
Tunja + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tunja 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
Tunja: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tunja?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 19 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tunja 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 18,039,702 US residents.
Is Tunja a common name?
We classify Tunja as "Very Rare". It ranks above 39.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 22 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tunja most popular?
The single biggest year for Tunja was 1964, when 10 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tunja is about 58 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 Tunja in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Tunja a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Tunja 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 Tunja still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Tunja 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 Tunja 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 have the name Tunja?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.