Twana
An Amerindian feminine name of uncertain meaning, possibly a locative name.
Name Census estimates that about 1,889 living Americans carry the first name Twana. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Twana today is around 55 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Twana births was 1974 (119 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Twana. 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
1.9K
~ 1 in 181,448 Americans
Peak year
1974
119 babies that year
Average age
55
years old
1995 SSA rank
#10,461
Tracked since 1938
Popularity
Twana: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Twana from the 1930s through to the 1990s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 925 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
Twana 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 Twana during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Twanas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 23 states and territories. Texas, New York, Illinois recorded the most babies named Twana, while Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, Missouri recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 38 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Twana
The given name Twana has its origins in the Salishan languages, a family of indigenous languages spoken by various Native American tribes in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The name is believed to have emerged around the 18th century among the Twana people, an indigenous group residing in the Puget Sound area of present-day Washington state.
Twana is derived from the Twana language word "twa'naxw," which means "valley people" or "people of the valley." This name reflects the Twana tribe's strong connection to the valleys and lowlands they inhabited along the Hood Canal region. The name's pronunciation and spelling have evolved over time, with variations like "Twanoh" and "Toanah" also being documented.
While there are no known historical references to the name in ancient texts or religious scriptures, it has been recorded in various ethnographic and linguistic studies conducted by anthropologists and linguists who studied the Twana people and their language. The earliest recorded examples of the name date back to the late 18th and early 19th centuries, when European explorers and settlers began documenting their encounters with the indigenous tribes of the Pacific Northwest.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Twana. One such person was Twana Thebus (c. 1888 - 1976), a respected elder and storyteller of the Twana tribe, who played a crucial role in preserving and passing down the tribe's oral traditions and cultural heritage.
Another individual of note was Twana Beau Parker (1883 - 1970), a Twana basket weaver and artist renowned for her intricate and beautifully crafted baskets, which are now held in museum collections throughout the Pacific Northwest.
In the field of literature, Twana Lawton (1880 - 1959) was a Twana author and poet who wrote extensively about her experiences growing up in the Puget Sound region and the challenges faced by her people during the era of forced assimilation and cultural suppression.
Twana Wiegers (1942 - 2015) was a prominent Native American activist and advocate for tribal sovereignty and land rights. She played a vital role in the fight to protect and preserve the lands and resources of the Twana and other indigenous tribes in the Pacific Northwest.
Finally, Twana Delgado (1965 - present) is a contemporary artist and sculptor of Twana descent, whose works explore themes of identity, place, and the intersection of traditional and modern Native American experiences.
People
Twana + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Twana 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
Twana: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Twana?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,889 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Twana 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 181,448 US residents.
Is Twana a common name?
We classify Twana as "Rare". It ranks above 93.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,224 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Twana most popular?
The single biggest year for Twana was 1974, when 119 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Twana is about 55 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Twana a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Twana 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.