Twyla
A feminine name of unknown origin, possibly related to "twilight".
Name Census estimates that about 4,709 living Americans carry the first name Twyla. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Twyla today is around 52 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Twyla births was 1964 (194 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Twyla. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Twyla with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
4.7K
~ 1 in 72,787 Americans
Peak year
1964
194 babies that year
Average age
52
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,943
Tracked since 1905
Census
Twyla in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 4,891 people with the first name Twyla, which placed it at #3,978 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#3,978
National first-name rank
People counted
4.9K
4,891 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
1.6
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
69.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Twyla
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Twyla is White at 69.6%. The next largest groups are Black (19.7%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Twyla described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Twyla at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White69.6% · 3,404
- Black or African American19.7% · 963
- Two or more races4.6% · 227
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.8% · 139
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 132
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 26
Popularity
Twyla: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Twyla from the 1900s through to the 2020s, spanning 13 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 1,333 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1960s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Twyla 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 Twyla during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Twylas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 31 states and territories. Iowa, Texas, California recorded the most babies named Twyla, while Montana, New York, Michigan recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 92 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Twyla
The given name Twyla is of uncertain origin, with various theories proposed regarding its derivation. One suggestion is that it stems from the Old English word "twi," meaning "two," possibly indicating a twin birth or a connection to the number two. Another theory traces it back to the Gaelic "tuille," meaning "more" or "additional."
In terms of historical references, the name Twyla does not appear to have any significant mentions in ancient texts, religious scriptures, or early historical records. Its usage as a given name seems to be relatively modern, with the earliest recorded examples dating back to the early 20th century.
One of the earliest known individuals with the name Twyla was Twyla Tharp, an American dancer, choreographer, and author born in 1941. She is renowned for her innovative and influential work in modern dance, having choreographed numerous ballets and Broadway productions.
Another notable individual with the name Twyla is Twyla Delgado, an American actress and singer born in 1957. She has appeared in various television shows and movies, including "The Cotton Club" and "New York Undercover."
In the literary world, Twyla Trice Commer is an American author and educator born in 1947. She has written several books, including "The Poetry of Desire" and "Cultivating a Mind to Matter."
Twyla Tharp, an American journalist and author born in 1944, is known for her work on the "Hers" column in The New York Times and her books on feminism and women's issues.
Lastly, Twyla Francois is a Canadian singer and songwriter born in 1991. She has released several albums and gained popularity for her blend of pop, R&B, and soul music.
While the name Twyla may not have a long and deeply rooted historical background, it has been borne by various accomplished individuals across different fields, contributing to its recognition and significance in modern times.
People
Twyla + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Twyla 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
Twyla: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Twyla?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 4,709 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Twyla 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 72,787 US residents.
Is Twyla a common name?
We classify Twyla as "Rare". It ranks above 96.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 7,133 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Twyla most popular?
The single biggest year for Twyla was 1964, when 194 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Twyla is about 52 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Twyla in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 4,891 people with the name Twyla, or 1.62 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #3,978 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Twyla in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Twyla?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Twyla appears almost entirely female. Of the 4,896 people counted with this name, 99.9% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Twyla?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Twyla is White at 69.6%. The next largest groups are Black (19.7%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Twyla most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Twyla in the 2020 Census, accounting for 69.6% (3,404 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Twyla in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Twyla a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Twyla 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 Twyla still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Twyla 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 Twyla 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.
How common is the name Twyla?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans are named Twyla at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.