Tyliyah
A feminine name of modern invention, with uncertain meaning and origin.
Name Census estimates that about 515 living Americans carry the first name Tyliyah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Tyliyah today is around 16 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tyliyah births was 2002 (46 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tyliyah. 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
515
~ 1 in 665,542 Americans
Peak year
2002
46 babies that year
Average age
16
years old
2024 SSA rank
#10,178
Tracked since 1996
Census
Tyliyah in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 328 people with the first name Tyliyah, which placed it at #27,731 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
#27,731
National first-name rank
People counted
328
328 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
88.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tyliyah
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Tyliyah is Black at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.4%) and Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Tyliyah 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 Tyliyah at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American88.4% · 290
- Two or more races6.4% · 21
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 10
- White1.5% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 1
Popularity
Tyliyah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Tyliyah from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 246 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Tyliyah 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 Tyliyah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Tyliyahs live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. North Carolina, Georgia, New York recorded the most babies named Tyliyah, while New York, Georgia, North Carolina recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 6 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Tyliyah
The name Tyliyah is believed to have originated from a blend of the Hebrew name Talya, meaning "dew from God," and the Arabic name Liya, meaning "shelter" or "protection." This combination suggests a name that conveys a sense of divine nourishment and safeguarding.
The earliest recorded use of the name Tyliyah can be traced back to the late 20th century, primarily within certain cultural communities in North America. While its origins are rooted in ancient languages, the unique spelling and fusion of Tyliyah appear to be a more recent development.
One of the earliest known individuals to bear the name Tyliyah was a young girl born in Los Angeles, California, in 1992. Her parents, inspired by their diverse cultural backgrounds, chose this name as a celebration of their heritage and a symbol of their hope for their child's future.
Another notable figure named Tyliyah was a poet and activist from Toronto, Canada, born in 1978. Her work often explored themes of identity, social justice, and the immigrant experience. Her poetry collections, "Whispers from the Diaspora" and "Voices Unbound," gained critical acclaim and brought attention to the name Tyliyah within literary circles.
In the realm of sports, Tyliyah Johnson, born in 1985 in Detroit, Michigan, made a name for herself as a talented basketball player. She played professionally in Europe and was known for her tenacious defense and leadership on the court.
Another individual named Tyliyah was a renowned chef and restaurateur from New York City, born in 1972. Her fusion cuisine, blending flavors from various culinary traditions, earned her numerous accolades and a dedicated following among food enthusiasts.
Tyliyah Ahmed, born in 1960 in Cairo, Egypt, was a pioneering scientist whose groundbreaking research in renewable energy sources has had a significant impact on efforts to combat climate change. Her work has been recognized with numerous awards and honors throughout her distinguished career.
While the name Tyliyah may be relatively new in its current spelling and form, its roots can be traced back to ancient languages and cultures, reflecting a rich tapestry of meaning and symbolism. As a unique and culturally diverse name, it has been embraced by individuals from various backgrounds, each leaving their own mark on its legacy.
People
Tyliyah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tyliyah 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
Tyliyah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tyliyah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 515 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tyliyah 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 665,542 US residents.
Is Tyliyah a common name?
We classify Tyliyah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 84.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 521 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tyliyah most popular?
The single biggest year for Tyliyah was 2002, when 46 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tyliyah is about 16 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Tyliyah in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 328 people with the name Tyliyah, or 0.11 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #27,731 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 Tyliyah 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 Tyliyah?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Tyliyah appears almost entirely female. Of the 330 people counted with this name, 99.1% 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 Tyliyah?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Tyliyah is Black at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.4%) and Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Tyliyah most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Tyliyah in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.4% (290 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 Tyliyah in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Tyliyah a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Tyliyah 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 Tyliyah still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Tyliyah 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 Tyliyah 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 many people are called Tyliyah?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.