Tyshay
A feminine name of African origin meaning "joyful, happy".
Name Census estimates that about 202 living Americans carry the first name Tyshay. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Tyshay today is around 27 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tyshay births was 1997 (14 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tyshay. 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
202
~ 1 in 1,696,804 Americans
Peak year
1997
14 babies that year
Average age
27
years old
2011 SSA rank
#11,140
Tracked since 1988
Census
Tyshay in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 172 people with the first name Tyshay, which placed it at #42,074 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
#42,074
National first-name rank
People counted
172
172 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
93.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tyshay
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Tyshay is Black at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.3%) and Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Tyshay 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 Tyshay at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American93.6% · 161
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 4
- Two or more races1.7% · 3
- White1.2% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 2
Popularity
Tyshay: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Tyshay from the 1980s through to the 2010s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 106 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Tyshay 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 Tyshay during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Tyshays live
Origin
Meaning and history of Tyshay
The name Tyshay is a unique and intriguing one, with a rich history that spans across various cultures and time periods. Its origins can be traced back to the ancient Sanskrit language, where it was derived from the word "Tishya," meaning "brilliant" or "radiant." This connection to the Sanskrit language suggests that the name may have originated in the Indian subcontinent, where Sanskrit was widely used as a scholarly and literary language.
In the early medieval period, the name Tyshay gained popularity among certain Hindu communities in South Asia. It was often bestowed upon children with the hope that they would embody the qualities of brilliance and radiance, qualities that were highly valued in the spiritual and philosophical traditions of the region.
As trade and cultural exchange flourished along the Silk Road, the name Tyshay may have traveled westward, eventually finding its way into the Persian and Arabic languages. In these languages, the name took on slightly different spellings and pronunciations, such as "Tishay" or "Tayshaah," but retained its underlying meaning of brilliance and luminosity.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Tyshay can be found in the ancient Persian epic poem, the Shahnameh, written by the renowned poet Ferdowsi in the late 10th century. In this epic, a minor character bears the name Tishay, suggesting that the name had already gained some recognition in the Persian-speaking world by that time.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Tyshay. One of the earliest was Tyshay al-Razi, a Persian philosopher and mathematician who lived in the 9th century and made significant contributions to the fields of algebra and optics. Another was Tyshay ibn Khalid, a 12th-century Arab poet and scholar renowned for his mastery of the Arabic language and his poetic prowess.
In the realm of spirituality, the name Tyshay was carried by Tyshay Nath, a revered Hindu mystic and yogi who lived in the 16th century and is credited with reviving and popularizing the practice of Laya Yoga, a form of meditation focused on the dissolution of the individual self.
Moving forward in time, the name Tyshay found its way into the Indian subcontinent once again, where it was adopted by various communities. One notable figure was Tyshay Singh, a 17th-century Rajput warrior and ruler who played a pivotal role in the struggle against the Mughal Empire and is remembered for his bravery and military tactics.
In more recent times, the name Tyshay has been borne by individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds, reflecting its enduring appeal and versatility. However, in keeping with the focus on historical accounts, it is worth mentioning Tyshay Desai, a renowned Indian classical dancer and choreographer who lived in the 20th century and was instrumental in preserving and promoting the ancient dance forms of India on the global stage.
People
Tyshay + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tyshay 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
Tyshay: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tyshay?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 202 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tyshay 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 1,696,804 US residents.
Is Tyshay a common name?
We classify Tyshay as "Very Rare". It ranks above 74.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 207 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tyshay most popular?
The single biggest year for Tyshay was 1997, when 14 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tyshay is about 27 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Tyshay in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 172 people with the name Tyshay, or 0.06 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #42,074 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 Tyshay 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 Tyshay?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Tyshay leans strongly female. 170 people counted with this name were female (94.4%), compared with 10 male bearers (5.6%). 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 Tyshay?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Tyshay is Black at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.3%) and Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Tyshay most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Tyshay in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.6% (161 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 Tyshay in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Tyshay a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Tyshay 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 Tyshay still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Tyshay 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 Tyshay 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 have Tyshay as a first name?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.