Tanya
Tanya was the 3767th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 40 babies. Its best year was 1974, when it ranked 46th with 5,997 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 1,849 places. More babies were named Tanya in the 1970s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Tania) pet form of Tatiana · Russian, Latin
- Rank in 2025
- #3,767 girls, down 1,188 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 40girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19745,997 babies
- Total since 1880
- 117,260babies recorded
What does the name Tanya mean?
Tanya is a spelling of Tania, pronounced the same way, so it shares Tania's meaning and origin.
Tania is a spelling of Tanya, the Russian pet form of Tatiana (Ukrainian Tetyana). Tatiana is the feminine of the Latin Tatianus, from the Roman family name Tatius, of unknown origin. Tanya was borrowed into English in the 20th century. Tania was most popular in the US in the 1970s and 1990s.
Та́ня (Russian, “Tanya, pet form of Tatiana”)
How sure is this? Well established. Tatius, at the root, has no known meaning.
Related names: Tanya, Tatiana, Tonya, Tatyana.
See also: Latin names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Tania', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Tanya', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Wikipedia, 'Tatiana', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation)
Tanya popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 405 since 1956.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #3,767 | 40 |
| 2020 | #2,579 | 67 |
| 2010 | #1,018 | 247 |
| 2000 | #571 | 455 |
| 1990 | #253 | 1,118 |
| 1980 | #88 | 3,436 |
| 1970 | #76 | 4,862 |
| 1960 | #217 | 1,540 |
| 1950 | #427 | 354 |
| 1940 | #858 | 70 |
| 1930 | #1,603 | 25 |
| 1920 | #2,876 | 12 |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Tanya, counting every spelling?
Tanya is a spelling of Tania, a name family that ranked #1,371 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #3,767 for Tanya on its own. Together these spellings went to 144 girls in 2025.
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Tanya?
40 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Tanya (0.01 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Tanya born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 210 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Tanya.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Tanya?
About 107,400 people born in the US named Tanya are alive today, with a median age of 51; half are between 44 and 57. That makes Tanya mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Tanya by state
How common Tanya was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in California (2.1×). In 46 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Tanya: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Tanya, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Tanya
What does Tanya mean?
Tanya is a spelling of Tania, which means “pet form of Tatiana” (Russian, Latin origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Tanya?
Tanya was the 3767th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 40 babies. Its best year was 1974, when it ranked 46th with 5,997 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 1,849 places. More babies were named Tanya in the 1970s than in any other decade.
Is Tanya a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Tanya in the US.
Where is Tanya most popular?
In 2021–2025, Tanya was most common in California (0.06 per 1,000 girls), followed by Michigan and Texas.