Tonya
Tonya was the 9412th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 11 babies. Its best year was 1973, when it ranked 36th; the most babies were born in 1972 (7,244). Over the last ten years it has moved down 4,567 places. More babies were named Tonya in the 1970s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Tania) pet form of Tatiana · Russian, Latin
- Rank in 2025
- #9,412 girls, down 2,216 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 11girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19727,244 babies
- Total since 1880
- 120,856babies recorded
What does the name Tonya mean?
Tonya 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)
Tonya popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 435 since 1962.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #9,412 | 11 |
| 2020 | #7,196 | 16 |
| 2010 | #3,357 | 49 |
| 2000 | #1,362 | 138 |
| 1990 | #365 | 725 |
| 1980 | #97 | 3,080 |
| 1970 | #49 | 7,140 |
| 1960 | #242 | 1,327 |
| 1950 | #697 | 153 |
| 1940 | #1,268 | 35 |
| 1930 | #5,190 | 5 |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Tonya, counting every spelling?
Tonya is a spelling of Tania, a name family that ranked #1,371 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #9,412 for Tonya 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 Tonya?
11 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Tonya (0.00 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Tonya 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 750 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Tonya.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Tonya?
About 110,900 people born in the US named Tonya are alive today, with a median age of 53; half are between 48 and 58. That makes Tonya 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.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Tonya: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Tonya, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Tonya
What does Tonya mean?
Tonya is a spelling of Tania, which means “pet form of Tatiana” (Russian, Latin origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Tonya?
Tonya was the 9412th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 11 babies. Its best year was 1973, when it ranked 36th; the most babies were born in 1972 (7,244). Over the last ten years it has moved down 4,567 places. More babies were named Tonya in the 1970s than in any other decade.
Is Tonya a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Tonya in the US.