According to the U.S. baby name data, the name Tavian more than doubled in usage for two years in a row in the late 1990s:
- 1999: 133 baby boys named Tavian
- 1998: 169 baby boys named Tavian [peak usage]
- 1997: 63 baby boys named Tavian
- 1996: 25 baby boys named Tavian
- 1995: 15 baby boys named Tavian
Other versions of the name (like Tavion and Taevion) also rose in usage during those years, and the spellings Tayvian and Taivion both debuted in 1998 specifically.
What was the influence?
Running back Tavian Banks.
During his senior year (1997-98) at the University of Iowa, he rushed for 1,691 yards and scored 17 touchdowns — both school records.
He was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the spring of 1998. Tavian’s professional football career was cut short, though, after he suffered a knee injury during a game against the Atlanta Falcons in late 1999.
Do you like the name Tavian? How would you choose spell it?
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