How popular is the baby name Tanya in the United States right now? How popular was it historically? Find out using the graph below! Plus, check out all the blog posts that mention the name Tanya.

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Popularity of the Baby Name Tanya


Posts that Mention the Name Tanya

Where did the baby name Lacosta come from in 1974?

La Costa's album "With All My Love" (1975).
La Costa album

The interesting name Lacosta first appeared in the U.S. baby name data in 1974, and it reached peak usage several years later in 1977:

1978: 17 baby girls named Lacosta
1977: 40 baby girls named Lacosta [peak]
1976: 33 baby girls named Lacosta
1975: 27 baby girls named Lacosta
1974: 6 baby girls named Lacosta [debut]
1973: unlisted

Where did it come from?

Country singer LaCosta Tucker — older sister of Tanya Tucker. LaCosta recorded under the name “La Costa” from the mid-1970s to the early 1980s.

LaCosta’s parents, “oilfield nomads” Beau and Juanita, moved the family around the South while the children were growing up in the 1950s and ’60s.

Their first kid they very conventionally called Don, but after that they named them exotically, to relieve the drab hardness of their existence. They called their first girl LaCosta. “In Spanish, it means ‘the coast’,” she says.

“When we were living In Seminole, Texas, where I was born, our parents had a real good friend who lived In Denver City, about 15 miles away. Her name was LaCosta Ivey, and they named me after her because they liked her and they were looking for a name that was different.”

In 1999 — more than two decades after “Lacosta” debuted in the data — Tanya herself used it as a middle name for her third child, daughter Layla LaCosta Laseter.

What are your thoughts on the baby name Lacosta?

Source: “LaCosta, Tanya Tucker’s Big Sister, Gets A Break, Too.” Cincinnati Enquirer 25 Jun. 1974: 34.

P.S. Natalie Cole included a song called “La Costa” on her 1977 album Thankful. But the song wasn’t a single, and the album was released late in the year (November), so I doubt the song had much influence on baby names.

What turned Sway into a baby name in 2001?

The character Sway from the movie "Gone in 60 Seconds" (2000)
Sara “Sway” Wayland from “Gone in 60 Seconds”

The word Sway popped up for the first time in the U.S. baby name data in 2001:

  • 2003: 14 baby girls and 5 baby boys named Sway
  • 2002: 12 baby girls named Sway
  • 2001: 8 baby girls named Sway [debut]
  • 2000: unlisted
  • 1999: unlisted

For a long time I assumed the main influence was MTV personality Sway Calloway. But, while I still think Sway had an influence on male usage, I’ve since discovered a much better explanation for the 2001 debut as a female name.

One of the main characters in the 2000 car heist film Gone in 60 Seconds was mechanic-slash-bartender Sara “Sway” Wayland (played by Angelina Jolie). She was the love interest of protagonist Randall “Memphis” Raines (played by Nicolas Cage), who was tasked with stealing 50 specific, expensive cars inside of 72 hours.

The film didn’t get great reviews, but I do remember appreciating the fact that each of the 50 cars was assigned a feminine code-name:

Mary, Barbara, Lindsey, Laura, Alma, Madeline, Patricia, Carol, Daniela, Stefanie, Erin, Pamela, Olga, Anne, Kate, Vanessa, Denise, Diane, Lisa, Nadine, Angelina, Rose, Susan, Tracey, Rachel, Bernadene, Deborah, Stacey, Josephine, Hillary, Kimberley, Renee, Dorothy, Donna, Samantha, Ellen, Gabriela, Shannon, Jessica, Sharon, Tina, Marsha, Natalie, Virginia, Tanya, Grace, Ashley, Cathy, Lynn, Eleanor

So, how do you feel about the name Sway? If you were having a baby girl, would you be more likely to name her something modern, like Sway, or something traditional, like Sara or Susan?

Sources: Gone in 60 Seconds (2000 film) – Wikipedia, Talk:Gone in 60 Seconds (2000 film) – Wikipedia

Where did the baby name Tonga come from?

The character Tonga (played by Nina Bara) from the sci-fi TV series "Space Patrol" (1950-1955)
Tonga from “Space Patrol“

The intriguing name Tonga debuted in the U.S. baby name data in 1953:

  • 1955: unlisted
  • 1954: unlisted
  • 1953: 7 baby girls named Tonga [debut]
  • 1952: unlisted
  • 1951: unlisted

I don’t think the Polynesian country had anything to do with it. Instead, I’m thinking that it may have come from the the early science-fiction TV series Space Patrol. It began as a Los Angeles-only show in early 1950, but by early 1951 it was being syndicated nationally both on TV and on radio (thanks to being picked up by the ABC network).

Set a thousand years in the future, the show featured members of the Space Patrol crew endeavoring to fight against the bad guys of the solar system. The two female crew members were named Tonga (played by Nina Bara) and Carol (Virginia Hewitt). Tonga’s character began as a criminal, but by the time the show had a national audience, she had undergone a “Brainograph” treatment and joined up with the good guys.

The name Tonga may have been given a boost in 1953 specifically thanks to LIFE magazine drawing attention to the show in a 1952 feature article (“Space Patrol Conquers Kids,” Sept. 1952)…or maybe it simply showed up because Space Patrol‘s audience was still growing at that time.

But the name dropped out of the data the very next year — possibly because actress Nina Bara was released from the show in late 1953, so the character Tonga didn’t appear in the show very frequently after that.

All this said…I should also mention that the name Tanya and its variants were on the rise during the 1950s, and that “Tonga” ended up being used as a variant of Tanya on occasion (likely by way of Tanja). So that’s another possible reason for the debut.

Do you like Tonga as a baby name? If so, how would you pronounce it?

Sources:

P.S. A supporting character in the 1953 Gary Cooper movie Return to Paradise also happened to be named Tonga, but this character was male.

Numerology and baby names: Number 7

numbers

Below are hundreds of baby names with a numerological value of 7.

What do I mean by that?

Well, in numerology, you substitute each letter in a word with that letter’s ordinal value in the alphabet. (The letter B has a value of 2, for instance, because it’s the second letter.) Then you add those ordinal values together to come up with a total. Lastly, you add the digits of that total together to obtain a numerological value.

Here’s an example: The letters in the name Jack have the values 10, 1, 3, and 11. Added together, these values equal 25. And the digits of 25 added together equal 7.

All of the “7” names below are sub-categorized by totals — just in case any of those larger numbers are significant to anyone. Within each group you’ll find some of the most popular “7” names per gender (according to the most recent set of U.S. baby name rankings).

7 via 16

The letters in the following baby names add up to 16, which reduces to seven (1+6=7).

Girl names (7 via 16)Boy names (7 via 16)
Ana, Jada, Alba, Adaia, FiaCal, Chad, Jae, Dak, Efe

7 via 25

The letters in the following baby names add up to 25, which reduces to seven (2+5=7).

Girl names (7 via 25)Boy names (7 via 25)
Cali, Amaia, Adara, Naia, Baila, Danae, Jaida, Ahana, AniaJack, Gael, Mecca, Asad, Ahaan, Jan, Abbas, Aedan, Ike, Kam, Saad, Aahan

7 via 34

The letters in the following baby names add up to 34, which reduces to seven (3+4=7).

Girl names (7 via 34)Boy names (7 via 34)
Grace, Amara, Lila, Thea, Danna, Elle, Amanda, Anne, Della, Bailee, Kalia, Micah, Rebeca, Mika, Farah, Anaiah, Tala, Sama, Kaila, Lua, Asma, Huda, Emaan, Rana, Joi, Hilda, Fabiana, JamiaMicah, Jaden, Chance, Hank, Chaim, Noe, Neo, Canaan, Carl, Amado, Adnan, Kacen, Ayce, Esai, Reef, Joah, Mika

7 via 43

The letters in the following baby names add up to 43, which reduces to seven (4+3=7).

Girl names (7 via 43)Boy names (7 via 43)
Chloe, Ellie, Andrea, Ember, Annie, Gracie, Talia, Alexa, Alanna, Karla, Liv, Raina, Chanel, Barbara, Lilia, Lailah, Debanhi, Kadence, Ameera, Esmae, Milah, Yael, Laken, Grecia, Fern, Inara, Kailee, Klara, Adore, Amaria, Nell, Amaira, Alita, Charm, Theia, Mona, Aditi, Dayla, Arwa, Dianna, Evana, Adaly, Rania, Abbigail, Leya, Samia, Aleigha, Arina, Bayan, Kamiah, Atlee, Anari, Carli, Janiah, Keegan, Emy, KloeFinn, Beckham, Rafael, Mark, Derek, Callan, Iker, Erik, Jaiden, Ford, Ares, Ridge, Keegan, Aarav, Amias, Eliel, Arian, Yael, Kole, Blaine, Hakeem, Hasan, Laken, Jaire, Kreed, Huck, Ewan, Todd, Coy, Riaan, Jamar, Kadence, Rip, Noam, Calder, Azaan, Basil, Kalen, Tre, Dru, Kekoa, Shaan, Masai, Taim, Ahsan, Eoin, Aarin, Makhai, Hawk, Kavi, Amon, Zaccai

7 via 52

The letters in the following baby names add up to 52, which reduces to seven (5+2=7).

Girl names (7 via 52)Boy names (7 via 52)
Hazel, Nova, Naomi, Reese, Arabella, Aubree, Nyla, Dakota, Charlee, Jimena, Michaela, Angelica, Mikaela, Flora, Pearl, Goldie, Alexia, Alianna, Indy, Ariadne, Perla, Karlee, Farrah, Annalee, Kelani, Zya, Khadijah, Aleyah, Indiana, Eimy, Aries, Sinai, Annalia, Ryah, Shania, Kamaya, Alethea, Mayla, Italia, Callahan, Anabelle, Izel, Shaina, Laiken, Kenlee, Mallie, Athalia, Janaya, Cassia, Sabella, Alayla, Kezia, AerisCayden, Dakota, Seth, Jamari, Callahan, Raul, Keanu, Reese, Marcel, Karim, Cason, Ishaan, Aries, Nova, Tiago, Jesiah, Oren, Glenn, Kaladin, Josh, Samar, Richie, Daemon, Beauden, Takoda, Indy, Filip, Indiana, Jahlil, Lyan, Roen, Darell, Efraim, Dillan, Abhiram, Jamere, Nino, Masen, Dakhari, Javen

7 via 61

The letters in the following baby names add up to 61, which reduces to seven (6+1=7).

Girl names (7 via 61)Boy names (7 via 61)
Isabella, Lucy, Catalina, Adelyn, Mckenna, Luciana, Meadow, Miracle, Aylin, Jolene, Ivanna, Remy, Hadassah, Keilani, Sloan, Martha, Jovie, Samira, Rivka, Malayah, Amaris, Maylee, Ingrid, Yuna, Arely, Dalary, Aranza, Ivey, Ailyn, Arwen, Tabitha, Safiya, Ziya, Kasey, Addalyn, Alissa, Kelsie, Emry, Elsy, Rochel, Rumi, Maddox, Analise, Eloisa, Anylah, Azula, Norma, Maliya, Maddyn, Jakayla, Samarah, Delany, Aerith, Hollie, Naiomi, Desirae, Avigail, Azora, Riyah, Sanaya, Vianna, Haidyn, Eulalia, Tanya, Mulan, Daelyn, ItzaeRoman, Luis, Calvin, Maddox, Kevin, Andres, Richard, Remy, Nasir, Corbin, Raphael, Dorian, Cannon, Alfredo, Ramon, Brayan, Abdullah, Yahir, Anders, Cory, Daylen, Kaius, Edmund, Khamari, Eliot, Kasey, Clarence, Avion, Haziel, Armon, Amaris, Tamir, Oslo, Donnie, Jibreel, Sloan, Riker, Caison, Thor, Psalm, Evans, Itzae, Arley, Naveen, Flint, Javari, Elyjah, Mendy, Sameer, Ibraheem, Rumi, Fitz, Wolfe, Steel, Zayde, Aramis, Layden, Nivaan, Emry, Galileo, Darion, Ibrahima

7 via 70

The letters in the following baby names add up to 70, which reduces to seven (7+0=7).

Girl names (7 via 70)Boy names (7 via 70)
Eleanor, Ashley, Lilly, Lilith, Alexis, Lilliana, Francesca, Alison, Kenzie, Sierra, Melany, Romina, Khaleesi, Yareli, Bellamy, Rylan, Madalyn, Essence, Nathalie, Devyn, Ryder, Adrienne, Maelyn, Carson, Walker, Alyvia, Cherish, Noelani, Marion, Honor, Armoni, Sheyla, Santana, Remedy, Channing, Yailin, Aziyah, Ellyana, Laniyah, Francine, Havyn, Landyn, Zyra, Malayiah, Francis, Isley, Avonlea, Finleigh, Rhys, Emalyn, Naliyah, Jermani, AniylahHenry, Walker, Carson, Ryder, Simon, Josue, Otto, Rylan, Ronin, Rhys, Finnegan, Alexis, Francis, Philip, Bruno, Bellamy, Yosef, Santana, Harry, Jimmy, Landyn, Mathew, Atharv, Maurice, Reginald, Granger, Ephraim, Ozias, Willie, Lenox, Benton, Darrell, Lenny, Kaizer, Honor, Channing, Massiah, Rylo, Armoni, Quadir, Dashiell, Izayah, Kasyn, Kasper, Tevin, Kurt, Manolo, Rishaan, Dashawn, Keyon, Kallum, Yariel, Abdullahi, Devyn, Marion, Copeland, Terence, Pinchas, Josiel, Kaydon, Marwan

7 via 79

The letters in the following baby names add up to 79, which reduces to seven (7+9=16; 1+6=7).

Girl names (7 via 79)Boy names (7 via 79)
Rosalie, Haisley, Maddison, Cheyenne, Ashlyn, Marigold, Soraya, Harriet, Evalyn, Beatrix, Kyndall, Renley, Annette, Katerina, Adilynn, Annelise, Larissa, Lincoln, Nirvana, Rynlee, Raizy, Josefina, Azeneth, Chesney, Kayley, Mayzie, Evolet, Janelly, Roberta, Harmonee, Leonor, Auriella, EmmeryWilliam, Lincoln, Colton, Xavier, Connor, Walter, Warren, Gunner, Harvey, Leonidas, Tripp, Frederick, Zyair, Nelson, Orlando, Douglas, Zechariah, Dayton, Kashmir, Rolando, Marcello, Braydon, Warner, Irving, Maverik, Yeshua, Leopold, Zaidyn, Kenton, Kaisyn, Lester, Jarvis, Ronaldo, Clifton, Buckley, Champion, Nirvaan, Larson, Laurence, Carmello, Fritz, Demarion, Renley, Graeson, Nymir

7 via 88

The letters in the following baby names add up to 88, which reduces to seven (8+8=16; 1+6=7).

Girl names (7 via 88)Boy names (7 via 88)
Elizabeth, Penelope, Journee, Poppy, Sylvia, Madelynn, Jazlyn, Zariyah, Karsyn, Kassidy, Katelyn, Guadalupe, Winifred, Carolyn, Kassandra, Lindsey, Lilyanna, Hensley, Gisselle, Yazmin, Margarita, Maritza, Elliette, Dolores, Kaylyn, Ryver, Clarity, MarlenyAntonio, Francisco, Kashton, Jaxxon, Santos, Karsyn, Immanuel, Terrence, Gilberto, Vernon, Zephaniah, Osvaldo, Ryver, Vladimir, Brenton, Everardo, Tenzin, Crawford, Fulton, Knoxx, Daxtyn, Kayvon, Exodus, Pearson

7 via 97

The letters in the following baby names add up to 97, which reduces to seven (9+7=16; 1+6=7).

Girl names (7 via 97)Boy names (7 via 97)
Victoria, Evelynn, Stephanie, Jacqueline, Kathryn, Itzayana, Emmalynn, Wrenly, Yvette, Story, Millicent, Josephina, Jenevieve, Arianelly, Irelynn, Emmanuella, KenzleighAnthony, Brantley, Valentin, Bronson, Kentrell, Tyrone, Jonathon, Johnpaul, Stephon, Yuvraj, Marshawn, Zamarion

7 via 106

The letters in the following baby names add up to 106, which reduces to seven (1+0+6=7).

Girl names (7 via 106)Boy names (7 via 106)
Waverly, Guinevere, Honesty, Anniston, Wilhelmina, Krystal, Ellowyn, Precious, Skarlett, Kaitlynn, YulissaRussell, Trenton, Westyn, Aurelius, Hendrixx, Miguelangel, Tayvion, Keyshawn

7 via 115

The letters in the following baby names add up to 115, which reduces to seven (1+1+5=7).

Girl names (7 via 115)Boy names (7 via 115)
Serenity, Trinity, Remington, Winslow, Everlynn, CharlestonRemington, Trayvon, Triston, Winslow, Charleston

7 via 124

The letters in the following baby names add up to 124, which reduces to seven (1+2+4=7).

Girl names (7 via 124)Boy names (7 via 124)
Gwynevere, Yatziry, Rozlynn, Symphonie, BrynlynnPrincetyn, Winchester, Harrington, Maxximus, Johnkerry

7 via 133

The letters in the following baby names add up to 133, which reduces to seven (1+3+3=7).

Girl names (7 via 133)Boy names (7 via 133)
Gwendolynn, Sunflower, Juwayriya, Sigourney, TonantzinTheophilus, Princeston, Stevenson, Rutherford, Treyshawn

Number 7: Meaning and Associations

What does the number seven mean in numerology? Unfortunately, there’s no clear answer. Various numerological systems exist, and each one has its own interpretation of the number seven.

That said, if we look at a couple of modern numerology/astrology websites, we see 7 being described as “truth-seeking,” “introspective,” “intellectual,” “reserved,” and “unusual.”

Personally, I prefer to look at associations, which are a bit more concrete. Here are some things that are associated with the number 7:

  • Rainbow (7 colors)
  • Continents
  • Week (7 days)
  • Major scale (7 notes)
  • Pleiades (7 sister-nymphs of Greek mythology)
  • Seven Wonders of the World
  • Classical planets (sun, moon, Venus, Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, Saturn)
  • Metals of antiquity (gold, silver, copper, tin, lead, iron, mercury)

What does the number 7 mean to you? What are your strongest associations with the number?

(To see names with other numerological values, check out the posts for the numbers one, two, three, four, five, six, eight, and nine.)

Sources: SSA, Numerology – Cafe Astrology, The meaning of the numbers 1 – 9 – World Numerology, 7 – Wikipedia
Image by dominik hofbauer from Unsplash

[Latest update: Sept. 2023]