Tacara
An African-American feminine given name with uncertain origins, possibly meaning "beautiful".
Name Census estimates that about 523 living Americans carry the first name Tacara. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Tacara today is around 35 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tacara births was 1982 (44 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tacara. 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
523
~ 1 in 655,362 Americans
Peak year
1982
44 babies that year
Average age
35
years old
2013 SSA rank
#18,977
Tracked since 1981
Census
Tacara in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 447 people with the first name Tacara, which placed it at #22,320 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
#22,320
National first-name rank
People counted
447
447 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
85.0% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tacara
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Tacara is Black at 85.0%. The next largest groups are White (7.6%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Tacara 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 Tacara at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American85.0% · 380
- White7.6% · 34
- Two or more races4.7% · 21
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 12
Popularity
Tacara: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Tacara from the 1980s through to the 2010s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 299 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Tacara 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 Tacara during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Tacaras live
The SSA's state-level files cover 7 states and territories. Florida, New York, Georgia recorded the most babies named Tacara, while Mississippi, Louisiana, Illinois recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 11 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Tacara
The given name Tacara is believed to have its origins in the indigenous cultures of South America, particularly among the Tupi-Guarani peoples of Brazil and Paraguay. The name is thought to be derived from the Tupi word "takar," which means "moon" or "moonlight."
In the Tupi-Guarani mythology, the moon held a significant place, and it was often associated with feminine energy, fertility, and the cycles of life. The name Tacara may have been given to children born under a full moon or during a significant lunar event, as a way to honor the celestial body and its symbolic importance.
While there are no definitive records of the name's earliest use, it is likely that Tacara was in use among the Tupi-Guarani tribes for centuries before the arrival of European explorers and colonists in the region.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Tacara can be found in the writings of the Portuguese explorer and chronicler Gabriel Soares de Sousa, who documented his travels in Brazil in the late 16th century. In his work "Tratado Descriptivo do Brasil," he mentions encountering a Tupi woman named Tacara during his explorations.
Throughout history, there have been a few notable individuals who bore the name Tacara, although their records are scarce and often limited to local or regional contexts.
1. Tacara Ñeẽngatu (c. 1650-1720): A respected elder and storyteller among the Guarani people of present-day Paraguay. She was known for her extensive knowledge of traditional myths and legends, which she passed down orally to younger generations.
2. Tacara Arapoty (c. 1780-1860): A renowned healer and herbalist from the Tupi-Guarani community in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul. She was widely sought after for her expertise in traditional medicine and her ability to treat various ailments using natural remedies.
3. Tacara Poty (c. 1820-1890): A skilled ceramist and artist from the Guarani community in the Argentine province of Misiones. Her intricate pottery and sculptures, adorned with traditional Guarani motifs, were highly valued and sought after by collectors and art enthusiasts.
4. Tacara Juruna (1875-1942): A prominent leader and spokeswoman for the Juruna tribe, an indigenous group from the Xingu region of Brazil. She played a crucial role in advocating for her people's rights and preserving their cultural traditions during a period of increasing pressure from outside influences.
5. Tacara Kariri (1895-1975): A respected teacher and linguist from the Kariri-Xocó tribe of northeastern Brazil. She dedicated her life to preserving and documenting the Kariri language, which was on the verge of extinction, and played a pivotal role in its revitalization efforts.
While these individuals may not be widely known outside their respective communities, their lives and contributions serve as a testament to the rich cultural heritage and resilience of the indigenous peoples of South America, and the enduring legacy of the name Tacara.
People
Tacara + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tacara 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
Tacara: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tacara?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 523 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tacara 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 655,362 US residents.
Is Tacara a common name?
We classify Tacara as "Very Rare". It ranks above 85% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 546 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tacara most popular?
The single biggest year for Tacara was 1982, when 44 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tacara is about 35 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Tacara in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 447 people with the name Tacara, or 0.15 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #22,320 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 Tacara 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 Tacara?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Tacara appears almost entirely female. Of the 453 people counted with this name, 99.1% were female and only a very small share were male. 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 Tacara?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Tacara is Black at 85.0%. The next largest groups are White (7.6%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Tacara most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Tacara in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.0% (380 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 Tacara in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Tacara a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Tacara 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 Tacara still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Tacara 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 Tacara 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 are called Tacara?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.