Taj
A name of Persian origin meaning "crown" or "supreme".
Name Census estimates that about 6,043 living Americans carry the first name Taj. It is a predominantly male name (91.1% of registrations). The average person named Taj today is around 21 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Taj births was 2015 (218 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Taj. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Taj with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
6.0K
~ 1 in 56,719 Americans
Peak year
2015
218 babies that year
Average age
21
years old
2024 SSA rank
#1,461
Tracked since 1965
Census
Taj in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 4,926 people with the first name Taj, which placed it at #3,958 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
#3,958
National first-name rank
People counted
4.9K
4,926 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
1.6
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
52.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Taj
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Taj is Black at 52.7%. The next largest groups are White (18.7%) and Two or More Races (12.6%). 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 Taj 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 Taj at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American52.7% · 2,596
- White18.7% · 923
- Two or more races12.6% · 622
- Asian and Pacific Islander8.7% · 427
- Hispanic or Latino6.6% · 323
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 35
Gender
Gender distribution for Taj
Taj leans heavily male at 91.1% of total registrations, but 548 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Taj as a male name
- Ranked #1,461 in 2024
- 124 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2015 (200 births)
Taj as a female name
- Ranked #4,749 in 2024
- 29 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2024 (29 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Taj leans strongly male. 4,348 people counted with this name were male (88.4%), compared with 573 female bearers (11.6%).
Popularity
Taj: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Taj from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 1,860 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Taj remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Taj 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 Taj during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Tajs live
The SSA's state-level files cover 29 states and territories. California, New York, Florida recorded the most babies named Taj, while Kansas, Washington, Nevada recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 119 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Taj
The name Taj has its origins in the Persian language and culture, tracing back to the medieval period in the regions of modern-day Iran and parts of Central Asia. It is derived from the Persian word "tāj," which translates to "crown" or "diadem," symbolizing royalty, grandeur, and magnificence.
One of the earliest and most renowned historical references to the name Taj is the iconic Taj Mahal, a mausoleum constructed in the 17th century by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal. The word "Taj" in the name "Taj Mahal" directly translates to "crown," representing the grandeur and majesty of this architectural marvel, which has become a symbol of love and enduring beauty.
Throughout history, the name Taj has been associated with individuals of notable status and influence. One such figure is Taj ud-Din Firuz Shah Tughlaq (1321-1388), a prominent Sultan of the Delhi Sultanate who reigned from 1351 to 1388. His reign was marked by significant architectural achievements, including the construction of the historic Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi.
Another notable bearer of the name Taj was Taj Bibi (1501-1519), the wife of the Mughal Emperor Humayun. She played a crucial role in preserving the Mughal dynasty during turbulent times, famously leading the retreat from Delhi to Sindh and later facilitating the recapture of the empire's capital.
In the realm of literature, the name Taj also finds mention in the works of celebrated Persian poets and writers. One such example is the 14th-century Persian poet Hafiz, who referenced the word "tāj" in his lyrical compositions, evoking the imagery of crowns and regal splendor.
Another notable figure with the name Taj is Taj al-Saltana (1883-1936), an Iranian princess and influential figure during the Qajar dynasty. She was known for her advocacy of women's rights and her efforts to promote education and social reforms in Iran.
While the name Taj has its roots in the Persian language and culture, it has transcended geographical boundaries and found recognition across various regions and communities over the centuries, often associated with individuals of notable stature and accomplishments.
People
Taj + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Taj 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
Taj: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Taj?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6,043 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Taj 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 56,719 US residents.
Is Taj a common name?
We classify Taj as "Rare". It ranks above 96.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 6,164 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Taj most popular?
The single biggest year for Taj was 2015, when 218 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Taj is about 21 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Taj in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 4,926 people with the name Taj, or 1.63 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #3,958 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 Taj 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 Taj?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Taj leans strongly male. 4,348 people counted with this name were male (88.4%), compared with 573 female bearers (11.6%). 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 Taj?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Taj is Black at 52.7%. The next largest groups are White (18.7%) and Two or More Races (12.6%). 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 Taj most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Taj in the 2020 Census, accounting for 52.7% (2,596 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 Taj in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Taj a male name?
Yes, 91.1% of people registered as Taj in the SSA data are male. 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 Taj still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Taj 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 Taj 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 Americans are named Taj?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the name Taj at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.