Tenecia
A feminine name of uncertain origin and meaning, potentially meaning "strong woman".
Name Census estimates that about 281 living Americans carry the first name Tenecia. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Tenecia today is around 43 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tenecia births was 1983 (22 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tenecia. 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 Tenecia with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
281
~ 1 in 1,219,766 Americans
Peak year
1983
22 babies that year
Average age
43
years old
1998 SSA rank
#13,960
Tracked since 1970
Census
Tenecia in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 302 people with the first name Tenecia, which placed it at #29,353 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
#29,353
National first-name rank
People counted
302
302 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
81.1% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tenecia
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Tenecia is Black at 81.1%. The next largest groups are White (7.6%) and Two or More Races (5.3%). 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 Tenecia 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 Tenecia at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American81.1% · 245
- White7.6% · 23
- Two or more races5.3% · 16
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 1
Popularity
Tenecia: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Tenecia from the 1970s through to the 1990s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 149 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1980s peak, Tenecia remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Tenecia 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 Tenecia during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Tenecias live
Origin
Meaning and history of Tenecia
The name Tenecia is believed to have its origins in the ancient Greek language, dating back to the 5th century BCE. It is derived from the Greek word "tenacious," which means "persistent" or "holding firm." This suggests that the name may have been given to individuals who exhibited qualities of determination and resilience.
In ancient Greek mythology, there are no specific references to a figure named Tenecia. However, the name's meaning aligns with the attributes of several Greek deities known for their strength and perseverance, such as Athena, the goddess of wisdom and war, and Hercules, the legendary hero celebrated for his extraordinary feats.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Tenecia dates back to the 1st century CE, when it appeared in a Roman census record. This suggests that the name may have been adopted by the Romans from the Greeks and potentially spread throughout the Mediterranean region.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the name Tenecia was Tenecia Tertulla, a Roman noblewoman who lived in the 2nd century CE. She was known for her patronage of the arts and her support of various charitable causes.
In the 6th century CE, there was a Christian martyr named Tenecia of Carthage, who was executed for her refusal to renounce her faith during the persecution of Christians under the Vandal king Hunaric.
During the medieval period, the name Tenecia gained popularity in parts of Europe, particularly in regions influenced by the Byzantine Empire and its Greek cultural heritage.
A notable figure from this era was Tenecia of Arles, a French noblewoman who lived in the 12th century and was known for her involvement in the Crusades. She played a significant role in providing aid and supplies to the Crusaders during their campaigns in the Holy Land.
In the 16th century, there was a Spanish poet and playwright named Tenecia de la Cruz, who gained recognition for her works exploring themes of love, spirituality, and the human condition.
The name Tenecia continued to be used throughout various regions of Europe and the Mediterranean, with individuals bearing this name making contributions in various fields, including literature, arts, and academia.
While the name may not be as common today as it once was, its historical significance and unique origins rooted in ancient Greek language and mythology make it a distinctive and meaningful choice for those seeking a name with a rich cultural heritage.
People
Tenecia + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tenecia 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
Tenecia: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tenecia?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 281 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tenecia 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 1,219,766 US residents.
Is Tenecia a common name?
We classify Tenecia as "Very Rare". It ranks above 78.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 301 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tenecia most popular?
The single biggest year for Tenecia was 1983, when 22 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tenecia is about 43 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Tenecia in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 302 people with the name Tenecia, or 0.10 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #29,353 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 Tenecia 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 Tenecia?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Tenecia appears almost entirely female. Of the 298 people counted with this name, 100.0% 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 Tenecia?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Tenecia is Black at 81.1%. The next largest groups are White (7.6%) and Two or More Races (5.3%). 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 Tenecia most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Tenecia in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.1% (245 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 Tenecia in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Tenecia a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Tenecia 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 Tenecia still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Tenecia 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 Tenecia 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 share the name Tenecia?
You can see how many Americans are named Tenecia on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.