Trenna
A feminine name derived from the Welsh word "tren" meaning "impetuous" or "violent".
Name Census estimates that about 572 living Americans carry the first name Trenna. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Trenna today is around 55 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Trenna births was 1970 (34 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Trenna. 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
572
~ 1 in 599,221 Americans
Peak year
1970
34 babies that year
Average age
55
years old
2013 SSA rank
#19,079
Tracked since 1921
Census
Trenna in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 648 people with the first name Trenna, which placed it at #17,157 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
#17,157
National first-name rank
People counted
648
648 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
78.5% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Trenna
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Trenna is White at 78.5%. The next largest groups are Black (16.5%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Trenna 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 Trenna at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.5% · 509
- Black or African American16.5% · 107
- Two or more races2.5% · 16
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 4
Popularity
Trenna: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Trenna from the 1920s through to the 2010s, spanning 10 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 217 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1960s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Trenna 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 Trenna during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Trennas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Trenna
The name Trenna is believed to have its origins in the ancient Germanic languages, with roots that can be traced back to the 5th century AD. It is thought to be derived from the Proto-Germanic word "trenniʒ," which means "to separate" or "to divide." This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with concepts of distinction or individuality.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Trenna can be found in the Codex Argenteus, a 6th-century Gothic manuscript containing a translation of the Bible. In this text, the name appears as "Trenna," referring to a female character. However, it is unclear whether this was intended as a proper name or a descriptive term.
In the Middle Ages, the name Trenna gained some popularity in certain regions of Europe, particularly in areas with Germanic cultural influences. One notable figure from this period was Trenna of Bamberg, a 12th-century German noblewoman and landowner who played a significant role in the establishment of the Benedictine abbey in her hometown.
During the Renaissance, the name Trenna experienced a resurgence in literary works and historical records. In 1583, the Italian playwright Giambattista Della Porta featured a character named Trenna in his comedic play "La Sorella." Additionally, a 16th-century Dutch merchant named Trenna van Leyden is mentioned in several trade documents from the period.
In the 19th century, the name Trenna gained some traction in the English-speaking world. One notable individual was Trenna Merriman, an American writer and social reformer born in 1840, who campaigned for women's rights and authored several books on the subject.
Another notable figure was Trenna Lacey, a British actress and singer who graced the stage in the late 19th century. Born in 1867, she was particularly renowned for her performances in musical comedies and operettas.
Moving into the 20th century, the name Trenna continued to appear in various cultural and historical contexts. One example is Trenna Parker, an American artist and sculptor born in 1906, whose works were featured in several prestigious exhibitions and galleries during her lifetime.
While the name Trenna may not be as widely used today as it once was, its historical roots and associations with concepts of individuality and distinction make it a unique and intriguing choice for parents seeking a name with a rich cultural heritage.
People
Trenna + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Trenna 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
Trenna: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Trenna?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 572 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Trenna 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 599,221 US residents.
Is Trenna a common name?
We classify Trenna as "Very Rare". It ranks above 85.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 736 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Trenna most popular?
The single biggest year for Trenna was 1970, when 34 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Trenna is about 55 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Trenna in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 648 people with the name Trenna, or 0.21 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #17,157 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 Trenna 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 Trenna?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Trenna appears almost entirely female. Of the 642 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 Trenna?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Trenna is White at 78.5%. The next largest groups are Black (16.5%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Trenna most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Trenna in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.5% (509 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 Trenna in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Trenna a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Trenna 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 Trenna still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Trenna 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 Trenna 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 have the name Trenna?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.