Tynika
A feminine name of Native American origin meaning "flower".
Name Census estimates that about 293 living Americans carry the first name Tynika. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Tynika today is around 41 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tynika births was 1991 (19 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tynika. 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
293
~ 1 in 1,169,810 Americans
Peak year
1991
19 babies that year
Average age
41
years old
2005 SSA rank
#19,028
Tracked since 1971
Census
Tynika in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 259 people with the first name Tynika, which placed it at #32,463 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
#32,463
National first-name rank
People counted
259
259 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
91.5% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tynika
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Tynika is Black at 91.5%. The next largest groups are White (4.2%) and Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Tynika 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 Tynika at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American91.5% · 237
- White4.2% · 11
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 5
- Two or more races1.9% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 1
Popularity
Tynika: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Tynika from the 1970s through to the 2000s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 123 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
Tynika 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 Tynika during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Tynika
The name Tynika originates from African American culture and has its roots in the Swahili language, which is spoken in several East African countries, including Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. The name Tynika is believed to have emerged in the late 20th century, possibly as a variation of the name Tynisha, which itself may have been derived from the Swahili word "tini," meaning small or little.
While the exact origins of the name Tynika are not well documented, it is thought to have gained popularity in the United States during the late 20th century as part of the broader cultural movement to embrace and celebrate African American heritage and identity. The name's connection to the Swahili language and its African roots likely contributed to its appeal among African American families seeking to give their children names with cultural significance.
In terms of historical references, the name Tynika does not appear to have any direct mentions in ancient texts, religious scriptures, or historical records. However, its connection to the Swahili language and African culture ties it to a rich heritage and tradition that spans centuries.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Tynika can be found in the United States Social Security Administration's baby name records, which show the name first appearing in the late 1970s or early 1980s. While the name has never been among the most popular names in the United States, it has maintained a consistent presence in the baby name records over the past few decades.
Several notable individuals have borne the name Tynika throughout history, although their fame and significance may vary. One example is Tynika Watson, an American track and field athlete who competed in the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics, specializing in the long jump and triple jump events. Another individual with the name Tynika is Tynika Gullatt, an American basketball player who played professionally in the WNBA for the Detroit Shock and the Los Angeles Sparks.
Other individuals named Tynika include Tynika Nunley, an American actress and model known for her appearances in various television shows and music videos, and Tynika Parham, an American former professional basketball player who played in the WNBA for the Connecticut Sun.
It's worth noting that while these are some examples of individuals with the name Tynika, there may be other noteworthy individuals bearing this name throughout history whom I have not mentioned.
People
Tynika + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tynika 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
Tynika: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tynika?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 293 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tynika 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 1,169,810 US residents.
Is Tynika a common name?
We classify Tynika as "Very Rare". It ranks above 78.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 312 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tynika most popular?
The single biggest year for Tynika was 1991, when 19 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tynika is about 41 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Tynika in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 259 people with the name Tynika, or 0.09 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #32,463 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 Tynika 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 Tynika?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Tynika appears almost entirely female. Of the 257 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 Tynika?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Tynika is Black at 91.5%. The next largest groups are White (4.2%) and Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Tynika most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Tynika in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (237 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 Tynika in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Tynika a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Tynika 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 Tynika still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Tynika 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 Tynika 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 Tynika as a first name?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.