Girl · #12,408 in 2026

Tawanda

Name: Popularity of the name Tawanda in U.S. births, 1880–2026
Creator: U.S. Social Security Administration
License: https://www.ssa.gov/foia/
Keywords: Tawanda, baby name, popularity, U.S., SSA, rankings

Tawanda is a Zimbabwean masculine given name that may refer to the following notable people:Tawanda Chirewa, English football midfielder Tawanda Chiwira, Zimbabwean sprinter Tawanda Kanhema, Zimbabwean photographer Tawanda Manyimo, Zimbabwean-born New Zealand actor Tawanda Muparati, Zimbabwean football defender Tawanda Mupariwa, Zimbabwean cricketer Tawanda Maswanhise, Zimbabwean football…

Current Rank

#12,408

Peak Rank

#639 (1977)

Total Babies

5-Yr Trend

Stable

1944

First Year

2003

Last Year

1977

Peak Year

#639

Peak Rank

Total Count

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Tawanda

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

The Story of Tawanda

Tawanda first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1944, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1977, when 260 Tawandas were born — ranking #639 that year. As of 2026, Tawanda ranks #12,408 for baby girls with 7 births, with steady use. In total, more than 4K Tawandas have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1940s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

Names that sound like Tawanda

Phonetically similar names — useful when Tawanda is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Towanda
Tijuana
Tawana
Tawanna
Rwanda
Lawanda
Taekwondo
Tienda
Tejada
Tonda
Tunda
Tonawanda

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Tawanda

What does the name Tawanda mean?

How popular is Tawanda in 2026?

In 2026, Tawanda ranks #12,408 among girls' names in the U.S., with 7 babies given the name that year.

When was Tawanda most popular?

Tawanda reached its peak popularity in 1977, ranking #639 that year with 260 babies given the name.

In which U.S. states is Tawanda most popular?

Tawanda has historically been most popular in Mississippi, South Carolina, District of Columbia. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Tawanda.

Is Tawanda a unisex name?

In U.S. Social Security records, Tawanda is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.

What names go well with Tawanda?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Tawanda include Mellissa, Sonji, Johannah. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Tawanda

Tawanda is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1944 and has accumulated 4K births in the dataset. Tawanda's peak popularity came in 1977 when it ranked #639. Use the chart and map above to compare Tawanda's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.