Girl · #13,427 in 2026

Tenaya

Tenaya was a leader of the Ahwahnechee people in Yosemite Valley, California.

Current Rank
#13,427
Peak Rank
#2,023 (1975)
Total Babies
1K
5-Yr Trend
-52%
1971
First Year
2024
Last Year
1975
Peak Year
#2023
Peak Rank
1K
Total Count
53
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Tenaya

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

Tenaya was a leader of the Ahwahnechee people in Yosemite Valley, California.

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

Origin & history
Tenaya's father was a leader of the Ahwahnechee people (or Awahnichi). The Ahwahneechee had become a tribe distinct from the other tribes in the area. Lafayette Bunnell , the doctor of the Mariposa Battalion , wrote that "Ten-ie-ya was recognized, by the Mono tribe , as one of their number, as he was born and lived among them until his ambition made him a leader and founder of the Paiute colony in Ah-wah-ne." The Ahwahneechee occupied Yosemite Valley until a sickness destroyed most of them. The few Ahwahneechee left Yosemite Valley and joined the Mono Lake Paiutes in the eastern Sierra Nevada

The Story of Tenaya

Tenaya first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1971, with 6 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1975, when 43 Tenayas were born — ranking #2,023 that year. As of 2026, Tenaya ranks #13,427 for baby girls with 6 births, falling sharply (-52%). In total, more than 1K Tenayas have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1970s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

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No data

Names that sound like Tenaya

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

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Tenaya

What does the name Tenaya mean?
Tenaya was a leader of the Ahwahnechee people in Yosemite Valley, California.
How popular is Tenaya in 2026?
In 2026, Tenaya ranks #13,427 among girls' names in the U.S., with 6 babies given the name that year.
When was Tenaya most popular?
Tenaya reached its peak popularity in 1975, ranking #2,023 that year with 43 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Tenaya most popular?
Tenaya has historically been most popular in Nevada, California. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Tenaya.
Is Tenaya a unisex name?
In U.S. Social Security records, Tenaya is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.
What names go well with Tenaya?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Tenaya include Dan, Annella, Palmina. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

Similar Names

👧
Dan
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👧
Annella
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Palmina
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👧
Demaris
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👧
Lacretia
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👧
Tahira
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Tamicka
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Huong
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About the name Tenaya

Tenaya is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1971 and has accumulated 1K births in the dataset. Tenaya's peak popularity came in 1975 when it ranked #2,023. Use the chart and map above to compare Tenaya'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.