Tonya
Tonya is an English female given name. The name originated as a short form of Antonia with influence from the Spanish form Toña. It can be found throughout the English-speaking world but is most common in the United States. The popularity of the name has been influenced by its conflation with the unrelated name Tanya, which originated as a diminutive form of Tatiana.
Meaning & Origin of Tonya
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Tonya is an English female given name. The name originated as a short form of Antonia with influence from the Spanish form Toña. It can be found throughout the English-speaking world but is most common in the United States. The popularity of the name has been influenced by its conflation with the unrelated name Tanya, which originated as a diminutive form of Tatiana.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Tonya
Tonya first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1923, with 7 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1972, when 7,243 Tonyas were born — ranking #37 that year. As of 2026, Tonya ranks #7,596 for baby girls with 14 births, falling sharply (-28%). In total, more than 120K Tonyas have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1920s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Tonya
Phonetically similar names — useful when Tonya 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 Tonya
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About the name Tonya
Tonya is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1923 and has accumulated 120K births in the dataset. Tonya's peak popularity came in 1972 when it ranked #36. Use the chart and map above to compare Tonya's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1972 →
- Names of the 1970s →
- Names starting with "T" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
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.