girls' name ★ peaked 1978

Tabitha

Meaning doe, roe, gazelle Gender Girl Rank 2025 #1,308 Trend ↓ Falling 20%

From Aramaic טביתא (Ṭabītā’, “doe, roe, gazelle”), translated as Dorcas in the Bible.

Rank 2025
#1,308
among girls · ↑199 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
171
named Tabitha · +19% vs 2024
How common
1 in 9,399
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1978
2,324 babies
All-time total
59,346
#532 all-time among girls
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Tabitha popularity over time

59,346 babies have been named Tabitha since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.511.5218801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s 50 – 50 5 – #672
1890s 73 – 73 7 +46% #861
1900s 44 – 44 4 -40% #1,429
1910s 95 – 95 10 +116% #1,939
1920s 83 – 83 8 -13% #2,715
1930s 66 – 66 7 -20% #2,712
1940s 74 – 74 7 +12% #2,647
1950s 150 – 150 15 +103% #2,381
1960s 2,409 – 2,409 241 +1506% #297
1970s 11,947 59 12,006 1,201 +398% #126
1980s 19,578 82 19,660 1,966 +64% #135
1990s 13,685 5 13,690 1,369 -30% #164
2000s 6,843 – 6,843 684 -50% #319
2010s 3,163 – 3,163 316 -54% #632
2020s (to 2025) 940 – 940 157 -50% #1,308

Where Tabitha is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 girls Implied rank
2026 165 0.10 outside top 500
2027 160 0.10 outside top 500
2028 156 0.10 outside top 500
2029 152 0.09 outside top 500
2030 149 0.09 outside top 500

Where Tabitha is most popular

Girls named Tabitha per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.096 per 1,000. Strongest in Missouri, Utah, and Florida.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Tabitha born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Missouri 19 0.158 +65%
Utah 11 0.132 +38%
Florida 55 0.129 +35%
Michigan 22 0.121 +26%
Minnesota 12 0.111 +16%
North Carolina 25 0.110 +15%
Virginia 18 0.106 +11%
Texas 83 0.103 +8%
Pennsylvania 24 0.102 +6%
Colorado 11 0.099 ≈ national
Arkansas 5 0.095 ≈ national
Indiana 13 0.093 ≈ national
Iowa 5 0.086 -10%
California 69 0.082 -14%
Washington 11 0.076 -20%
New York 26 0.066 -31%
South Carolina 5 0.056 -42%
Illinois 12 0.052 -45%
Wisconsin 5 0.049 -49%
Maryland 5 0.047 -51%
Ohio 11 0.046 -51%
Arizona 5 0.036 -63%
Tennessee 5 0.032 -67%
Georgia 7 0.031 -68%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Idaho – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maine – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Vermont – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Tabitha

Tabitha is uncommon for girls in the United States, ranked #1,308 in 2025 with 171 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 59,346 American babies have been named Tabitha. Its peak came in 1978, when 2,324 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1970s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Tabitha stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Tabitha?

The median living Tabitha is about 38 years old; half are between 29 and 45. An estimated 57 thousand people named Tabitha are alive in the United States today.

median 38 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Tabitha year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 171 #1,308 – –
2024 144 #1,507 – –
2023 145 #1,499 – –
2022 150 #1,473 – –
2021 165 #1,346 – –
2020 165 #1,342 – –
2019 199 #1,185 – –
2018 232 #1,088 – –
2017 249 #1,040 – –
2016 295 #932 – –
2015 288 #943 – –
2014 297 #914 – –
2013 360 #754 – –
2012 358 #771 – –
2011 420 #673 – –
2010 465 #632 – –
2009 463 #643 – –
2008 531 #583 – –
2007 551 #556 – –
2006 574 #528 – –
2005 632 #485 – –
2004 689 #443 – –
2003 755 #401 – –
2002 754 #391 – –
2001 902 #341 – –
2000 992 #319 – –
1995 1,290 #220 – –
1990 1,765 #164 – –
1985 2,153 #135 12 #3,773
1980 1,788 #155 9 #4,460
1975 912 #264 9 #3,914
1970 1,049 #279 10 #3,256
1965 34 #2,027 – –
1960 28 #2,238 – –
1955 14 #3,208 – –
1950 12 #3,215 – –
1945 5 #5,169 – –
1940 8 #3,478 – –
1935 7 #3,712 – –
1930 – – – –
1925 5 #5,686 – –
1920 9 #3,563 – –
1915 12 #2,512 – –
1910 5 #2,747 – –
1905 8 #1,521 – –
1900 – – – –
1895 5 #1,784 – –
1890 5 #1,511 – –
1885 – – – –
1880 8 #672 – –

Famous people named Tabitha

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Tabitha King American author (born 1949) Contemporary
  2. 2 Tabitha St. Germain Tabitha St. Germain Canadian actress b. 1964 · Contemporary
  3. 3 Tabitha Stevens Tabitha Stevens American pornographic actress (born 1970) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Tabitha, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Tabitha?

The median living Tabitha is about 38 years old. Half of all living Tabithas are between 29 and 45 years old.

How many people named Tabitha are alive today?

An estimated 57 thousand people named Tabitha are alive in the United States, based on 59,346 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Tabitha mean?

From Aramaic טביתא (Ṭabītā’, “doe, roe, gazelle”), translated as Dorcas in the Bible.

How popular is the name Tabitha in 2025?

Tabitha ranked #1,308 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 171 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Tabitha?

59,346 babies have been named Tabitha in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Tabitha most popular?

Tabitha peaked in 1978, when 2,324 newborns received the name.

Is Tabitha a boy or girl name?

Tabitha is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Tabitha rising or falling?

Tabitha is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Tabitha become more popular?

Tabitha is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 149 girls named Tabitha in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Tabitha?

Well-known people named Tabitha include Tabitha King (writer), Tabitha St. Germain (actor), Tabitha Stevens (pornographic actor).

Names like Tabitha

Names that sound and feel close to Tabitha: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Tabitha with similar names → More names starting with T →