Unisex name ★ peaked 2014

Tenzin

Meaning Borrowed from Tibetan བསྟན་འཛིན (bstan 'dzin) Gender Unisex · 43% girls Rank 2025 #2,254 Trend ↓ Falling 10%

Borrowed from Tibetan བསྟན་འཛིན (bstan 'dzin).

Rank 2025
#2,254
among boys · ↑32 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
99
named Tenzin · -12% vs 2024
How common
1 in 27,112
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2014
141 babies
All-time total
2,906
#3,715 all-time among boys
First recorded
1992
in Social Security records

Tenzin popularity over time

2,906 babies have been named Tenzin since 1992, 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
0.010.030.040.0518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

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 – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s – – – – – –
1920s – – – – – –
1930s – – – – – –
1940s – – – – – –
1950s – – – – – –
1960s – – – – – –
1970s – – – – – –
1980s – – – – – –
1990s 74 97 171 17 – #2,931
2000s 370 441 811 81 +374% #2,163
2010s 528 758 1,286 129 +59% #1,762
2020s (to 2025) 281 357 638 106 -17% #2,187

Where Tenzin is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (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 boys Implied rank
2026 62 0.04 outside top 500
2027 62 0.04 outside top 500
2028 61 0.04 outside top 500
2029 61 0.04 outside top 500
2030 61 0.04 outside top 500

Where Tenzin is most popular

Boys named Tenzin per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.034 per 1,000. Strongest in New York, Minnesota, and Colorado.

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

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Tenzin 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 Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
New York 128 0.296 +766%
Minnesota 35 0.285 +735%
Colorado 5 0.039 +13%
California 12 0.013 -62%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Florida – – –
Georgia – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Illinois – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Michigan – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Carolina – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Ohio – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Pennsylvania – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Tennessee – – –
Texas – – –
Utah – – –
Virginia – – –
Vermont – – –
Washington – – –
Wisconsin – – –
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 Tenzin

Tenzin is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #2,254 in 2025 with 63 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1992, 2,906 American babies have been named Tenzin, about 57% boys and 43% girls, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 2014, when 141 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2010s.

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 Tenzin stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Tenzin?

The median living Tenzin is about 12 years old; half are between 6 and 18. An estimated 2,900 people named Tenzin are alive in the United States today.

median 12 020406080100

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

Tenzin 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 36 #4,061 63 #2,254
2024 50 #3,220 63 #2,286
2023 66 #2,670 48 #2,729
2022 48 #3,361 67 #2,187
2021 47 #3,385 54 #2,491
2020 34 #4,158 62 #2,232
2019 56 #2,960 74 #1,999
2018 53 #3,100 66 #2,141
2017 51 #3,190 80 #1,857
2016 51 #3,224 86 #1,786
2015 56 #3,056 77 #1,908
2014 55 #3,075 86 #1,762
2013 50 #3,263 74 #1,911
2012 54 #3,129 83 #1,797
2011 52 #3,219 67 #2,033
2010 50 #3,300 65 #2,093
2009 61 #2,887 63 #2,163
2008 53 #3,218 58 #2,288
2007 47 #3,527 59 #2,253
2006 36 #4,158 43 #2,734
2005 38 #3,866 46 #2,488
2004 28 #4,808 40 #2,690
2003 35 #3,942 30 #3,181
2002 24 #5,076 38 #2,598
2001 21 #5,555 29 #3,139
2000 27 #4,517 35 #2,668
1995 – – 9 #6,351
1990 – – – –
1985 – – – –
1980 – – – –
1975 – – – –
1970 – – – –
1965 – – – –
1960 – – – –
1955 – – – –
1950 – – – –
1945 – – – –
1940 – – – –
1935 – – – –
1930 – – – –
1925 – – – –
1920 – – – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Tenzin?

The median living Tenzin is about 12 years old. Half of all living Tenzins are between 6 and 18 years old.

How many people named Tenzin are alive today?

An estimated 2,900 people named Tenzin are alive in the United States, based on 2,906 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Tenzin mean?

Borrowed from Tibetan བསྟན་འཛིན (bstan 'dzin).

How popular is the name Tenzin in 2025?

Tenzin ranked #2,254 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 63 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Tenzin?

2,906 babies have been named Tenzin in the United States since 1992, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Tenzin most popular?

Tenzin peaked in 2014, when 141 newborns received the name.

Is Tenzin a boy or girl name?

Tenzin is used for both: about 43% of babies named Tenzin have been girls and 57% boys.

Is the name Tenzin rising or falling?

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

Will Tenzin become more popular?

Tenzin looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 61 boys named Tenzin in 2030, ranking outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Names like Tenzin

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

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