Total births
419
Girls' name · since 1943
Tamsen
Tamsen has 419 recorded births since 1943 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1979 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #15546
- among girls today
- 419
- born since 1943
- 1980s
- peak decade
- 12%
- more common than other girls
Yes -- Tamsen is the #15546 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 419 recorded since 1943.
Tamsen has 419 recorded births among girls since 1943, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #15546 as of the latest data, more common than 12% of girls, busiest in the 1980s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1943 to 2024.
- #15546 among girls today
- 419 born since 1943
- 1980s peak decade
- 12% more common than other girls
Data updated Jul 2026
The verdict
Tamsen is currently the #15546 girls' name in America, more common than 12% of girls - 419 born since 1943, peaking in the 1980s.
- #15546
- among girls today
- 419
- born since 1943
- 1980s
- peak decade
- 12%
- more common than other girls
Tamsen vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#15546
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 12% of names given to girls today.
1980s
Peak decade
27% of everyone ever named Tamsen was born in this single decade.
1979
Single peak year
23 babies were named Tamsen in 1979 - its busiest year on record.
How Tamsen compares
419 Top 48% higher than 52% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Tamsen's all-time total is 10% above the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Tamsen | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 419 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 23 | 48 | 19,840 |
Tamsen's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Tamsen's full recorded timeline at 1972, 51% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 49% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 1970, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1979 peak of 23 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Tamsen at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1979
Current rank
#15,546
Active since
1943
Tamsen popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1943–2024
- Peak year (1979)
- 23
- Annual births at peak, across 82 years of records
Tamsen by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1980s was Tamsen's strongest decade.
113 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 27% of all-time use.
Tamsen births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1940s 19
1940s
19 births
- 1950s
1950s
79 births
- 1960s
1960s
93 births
- 1970s
1970s
68 births
- 1980s
1980s
113 births
- 1990s 22
1990s
22 births
- 2000s 10
2000s
10 births
- 2010s 10
2010s
10 births
- 2020s 5
2020s
5 births
What this shows Peak: 1980s at 113 births (27% of all-time use).
Tamsen by state
Where Tamsen concentrates geographically, total births since 1943
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 5 | 1.2% |
| #2 | Texas | | 5 | 1.2% |
California share of Tamsen's total US births 1.2%
Even split
5 of 419 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 2 reporting states.
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Tamsen? ▼
Since 1943, Social Security records show 419 babies named Tamsen. Today it holds rank #15546 among girls. Its busiest year on record was 1979, with 23 births.
When was Tamsen most popular? ▼
Tamsen was most popular in the 1980s decade with 113 total births. The single peak year was 1979.
Where is Tamsen most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Tamsen are California (5 births), Texas (5 births).
How long has the name Tamsen been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Tamsen since 1943 -- 82 years through the most recent 2024 data.
What names are similar to Tamsen? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Tammy, Tamara, Tami, Tammie, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Tamsen's data
- Tamsen's decade-level peak was the 1980s (113 total births); usage has since declined to 5 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Tamsens (5 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Tamsen
Nearby Names Like Tamsen
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Tamsen
Tammy Girl
#4794 332,015 births
Tamara Girl
#1761 131,286 births
Tami Girl
#11244 37,927 births
Tammie Girl
35,380 births
Tamika Girl
22,760 births
Compare Tamsen side by side: Tamsen vs Tammy Tamsen vs Tamara Tamsen vs Tami
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Tamsen
Data Sources
Data as of July 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1943–2024 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Tamsen: #15546 Girls' Name - 419 Births, Peak 1979." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/tamsen. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Tamsen draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of July 2026.