Unisex name · since 1972
Tanaka
Since 1972, U.S. Social Security records show 129 babies named Tanaka, peaking in 1978. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #24,355 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- 129
- born since 1972
- 1970s
- peak decade
Tanaka is not among the current top-ranked girls names; 129 have been recorded since 1972.
Tanaka has 129 recorded births among girls since 1972, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, though it falls outside today's most-used girls names, busiest in the 1970s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1972 to 2004.
- #24,355 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- 129 born since 1972
- 1970s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Tanaka ranks #24,355 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). 129 born since 1972, peaking in the 1970s.
- #24,355 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- 129
- born since 1972
- 1970s
- peak decade
Tanaka's 129 recorded births place it above 66.31% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
No state rows cleared SSA’s public reporting threshold for this name.
Tanaka's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Tanaka's full recorded timeline at 1979, 32% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 68% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 1980, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1978 peak of 16 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Tanaka popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1972–2004
- Peak year (1978)
- 16
- Annual births at peak, across 33 years of records
Tanaka popularity over time - boys
10 total births recorded since 1976 (Tanaka as boys' name)
Tanaka by decade
1970s is the heaviest window (96 births, 74% of the file).
1970s was Tanaka's strongest decade.
96 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 74% of all-time use.
Tanaka births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1970s
1970s
96 births
- 1980s 18
1980s
18 births
- 1990s 5
1990s
5 births
- 2000s 10
2000s
10 births
What this shows Peak: 1970s at 96 births (74% of all-time use).
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Tanaka's data
- Tanaka's decade-level peak was the 1970s (96 total births); usage has since declined to 10 in the 2000s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Tanaka
Nearby Names Like Tanaka
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Tanaka
Compare Tanaka side by side: Tanaka vs Tanya Tanaka vs Tania Tanaka vs Tanisha
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Tanaka: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1978)
Similar record span (~32 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 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, 1972–2004 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
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 Tanaka 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 August 2026.