Total births
382
Girls' name · since 1972
Tanessa
382 babies named Tanessa in U.S. Social Security records since 1972, with the highest year being 1987. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- 382
- total births
- 1972–2015
- years on record
- 1980s
- peak decade
- 36%
- born in that decade
382 girls have been named Tanessa since 1972, though it isn't currently a top-ranked name.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Tanessa has been recorded 382 times among girls since 1972, though it is not among the currently most-used girls names, with its heaviest use in the 1980s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1972 to 2015.
- 382 total births
- 1972–2015 years on record
- 1980s peak decade
- 36% born in that decade
Data updated Jul 2026
The verdict
382 girls have been named Tanessa since 1972, peaking in the 1980s, last recorded in 2015.
- 382
- total births
- 1972–2015
- years on record
- 1980s
- peak decade
- 36%
- born in that decade
1980s
Peak decade
36% of everyone ever named Tanessa was born in this single decade.
1987
Single peak year
23 babies were named Tanessa in 1987 - its busiest year on record.
Tanessa's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Tanessa's full recorded timeline at 1989, 46% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 54% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 1979, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1987 peak of 23 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Tanessa at a glance
Last recorded 2015Peak year
1987
Current rank
Unranked
Active since
1972
Tanessa popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1972–2015
- Peak year (1987)
- 23
- Annual births at peak, across 44 years of records
Tanessa by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1980s was Tanessa's strongest decade.
138 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 36% of all-time use.
Tanessa births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1970s
1970s
83 births
- 1980s
1980s
138 births
- 1990s
1990s
90 births
- 2000s
2000s
64 births
- 2010s 7
2010s
7 births
What this shows Peak: 1980s at 138 births (36% of all-time use).
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Tanessa? ▼
Tanessa has been given to 382 babies in the U.S. since 1972, according to SSA data. Its last appearance in the data was 2015. 23 babies were born in 1987, its single highest year.
When was Tanessa most popular? ▼
Tanessa was most popular in the 1980s decade with 138 total births. The single peak year was 1987.
How long has the name Tanessa been used? ▼
Tanessa has been recorded in Social Security data since 1972, spanning 44 years of data through 2015.
What names are similar to Tanessa? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Tanya, Tania, Tanisha, Tana, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Tanessa's data
- Tanessa's decade-level peak was the 1980s (138 total births); usage has since declined to 7 in the 2010s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- 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 Tanessa
Nearby Names Like Tanessa
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Tanessa
Tanya Girl
#3406 116,855 births
Tania Girl
#1929 28,891 births
Tanisha Girl
#5048 19,340 births
Tana Girl
#8032 9,274 births
Tanesha Girl
5,307 births
Compare Tanessa side by side: Tanessa vs Tanya Tanessa vs Tania Tanessa vs Tanisha
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
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, 1972–2015 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Tanessa: Baby Name Since 1972 - 382 Births, Peak 1987." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/tanessa. 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 Tanessa 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.