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.
- #13,906 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- 382
- born since 1972
- 1980s
- peak 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.
- #13,906 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- 382 born since 1972
- 1980s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Tanessa ranks #13,906 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). 382 born since 1972, peaking in the 1980s.
- #13,906 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- 382
- born since 1972
- 1980s
- peak decade
Tanessa's 382 recorded births place it above 80.77% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
No state rows cleared SSA’s public reporting threshold for this name.
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 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
1980s is the heaviest window (138 births, 36% of the file).
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? ▼
Where does Tanessa sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Tanessa most popular? ▼
How long has the name Tanessa been used? ▼
What names are similar to Tanessa? ▼
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.
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
Compare Tanessa side by side: Tanessa vs Tanya Tanessa vs Tania Tanessa 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 Tanessa: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1987)
Similar record span (~43 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, 1972–2015 (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 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 August 2026.