Thembi — girls' name
35 babies named Thembi in U.S. Social Security records since 1971, with the highest year being 1971. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
100% of everyone ever named Thembi was born in this single decade.
10 babies were named Thembi in 1971 — its busiest year on record.
What the Data Says About Thembi
The Social Security Administration has registered 35 babies named Thembi between 1971 and 1979, spanning 9 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a girl's name, Thembi currently falls outside the top 1,000 girls' names for 1979. The name reached its historical peak in 1971, when 10 babies received it in a single year.
Decade-level aggregation shows that Thembi performed strongest in the 1970s, accumulating 35 births during that ten-year window.
No etymological entry is currently available for Thembi in our reference dataset. These figures derive from SSA's annual national and state-level name files, which include any name appearing at least five times in a given year or state-year; names below that threshold are suppressed for privacy and therefore excluded from the totals shown here. The 35 total represents a lower bound — actual usage may be higher in years or states where the count fell below the disclosure floor. This page is provided for informational and research purposes only and does not constitute personal, legal, or naming advice.
Thembi at a glance
Last recorded 1979Peak year
Current rank
Active since
Thembi popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1979–1971
- Peak year (1971)
- 10
- Annual births at peak — across 9 years of records
No longer in the modern top-1000 — last recorded 1979.
35 total births across 9 years of SSA records. Peaked in 1971 with 10 births in a single year.
Thembi by decade
Total births in each ten-year window — peak vs trough at a glance
- Peak decade
- 1970s
- 35 births that decade — 100% of Thembi's all-time total
Thembi decade highlights
- Peak decade 35 births
- Decades tracked with recorded births
1970s was Thembi's strongest decade
35 babies received the name during that ten-year window — about 100% of all-time use.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Data Sources
Data as of 2024. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, 1971–1979 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames). National-level data includes all names with 5 or more occurrences in a given year.
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names — State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip). Includes all names with 5 or more occurrences per state per year; rarer names are excluded for privacy.