Total births
120,421
Girls' name · since 1923
Tonya
Tonya has 120,421 recorded births since 1923 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1972 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #6432
- among girls today
- 120,421
- born since 1923
- 1970s
- peak decade
- 64%
- more common than other girls
Yes -- Tonya is the #6432 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 120,421 recorded since 1923.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Tonya has been recorded 120,421 times among girls since 1923, currently ranked #6432 nationally and more common than 64% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 1970s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1923 to 2025.
- #6432 among girls today
- 120,421 born since 1923
- 1970s peak decade
- 64% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Tonya is currently the #6432 girls' name in America, more common than 64% of girls - 120,421 born since 1923, peaking in the 1970s.
- #6432
- among girls today
- 120,421
- born since 1923
- 1970s
- peak decade
- 64%
- more common than other girls
Tonya vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#6432
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 64% of names given to girls today.
1970s
Peak decade
48% of everyone ever named Tonya was born in this single decade.
1972
Single peak year
7,244 babies were named Tonya in 1972 - its busiest year on record.
How Tonya compares
120,421 Top 2% higher than 98% 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
Tonya's all-time total is 315x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Tonya | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 120,421 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 7,244 | 48 | 19,840 |
Tonya's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Tonya's full recorded timeline at 1978, 25% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 75% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 1930, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1972 peak of 7,244 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Tonya at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1972
Current rank
#6,432
Active since
1923
Tonya popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1923–2025
- Peak year (1972)
- 7,244
- Annual births at peak, across 103 years of records
Tonya popularity over time - boys
435 total births recorded since 1962 (Tonya as boys' name)
Tonya by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1970s was Tonya's strongest decade.
57,789 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 48% of all-time use.
Tonya births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1920s 7
1920s
7 births
- 1930s 123
1930s
123 births
- 1940s 944
1940s
944 births
- 1950s 4,694
1950s
4,694 births
- 1960s
1960s
34,072 births
- 1970s
1970s
57,789 births
- 1980s 17,987
1980s
17,987 births
- 1990s 3,664
1990s
3,664 births
- 2000s 775
2000s
775 births
- 2010s 279
2010s
279 births
- 2020s 87
2020s
87 births
What this shows Peak: 1970s at 57,789 births (48% of all-time use).
How Tonya compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Tonya's total volume
Tonya vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Tonya by state
Where Tonya concentrates geographically, total births since 1923
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Ohio | | 8,203 | 6.8% |
| #2 | Texas | | 7,687 | 6.4% |
| #3 | North Carolina | | 7,117 | 5.9% |
| #4 | Georgia | | 5,901 | 4.9% |
| #5 | California | | 5,595 | 4.6% |
| #6 | Michigan | | 5,547 | 4.6% |
| #7 | Tennessee | | 4,964 | 4.1% |
| #8 | Florida | | 4,762 | 4.0% |
Ohio share of Tonya's total US births 6.8%
Even split
8,203 of 120,421 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Tonya appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Tonya? ▼
120,421 babies have been named Tonya since 1923. It currently ranks #6432 among girls. The peak year was 1972 with 7,244 births.
When was Tonya most popular? ▼
Tonya was most popular in the 1970s decade with 57,789 total births. The single peak year was 1972.
Where is Tonya most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Tonya are Ohio (8,203 births), Texas (7,687 births), North Carolina (7,117 births).
How long has the name Tonya been used? ▼
Records for Tonya go back to 1923, giving 103 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Tonya? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Toni, Tonia, Tonja, Tonie, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Tonya's data
- Tonya's decade-level peak was the 1970s (57,789 total births); usage has since declined to 87 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Ohio records the most Tonyas (8,203 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Ohio 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 Tonya
Nearby Names Like Tonya
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Tonya
Toni Girl
#2151 100,198 births
Tonia Girl
#15453 22,194 births
Tonja Girl
6,989 births
Tonie Girl
2,908 births
Tony Girl
2,888 births
Compare Tonya side by side: Tonya vs Toni Tonya vs Tonia Tonya vs Tonja
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Tonya
Data Sources
Data as of June 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, 1923–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Tonya: #6432 Girls' Name - 120,421 Births, Peak 1972." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/tonya. 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 Tonya 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 June 2026.