Given name & surname
Tava
“from the staff of the gods”·“of the staff of the gods”
Tava is a variant of Tavin. In German use, Tavin carries the interpretation “of the staff of the gods.” Tava is a form of Gustava. In Swedish use, Gustava carries the interpretation “from the staff of the gods.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
In Swedish use, Tava carries the interpretation “from the staff of the gods.” Tava is a variant of Tavin. In German use, Tavin carries the interpretation “of the staff of the gods.” Tava is a form of Gustava. In Swedish use, Gustava carries the interpretation “from the staff of the gods.”
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Swedish.
How it developed
Tava is used as a form of Gustava.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1947. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. Tava connects to the Gustav name family through Tavin. The history of Gustav gives this family its wider story. Gustav has historical associations with Scandinavian royalty.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Tava through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 460
- 0 boys · 460 girls
- Most popular year
- 2000
- 18 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for girls is 6 in 2022. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for girls was 18 in 2000. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 499 as a first name in 2020; 105 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Tava’s family of names
Tava has a related form in Tavin. Tava is a form of Gustava. Tava has a related form in Tavah.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 4
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
Similar names
If you love Tava, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Torri
Torri is a surname, possibly from Old Swedish. It is used in Finnish and Faroese.
6% boys · 94% girls
Aslin
“ridge”
>99% girls
Kela
“crank”
>99% girls
Kirsi
“follower of Christ”
>99% girls
Kerstin
“follower of Christ”
>99% girls
Anette
Anette is a feminine given name from Swedish. It is used in Swedish, Danish, Finnish, and Norwegian.
>99% girls
Ylva
“she-wolf”
>99% girls
Nea
In Finnish use, Nea is a short form of Linnea. One Scandinavian interpretation is “resembling a small mountain flower; of the lime tree.”
>99% girls