Given name & surname
Tena
Tena is a variant of Tina. One English interpretation is “from the river; also shortened torm of names ending in -tina.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Tena is a variant of Tina. One English interpretation is “from the river; also shortened torm of names ending in -tina.”
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Tena through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 8,186
- 0 boys · 8,186 girls
- Most popular year
- 1962
- 345 babies
- 2025
- 5
- #17,031 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −16%
- Easing
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 5 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 17,031 among girls’ names. The recent annual counts are too incomplete to establish a ten-year comparison. Its largest published annual count for girls was 345 in 1962. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 5,339 as a first name in 2020; 3,376 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.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 1
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 4
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Tena
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Tena, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Toni
“a flourishing man; from an ancient Roman family”
8% boys · 92% girls
Tine
“of the river” · “from the river”
>99% girls
Lorra
“crowned with laurel; from the laurel tree”
>99% girls
Lora
“crowned with laurel; from the laurel tree”
>99% girls
Rosette
“horse” · “fame”
>99% girls
Toinette
In French use, Toinette carries the interpretation “priceless and highly praiseworthy; a flourishing flower.”
>99% girls
Shelley
“from the bank's meadow” · “from the meadow's ledge”
>99% girls
Irvina
“friend of the sea”
>99% girls