Given name & surname
Tian
Tian is a surname from Mandarin. It is used in English and Tagalog.
Meaning & origin
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1974. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Tian through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 532
- 379 boys · 153 girls
- Most popular year
- 2023
- 26 babies
- 2025
- 12
- #7,145 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +8%
- Steady
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 12 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 7,145 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 22.1% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 2,662 as a first name in 2020; 6,795 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.
Tian’s family of names
In English usage, Tian as a surname has a related form in Tien. In English usage, Tian as a surname has a related form in Tien. In English usage, Tian as a surname has a related form in T'ien.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 3
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 3
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 Tian
- Tian YuanChinese singerborn 1985
- Tian Nai KorenSlovenian association football playerborn 2009
- Tian Thalaking of Lan Xang1700–1696
- Tian YumeiChinese female sprinterborn 1965
- Tian TianChinese chess playerborn 1983
- Feng TianJapanese singer and actorborn 1992
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Tian, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Teoman
“chief, leader”
>99% boys
Tao
“resembling a peach; symbol of long life” · “one who will have a long life”
>99% boys
Yuan
Yuan is a surname from Mandarin.
79% boys · 21% girls
Tanjiro
“the prized second-born son”
>99% boys
Qian
Qian is a surname from Mandarin.
>99% boys
Zhen
“one who is precious and chaste”
75% boys · 25% girls
Jin
“a superior woman” · “a golden child; one who is elegant”
95% boys · 5% girls
Ao
Ao is a surname from Mandarin, ultimately from Chinese.
>99% boys