Given name & surname
Tiger
“a powerful cat; resembling a tiger”·“as powerful as the animal”
Tiger is used as a given name and a surname. Interpretations include “a powerful cat; resembling a tiger” (American) and “as powerful as the animal” (American). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “a powerful cat; resembling a tiger” (American) and “as powerful as the animal” (American). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is American.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1962. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Tiger through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,310
- 1,248 boys · 62 girls
- Most popular year
- 2010
- 130 babies
- 2025
- 30
- #3,743 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +14%
- Rising
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 30 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 3,743 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 21.8% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 130 in 2010. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,496 as a first name in 2020; 2,277 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.
Tiger’s family of names
Tiger has a related form in Tige. Tiger has a related form in Tyger. Tiger has a related form in Tigre.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 9
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
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People named Tiger
- Tige AndrewsAmerican actor (1920-2007)
- Tiger FafaraAmerican actorborn 1945
- Tiger Jack FoxAmerican boxer (1907–1954)
- Tiger DevoreAmerican activistborn 1958
- Tiger OkoshiJazz Trumpet player, composer (1950-)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
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If you love Tiger, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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