Given name
Tupac
“a messenger warrior”
Tupac is used as a given name. One African interpretation is “a messenger warrior.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One African interpretation is “a messenger warrior.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is African.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1993. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Tupac through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 91
- 91 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1997
- 10 babies
- 2025
- 5
- #13,727 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 5 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 13,727 among boys’ names. The recent annual counts are too incomplete to establish a ten-year comparison.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Tupac’s family of names
Tupac has a related form in Tupack. Tupac has a related form in Tupoc. Tupac has a related form in Tupock.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 3
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
People named Tupac
- Tupac ShakurAmerican rapper and actor (1971–1996)
- Topa Inca Yupanqui12th Inca Emperor1441–1493
- Túpac Huallpa16th Inca Emperor under the crown of Spain1510–1533
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Tupac, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Tendai
“thankful to God”
>99% boys
Yaw
“born on a Thursday”
>99% boys
Salaam
“resembling a peach”
>99% boys
Uzoma
“one who takes the right path” · “born during the course of a journey”
94% boys · 6% girls
Kamau
“a quiet warrior”
>99% boys
Kwaku
“born on a Wednesday”
>99% boys
Themba
“one who is trusted” · “one who is trustworthy”
>99% boys
Akin
“a brave man; a hero”
>99% boys