How Many People Are Named Tela?
An estimated 643 people in the United States have the first name Tela. It is predominantly female (99.0%). The average bearer is 39 years old, and Tela peaked in popularity in 1985 with 45 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Tela as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, state-by-state birth registrations, and, when available, a 2020 Census snapshot showing who had the name at that point in time. You can also check how many people share the full name Tela paired with any surname.
Estimated Living Americans
643
About 1 in 533,055 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Very Rare
Predicted Gender
Female
99.0% confidence
Average Age
39
years old
Peak Year
1985
45 births
Total Registered
700
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Tela
Tela is predominantly female (99.0%), though 7 male births have been registered. It functions as a unisex name for a small percentage of bearers.
Tela as a male name
Ranked #8,022 in 1997
7 male births in 1997
Peak: 1997 (7 births)
Tela as a female name
Ranked #11,348 in 2018
9 female births in 2018
Peak: 1985 (45 births)
Tela in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 675 people with the first name Tela, which placed it at #16,628 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name in 2020. The estimated living count elsewhere on this page is different: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two figures are not expected to match exactly.
Read this section as a snapshot of people who already had the name in 2020. The SSA charts elsewhere on this page are still the better way to see how the name rose, fell, or shifted across generations.
Gender in the 2020 Census
In the 2020 Census, Tela was recorded as predominantly female. Out of 675 people with this name in that snapshot, 3.9% were male and 96.1% were female. That is very close to the long-run birth pattern in SSA records, where the name is female 99.0% of the time.
Census Count
675
people with this name
Census Rank
#16,628
among Census first names
Frequency Rate
0.22
per 100,000 people
Recorded Race and Hispanic Origin in the 2020 Census
In the 2020 Census, the first name Tela was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (45.00%). The next largest recorded groups were Black (37.35%) and Two or More Races (6.18%).
These percentages describe the people who had the first name Tela in the 2020 Census. They do not tell you the deeper meaning or origin of the name itself.
2020 Census demographic breakdown
Each row shows a recorded Census category for people with the first name Tela.
| Group | Share | Count |
|---|---|---|
| White | 45.00% | 306 |
| Black | 37.35% | 254 |
| Two or More Races | 6.18% | 42 |
| Hispanic | 5.88% | 40 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 3.24% | 22 |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 2.35% | 16 |
The Census published separate sex and race/origin tables for first names, so their total counts can differ slightly for the same name. That is why the race section focuses on the demographic mix rather than repeating a second headline count.
Tela: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Tela span from the 1890s to the 2010s, covering 9 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1980s, when 195 babies were registered. Tela has declined significantly from its peak in the 1980s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Tela by Decade
How has Tela tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
Tela + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Tela as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Tela
Other first names starting with T with a similar number of bearers.
Tela: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tela?
We estimate approximately 643 people named Tela are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 533,055 Americans share this first name.
Is Tela a common name?
Tela is classified as "Very Rare" and is more popular than 86.9% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 700 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Tela most popular?
Tela reached peak popularity in 1985, when 45 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Tela is approximately 39 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
How common was Tela in the 2020 Census?
The 2020 Census recorded 675 people with the first name Tela. That placed it at #16,628 in the published Census first-name tables, or 0.22 people per 100,000.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census number is a count of people with the name in 2020. The living estimate is a current model based on SSA birth records and survival rates, so it aims to estimate how many people with the name are alive now.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The popularity chart tracks birth registrations, not people currently alive. It shows how often Tela was given to babies from 1880 through 2024, which is why it is the best tool on the page for seeing long-run naming trends.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Tela?
In the 2020 Census snapshot, Tela was recorded as predominantly female. The published split was 3.9% male and 96.1% female.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Tela?
In the 2020 Census, the first name Tela was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (45.00%). The next largest recorded groups were Black (37.35%) and Two or More Races (6.18%). These percentages describe the people who had the name in the 2020 Census, not the deeper meaning or origin of the name itself.
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census published separate first-name tables for sex and for race and Hispanic origin. Those totals can differ slightly for the same name, so the page uses them as two related snapshots rather than treating them as perfectly interchangeable counts.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name tables only include names that met the Bureau's publication rules. That means some names on this site will have SSA history but no published Census demographic snapshot.
Is Tela a female name?
Tela is predominantly female. 99.0% of people with this name are female. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
Why can Tela have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because a name can build up a large population over many decades. Tela peaked in 1985, and the average living bearer is about 39 years old, so a name can still have millions of living bearers even after it stops feeling current for newborns.
How many Tela Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Tela Smith, Tela Johnson, Tela Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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