Tala
Feminine
Four letters, two open syllables, and the same vowel twice — Tala is about as easy to say aloud as a name gets. It arrives in the United States along several separate roads at once: from Tagalog, where tala is the word for a bright star; from Persian, where talā means gold; and from Arabic and Samoan use as well. Rare here, but instantly readable on sight.
How old is the name Tala?
Tala first appears in US birth records in 1953 — 72 years ago. The typical Tala is a kid of about 11 — this name's wave is very recent. About 3,500 people named Tala are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Tala most popular?
Tala peaked in 2025, reaching #1211 nationally. Today it ranks #1211, exactly where it peaked. See the whole 2025 chart.
Tala appears on this list:
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
The story of Tala
Tala is less one name than several that happen to meet at the same four letters. The Tagalog tala — a bright star, and the name of a star deity in pre-colonial Philippine tradition — is the best-known thread, and one reason the name travels with Filipino families abroad. Persian talā, gold, is an entirely separate word that lands on the same spelling, as does Samoan tala, a story. In the United States the name is strongest in states with large Filipino, Arab and Persian communities, which fits a name arriving by more than one route rather than spreading from a single source.
Meaningscholars disagree
Depends on the language: 'star' in Tagalog, 'gold' in Persian
In Tagalog, tala means a bright star or planet, and Tala is the name of a star deity recorded in accounts of pre-colonial Philippine belief. In Persian, طلا (talā) means gold. In Samoan, tala means a story or tale, and it is also the name of the national currency. Arabic families use تالا as a given name as well. A fifth reading — 'wolf', usually attributed to Lakota — circulates widely on name lists but is not supported by the Lakota language record, where the words for wolf look nothing like this.','
Pronouncing Tala
TAH-lah
Both vowels are open 'ah' sounds, with the stress on the first syllable in English and Tagalog. Persian speakers stress the second syllable — tah-LAH — so relatives may say it differently from teachers, and both are correct in their own language. Some English speakers default to TAL-uh, rhyming the first half with 'pal'; a single correction usually settles it.
Nicknames for Tala
High
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1953
- Most girls named
- 2025187 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1211reached in 2025
- Change vs 2024
- +8.1%187 in 2025, from 173
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Tala in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Tala in Tagalog — same name
- طلا (Talā) in Persian — transliteration
- تالا (Tala) in Arabic — transliteration
- Tala in Samoan — same name
- Talah in English — spelling variant
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, Texas, New York.
Talas among us
people named Tala are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 8,595 born in 2025 was named Tala
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Bronwyn test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Tala's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Bronwyn climbed just as high around 1964, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Bronwyn's path sketches the road Tala is walking now.
Tala is climbing fast right now. Steep climbs tend to come with steep descents — the quicker a name arrives, the more firmly it belongs to its moment.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Tala is headed
Tala should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
Medium confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Tala beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Tala in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- Spelled exactly as it sounds in English — four letters, no silent letters, nothing to dictate twice over the phone.
- Pronounceable in a great many languages, since the ah-ah vowel pattern exists nearly everywhere.
- Carries real meaning in several living languages at once, which can honor more than one side of a family.
- Short enough to need no nickname, but yields Tal, Tally and Lala when one is wanted.
- The meaning shifts with the language. Star, gold and story are all genuine, and a Tagalog-speaking grandparent and a Persian-speaking one will each hear something different — charming in one family, a small recurring explanation in another.
- The 'wolf' meaning attached to Tala across the internet does not hold up in the Lakota language, so expect to hear it repeated by people who mean well.
- It sits close to Talia, Thalia, Tayla and Tela, so mishearings are likelier than misspellings once someone has seen it written.
- Uncommon enough here that a child is unlikely to share it with a classmate — good if you want that, worth knowing if you don't.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Tala to the vote.
Add it to a family vote or a couple’s swipe deck — the other person gets one card, a simple answer and room to say why. No app, no account for them.
Only the people you invite can see your list.
Already decided on Tala? Hide it among decoys and let them guess.
What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Tala
Feminine · #1211 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Talas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 3,500 people named Tala are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Tala in 2025?
- Tala ranks #1211 among US girl names in 2025, with 187 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Tala?
- About 1 in every 8,595 US girls born in 2025 was named Tala — 187 in all.
- Will my child share the name Tala with classmates?
- Tala will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Tala
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Cattleya#1211 · Maleah#1211 · Asiya#1211 · Nathaly#1211 · Vida#1211 · Egypt#1211 · Jayda#1211 · Sandra#1207
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Tala? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Tala and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
Compare side by sideIn a hurry? Just pick a winner — one tap, no sign-up, and you see how everyone else voted.
Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
No advertising trackers and no data sellinghow we handle your dataindependent and founder-run, about Name Battle