Teja
Feminine · “radiance”
Teja is given to both — 571 girls and 73 boys since 1880. See other names given to both
Teja reaches American records mostly as a girl's name, but in southern India it is familiar as a boy's, from the Sanskrit for radiance. It is two quick syllables, and in both countries it sounds bright.
How old is the name Teja?
Teja first appears in US birth records in 1978 — 47 years ago. The typical Teja alive today was born around 2001, making them about 24 years old. About 600 people named Teja are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Teja most popular?
Teja peaked in 2002, reaching #2199 nationally. See the whole 2002 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From tejas to Teja
The story of Teja
Tejas is a Sanskrit word for the brilliance of fire and the inner energy of a sage, and in Telugu-speaking Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, Teja is a common name for boys. India gave the full word to its first home-built fighter jet, the Tejas. In America, the same spelling has gone mostly to girls, and a family choosing it may have had the Sanskrit in mind or may simply have liked the sound. The spelling serves both, and both are real.
Meaningscholars disagree
radiance, brilliance, from Sanskrit tejas
In Indian use Teja comes from Sanskrit tejas, radiance, fiery energy, and is most often a boy's name among Telugu speakers. The American girl's name may be the same word or a new build near Tia and Tessa; the record does not say.
How the name formed
- tejas
- Teja
Related forms: Teja · Tejas · Tejas
Pronouncing Teja
TAY-juh
Stress on the first syllable. In Telugu the vowels are closer to TAY-jah.
Nicknames for Teja
Limited
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
- 1978
- Most girls named
- 200275 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #2199reached in 2002
- Change vs 2015
- −28.6%5 in 2016, from 7
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.
Teja in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Teja in Telugu — same name
- Tejas in Sanskrit — related form
- Tejas in Hindi — related form
Tejas among us
people named Teja are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Teja sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- Its Sanskrit meaning, radiance, is clear and admired.
- It is short and easy to say.
- It works across languages.
- Indian families will know it first as a boy's name.
- In Spanish, teja is the word for a roof tile, which Spanish speakers may notice.
- Most American children given it are girls; a boy named Teja may be taken for a girl in America and a girl for a boy in India.
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What they receive
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Teja
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Tejas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 600 people named Teja are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Teja in 2025?
- Teja is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Teja with classmates?
- Teja will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More T names
The most-given names starting with T, all years combined.
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Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Teja? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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