Tira
Feminine
Tira is four letters with three plausible parents and no evidence for any of them. It may be cut from a longer name, it may be a respelling of Tyra, it may be the Hebrew word for an encampment — and the record, which is very good at showing when a name was given, has nothing to say about why.
How old is the name Tira?
Tira first appears in US birth records in 1951 — 74 years ago. The typical Tira alive today was born around 1978, making them about 47 years old. About 900 people named Tira are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Tira most popular?
Tira peaked in 1971, reaching #1906 nationally. See the whole 1971 chart.
Where it comes from
From several unrelated short names converge on the same letters to Tira
Our story of Tira
There is a particular pleasure in a name that gives nothing away. A long name announces its family, its language and often its century; a name of two syllables and four letters could have come from anywhere, and the person carrying it can take whichever story suits. That is not a defect in the name. Half the great names of Europe are in exactly this position — Anna, Emma, Sara — and the fact that nobody argues about them is only because they have been around long enough for the arguments to be forgotten.
Meaningnot established
Not established
A Hebrew word meaning a camp or a walled enclosure exists and is used as a modern Israeli name; a Norse name meaning Thor's warrior gives Tyra; and a great many American short names of the period were simply cut from something longer. Nothing in four letters distinguishes them, which is the ordinary difficulty with very short names.
How the name formed
- several unrelated short names converge on the same letters
- Tira appears in the American record in the 1950s
- peaks at the start of the 1970s
- never common in any decade
- no source has ever been established
Related forms: Tira · Tyra
Pronouncing Tira
TEE-ruh
Two syllables, stress at the front. Some families say TY-ruh, which the spelling permits and which is the Norse reading.
Nicknames for Tira
Moderate
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
- 1951
- Most girls named
- 197145 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1906reached in 1971
- Change vs 2014
- −16.7%5 in 2021, from 6
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.
Tira in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Tira in Hebrew — same name
- Tyra in English — spelling variant
Tiras among us
people named Tira 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
Tira 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
- Four letters, two syllables and no spelling difficulties.
- It is soft, short and works in several languages at once.
- It gives nothing away, which some people want from a name.
- The first vowel is read two ways and she will hear both.
- There is no meaning to give her and three candidates.
- It will be heard as Tyra, Tara and Kira by turns.
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What they receive
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Tira
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Tiras are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 900 people named Tira are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Tira in 2025?
- Tira is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Tira with classmates?
- Tira will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More T names
The most-given names starting with T, all years combined.
Teresa#908 · Theresa#1548 · Tiffany#878 · Tammy#3645 · Taylor#403 · Tina#2778 · Tracy#2153 · Thelma#4661
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Tira? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Tira and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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