Fun Facts About the Name Talia
- More than 34 thousand babies named Talia: U.S. records list 34,152 babies given the name Talia from 1880 through 2025. Even 5 boys received the name Talia - about 1 boy for every 6,829 girls.
What Does the Name Talia Mean?
Talia is primarily a feminine Hebrew name. It is formed from the Hebrew elements טַל (tal), "dew," and יָהּ (Yah), a shortened form of the divine name. The name is commonly understood as "dew of God." In Hebrew it is usually written טַלְיָה (Talyah) or טַלְיָא (Talya).
A competing explanation connects the name to the Aramaic word טַלְיָא (talya), "lamb." That is a separate lexical item, and the "lamb" sense is more securely attached to the related name Talya than to the Hebrew feminine Talia. The usual Hebrew derivation remains tal + Yah.
Talia is also sometimes treated as a variant of the Greek name Θάλεια (Thalia), one of the Muses. Thalia comes from the verb thallein, "to bloom," giving the sense "blooming" or "flourishing." The two names look similar but have different origins and usual pronunciations, so the Greek sense is a separate tradition rather than the source of the Hebrew name.
Talia Name History & Origins
The Hebrew name Talia belongs to the pattern of Hebrew names that combine a natural word with a form of the divine name. The element tal ("dew") appears in biblical poetry and blessings, and Yah appears in many Hebrew names, such as Elijah (Eliyahu). Talia is part of later Jewish naming traditions and is used in Jewish communities and in modern Israel, where both Talia and Talya are common for girls.
The similar-looking Greek name Thalia has its own history. In Greek mythology, Thalia is the Muse of comedy and idyllic poetry. Its English forms include Thalia and, occasionally, Talia. The Hebrew Talia and the Greek Thalia are distinct in origin and are usually pronounced differently.
One well-known literary use of Talia is in Giambattista Basile's 1634 tale "Sun, Moon, and Talia," an early printed version of the Sleeping Beauty story. The name there is a literary use, not evidence of the name's origin or earliest documented appearance. In modern popular culture, Talia also appears as a character name, but such uses are not the source of the name.
The spelling Talia is the common English form of the Hebrew name. English spellings also include Talya and Talyah.
How Popular is the Name Talia?
Talia recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2023. Its best rank was #264 in 2023.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #265 | 1,180 | 0.0734% |
| 2024 | #270 | 1,161 | 0.0720% |
| 2023 | #264 | 1,183 | 0.0738% |
| 2022 | #304 | 1,052 | 0.0642% |
| 2021 | #303 | 1,052 | 0.0642% |
| 2020 | #337 | 923 | 0.0571% |
| 2019 | #332 | 969 | 0.0578% |
| 2018 | #332 | 983 | 0.0578% |
| 2017 | #313 | 1,043 | 0.0604% |
| 2016 | #307 | 1,062 | 0.0599% |
| 2015 | #285 | 1,122 | 0.0629% |
| 2014 | #329 | 1,017 | 0.0569% |
| 2013 | #351 | 909 | 0.0518% |
| 2012 | #388 | 802 | 0.0455% |
| 2011 | #427 | 735 | 0.0418% |
| 2010 | #412 | 766 | 0.0431% |
| 2009 | #367 | 880 | 0.0479% |
| 2008 | #386 | 834 | 0.0441% |
| 2007 | #392 | 839 | 0.0436% |
| 2006 | #362 | 895 | 0.0471% |
| 2005 | #354 | 888 | 0.0481% |
| 2004 | #334 | 955 | 0.0520% |
| 2003 | #355 | 871 | 0.0477% |
| 2002 | #368 | 810 | 0.0451% |
| 2001 | #379 | 783 | 0.0435% |
| 2000 | #378 | 762 | 0.0420% |
| 1999 | #376 | 763 | 0.0430% |
| 1998 | #393 | 697 | 0.0394% |
| 1997 | #397 | 659 | 0.0379% |
| 1996 | #457 | 549 | 0.0313% |
| 1995 | #476 | 519 | 0.0295% |
| 1994 | #470 | 537 | 0.0301% |
| 1993 | #509 | 485 | 0.0268% |
| 1992 | #493 | 498 | 0.0270% |
| 1991 | #514 | 452 | 0.0241% |
| 1990 | #607 | 373 | 0.0196% |
| 1989 | #548 | 414 | 0.0225% |
| 1988 | #606 | 330 | 0.0185% |
| 1987 | #556 | 361 | 0.0208% |
| 1986 | #581 | 333 | 0.0194% |
| 1985 | #756 | 227 | 0.0132% |
| 1984 | #651 | 268 | 0.0159% |
| 1983 | #578 | 310 | 0.0186% |
| 1982 | #613 | 294 | 0.0174% |
| 1981 | #616 | 295 | 0.0177% |
| 1980 | #591 | 314 | 0.0189% |
| 1979 | #624 | 281 | 0.0175% |
| 1978 | #736 | 213 | 0.0139% |
| 1977 | #710 | 219 | 0.0143% |
| 1976 | #1,498 | 70 | 0.0048% |
| 1975 | #1,543 | 66 | 0.0045% |
| 1974 | #2,905 | 25 | 0.0017% |
| 1973 | #3,462 | 19 | 0.0013% |
| 1972 | #3,527 | 18 | 0.0012% |
| 1971 | #4,509 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 1970 | #3,853 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 1969 | #3,604 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 1968 | #4,739 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1967 | #3,824 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 1966 | #7,496 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1960 | #4,736 | 9 | 0.0004% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | #10,628 | 5 | 0.0003% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
