Fun Facts About the Name Tigh
- 34 babies named Tigh: U.S. records list 34 babies given the name Tigh from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Tigh Mean?
Tigh is a rare name with more than one possible source, and its meaning is not securely settled. The explanation most often given treats it as a variant spelling of Tighe, an anglicized Irish surname and given name that comes from the Gaelic Tadhg. The Old Irish word behind that name, tadg, meant "poet" or "philosopher," so on this derivation Tigh would mean "poet." A separate possibility is the Scottish Gaelic word tigh, usually spelled taigh, meaning "house." That word is common in place names but is not used as a personal name in Gaelic, so it would lie behind Tigh only if the spelling were borrowed from a place. Since the two look-alike sources belong to different languages and neither is confirmed for this exact spelling, the meaning should be treated as uncertain.
Tigh Name History & Origins
If the Irish derivation is right, the personal name behind Tigh is Tadhg, a Gaelic name found in early Irish records and widely used in medieval and early modern Ireland. Surnames were formed from it - Mac Tadhg and Ó Tadhg - and these were written in English as McTigue, O'Tighe, and Tighe as Gaelic sounds were respelled with English letters. Tighe became an established English-language surname, and Tigh may be a shortened or simplified spelling of it. The two words look alike but belong to different languages, so a shared origin should not be assumed.
Independently, tigh is a Scottish Gaelic word for "house," familiar from Highland place names. It is not a Gaelic personal name, so it would only lie behind Tigh as a name if the spelling came from a place rather than from a family name.
As a personal name Tigh is uncommon, and it is best known today as a surname in the television series Battlestar Galactica, where Colonel Tigh appears in both the 1978 and 2004 versions. That is a modern screen use of the surname; it tells us nothing about the name's earlier history.
How Popular is the Name Tigh?
Tigh has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 1982. Its best rank was #3,467 in 1982.
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 | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | #14,400 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1984 | #7,238 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1982 | #3,467 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1981 | #7,195 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1979 | #5,982 | 6 | 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.
Most Popular Boy Names That Start with T
Short Boy Names That Start with T
How the Name Tigh Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You like to control everyone within your influence, to shape things to your own liking. If positive, you develop high spirituality, as you have a God's protection. You are sensitive, affectionate, imaginative and cooperative, spiritually aware and prone to self-sacrifice. You can keep secrets and are a good diplomat. You may have healing and psychic powers. You are intuitive and might be interested in the arts, drama or science.
Position and social status is very important for you and you are always looking for way to improve your position in society. You have power and ability to chose your own destiny and achieve anything you want in life. You can expand in any direction according to your will and the set of values. You have passion for justice and belong to the position of authority. You have an inherent courage and endurance to accomplish "The Impossible Dream". With the power comes responsibility. You hold keys to the material world, but with this gift comes high spiritual responsibility to be fair and true to others. You are philosophical and mature, determined and intense with a desire to endure, often religious.
✦ Tigh's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Tigh's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.