UK girl's name
Tonya
A feminine Russian name of uncertain origin, possibly derived from the Greek name Antonia.
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2005. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Tonya is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Tonya popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2005 in this profile. In that release it ranked #4798, with 3 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 1996, with 8 births.
This profile covers 28 England and Wales registrations across 7 recorded years from 1996 to 2005. The figures come from ONS England and Wales and NRS Scotland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 38% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 31 living people in the UK are called Tonya. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2006 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Tonya ranked #4798 for girls in England and Wales in 2005, with 3 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 1996, when 8 girls were registered as Tonya.
- • Tonya ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #508 in 1974.
- • About 31 living people in the UK are estimated to have Tonya as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#4798
2005
Births in 2005
3
Latest year
Peak year
1996
8 births
Estimated living
31
2026
Meaning
What does Tonya mean?
The name Tonya is a feminine given name that originated from the Russian language. It is a diminutive form of the name Antonina, which is derived from the Latin name Antonius. The name Antonius itself is believed to have originated from the ancient Roman family name Antonii.
Tonya gained popularity in Russia during the Middle Ages, where it was commonly used as a pet form of Antonina. It is possible that the name was initially influenced by the veneration of Saint Antonina, a Christian martyr from the 3rd century AD who was born in Nicaea (present-day Turkey).
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Tonya can be found in the Russian chronicles from the 12th century, where a woman named Tonya was mentioned as the wife of a prominent nobleman. However, the name did not gain widespread popularity until the 19th century when it became more common among the Russian aristocracy and middle class.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Tonya. Tonya Harding (born 1970) is an American figure skater who gained notoriety for her involvement in the attack on her rival, Nancy Kerrigan, in 1994. Tonya Graves (born 1964) is an American actress and comedian best known for her roles in the television series "Girlfriends" and "The Steve Harvey Show".
Tonya Kinzinger (born 1974) is a former American professional tennis player who reached a career-high ranking of No. 16 in the world in 1997. Tonya Craft (born 1976) is an American former schoolteacher who was falsely accused and acquitted of child molestation charges in 2010, a case that garnered national attention.
Tonya Lee Williams (born 1953) is an American actress best known for her role as Natalie Bannon on the television series "The Young and the Restless", for which she received two Daytime Emmy Award nominations.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Tonya over time
The chart below shows babies named Tonya registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2005. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Tonya, the clearest high point is 1996. The latest England and Wales figure is 3 births in 2005, compared with 8 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Tonya by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Tonya was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | #4061 | 10 | 3 |
| 1990s | #3195 | 18 | 4 |
Geography
Where Tonya is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Tonya. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Tonya ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #508 in 1974.
Across the UK
Tonya in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#508 in 1974
1 years of NRS records, 3 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Tonya
-
Tonya Smith
actor; television actor
Welsh actress
Related
Names similar to Tonya
- Tia 15,569
- Thea 12,888
- Tilly 11,524
- Taylor 7,401
- Tegan 6,583
- Tabitha 6,462
- Talia 5,198
- Tara 5,114
- Tiffany 4,653
- Tallulah 4,442
- Tiana 3,570
- Tamara 3,405
FAQ
Tonya: questions and answers
How popular is the name Tonya in the UK right now?
In 2005, Tonya was ranked #4798 for girls in England and Wales, with 3 births registered.
When was Tonya most popular?
The peak year on record was 1996, with 8 babies registered as Tonya in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Tonya?
A feminine Russian name of uncertain origin, possibly derived from the Greek name Antonia.
How many people are called Tonya in the UK?
A total of 28 babies have been registered as Tonya across the 7 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 3 more in Scotland.
Where is Tonya most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Tonya ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #508 in 1974. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.