UK girl's name
Toyah
A Native American feminine name meaning "water amid the desert".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2015. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Toyah is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Toyah popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2015 in this profile. In that release it ranked #5730, with 3 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 1998, with 33 births.
This profile covers 144 England and Wales registrations across 17 recorded years from 1996 to 2015. 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 9% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 149 living people in the UK are called Toyah. 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 2016 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Toyah ranked #5730 for girls in England and Wales in 2015, with 3 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 1998, when 33 girls were registered as Toyah.
- • Toyah ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #530 in 1982.
- • About 149 living people in the UK are estimated to have Toyah as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#5730
2015
Births in 2015
3
Latest year
Peak year
1998
33 births
Estimated living
149
2026
Meaning
What does Toyah mean?
The name Toyah has its origins in the Native American Comanche language. It is believed to have derived from the word "toya," which means "water" or "flowing water." This suggests that the name was initially given to children born near rivers, streams, or other bodies of water.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Toyah can be found in the historical records of the Comanche people, who were a nomadic tribe that roamed the Great Plains region of North America during the 18th and 19th centuries. The name was likely used as a personal name or a place name associated with various water sources.
While the name has its roots in the Comanche culture, it gained wider recognition and popularity in the English-speaking world during the late 20th century. One of the earliest notable bearers of the name was Toyah Willcox, a British singer, and actress born in 1958. She rose to fame in the 1980s with her alternative rock band Toyah and has since enjoyed a successful career in music and television.
Another historical figure who bore the name Toyah was Toyah Indianilla, a Native American woman who lived in the late 19th century and was known for her activism and advocacy for the rights of her people. She fought against the forced relocation of Native American tribes and worked to preserve their cultural heritage.
In the realm of literature, the name Toyah appeared in the novel "The Healing Mud" by Nigerian author Buchi Emecheta, published in 1994. The book explores themes of cultural identity and the experiences of immigrant communities in Britain.
Among other notable individuals with the name Toyah throughout history are Toyah Cordingley, an Australian woman who tragically lost her life in a violent attack in 2018, and Toyah Cupit, a Canadian artist and painter known for her vibrant and expressive works.
While the name Toyah has its origins in the Native American Comanche language, it has transcended its cultural boundaries and gained recognition worldwide, carried by individuals from various walks of life and backgrounds.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Toyah over time
The chart below shows babies named Toyah registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2015. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Toyah, the clearest high point is 1998. The latest England and Wales figure is 3 births in 2015, compared with 33 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Toyah by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Toyah 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | #5771 | 9 | 3 |
| 2000s | #3086 | 60 | 10 |
| 1990s | #1177 | 75 | 4 |
Geography
Where Toyah is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Toyah. 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.
Toyah ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #530 in 1982.
Across the UK
Toyah in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#530 in 1982
2 years of NRS records, 6 total registered
Related
Names similar to Toyah
- 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
Toyah: questions and answers
How popular is the name Toyah in the UK right now?
In 2015, Toyah was ranked #5730 for girls in England and Wales, with 3 births registered.
When was Toyah most popular?
The peak year on record was 1998, with 33 babies registered as Toyah in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Toyah?
A Native American feminine name meaning "water amid the desert".
How many people are called Toyah in the UK?
A total of 144 babies have been registered as Toyah across the 17 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 6 more in Scotland.
Where is Toyah most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Toyah ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #530 in 1982. 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.