UK name, mostly boys
Tye
Dutch diminutive form of Matthias, meaning "gift of God".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Tye is mostly registered for boys in the UK records. People looking for Tye popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #3254, with 6 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2009, with 58 births.
This profile covers 728 England and Wales registrations across 28 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, 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 10% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 737 living people in the UK are called Tye. 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 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Tye ranked #3254 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 6 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2009, when 58 boys were registered as Tye.
- • Tye ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #378 in 2008.
- • About 737 living people in the UK are estimated to have Tye as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
- • Across the England and Wales records shown here, 98.8% of Tye registrations are for boys.
Latest rank (E&W)
#3254
2024
Births in 2024
6
Latest year
Peak year
2009
58 births
Estimated living
737
2026
Gender
Boy and girl registrations for Tye
In England and Wales birth records, Tye has been registered for both boys and girls. Across the years shown here, 98.8% of registrations are for boys and 1.2% are for girls.
These figures use the sex categories in the published baby-name files. They are useful for spotting how the name is used at registration, but they are not a live measure of gender identity or everyone living with the name today.
Tye registered for boys
- Ranked #3,254 in 2024
- 6 boys registered in 2024
- Peak: 2009 (58 births)
Tye registered for girls
- Ranked #2,970 in 2005
- 6 girls registered in 2005
- Peak: 2005 (6 births)
Meaning
What does Tye mean?
The name Tye has its origins in the Old English language, deriving from the word "tīġe," which referred to a path or a narrow way through woods or fields. This word can be traced back to the Proto-Germanic "tīgaz," meaning the same. The name likely emerged as a descriptive moniker for individuals who lived near or along such paths.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Tye can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as a surname of several landowners in various English counties. This suggests that the name had already been in use for some time before the Norman Conquest.
In the Middle Ages, the name Tye appeared occasionally in historical records, though it was not particularly common. One notable bearer was Tye de Aldeburgh, a 14th-century English composer and theorist, whose works were influential in the development of early Renaissance music.
During the Renaissance period, the name gained some popularity, with several individuals bearing it achieving notable status. Tye Rees (1499-1568) was a renowned Welsh physician and botanist, known for his pioneering work in the classification of plants.
In the 17th century, Tye Browne (1619-1674) was a prominent English politician and military leader who played a significant role in the English Civil War, serving as a colonel in the Parliamentarian forces.
Fast-forwarding to the 19th century, Tye Dillard (1840-1912) was an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Virginia from 1893 to 1895.
Another noteworthy figure was Tye Wilkins (1891-1968), a British artist and sculptor whose works were exhibited at prestigious institutions such as the Royal Academy of Arts in London.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Tye over time
The chart below compares boys and girls registered as Tye in England and Wales, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Tye, the clearest high point is 2009. The latest England and Wales figure is 6 births in 2024, compared with 58 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Tye by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Tye 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #2880 | 27 | 4 |
| 2010s | #1674 | 181 | 10 |
| 2000s | #589 | 451 | 10 |
| 1990s | #931 | 69 | 4 |
Geography
Where Tye is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Tye. 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.
Tye ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #378 in 2008.
Across the UK
Tye in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#680 in 2014
4 years of NRS records, 12 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#378 in 2008
1 years of NISRA records, 3 total registered
Related
Names similar to Tye
- Thomas 160,894
- Tyler 42,147
- Theo 40,594
- Toby 32,482
- Theodore 30,211
- Tommy 25,300
- Teddy 20,781
- Taylor 14,354
- Tobias 13,102
- Tom 9,822
- Tristan 9,171
- Timothy 6,200
FAQ
Tye: questions and answers
How popular is the name Tye in the UK right now?
In 2024, Tye was ranked #3254 for boys in England and Wales, with 6 births registered.
When was Tye most popular?
The peak year on record was 2009, with 58 babies registered as Tye in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Tye?
Dutch diminutive form of Matthias, meaning "gift of God".
How many people are called Tye in the UK?
A total of 728 babies have been registered as Tye across the 28 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 12 more in Scotland and 3 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Tye most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Tye ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #378 in 2008. 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.