Tendai
- Gender
- Mostly boys
- Say it
- ten-DYE
Tendai is a name, meaning “be thankful”. Too few babies were given it in the latest year to rank.
What does Tendai mean?
Shona, from kutenda 'to thank'
“be thankful”
A Shona name from Zimbabwe, from the verb kutenda, to give thanks.
More on Wiktionary.
Is Tendai a girl's or a boy's name?
In recent years, Tendai has been given to girls and boys, mostly boys.
How popular is Tendai in the UK?
No boys in the UK were given it in 2025, or too few to be listed. Its busiest year was 2011, with 7 boys.
Half of all the boys named Tendai in the UK since 1996 were born between 2007 and 2013, the years shaded on the chart below.
Tendai in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 3 | #4,913 |
| 2018 | 3 | #4,959 |
| 2017 | 4 | #4,161 |
| 2016 | 0 | – |
| 2015 | 4 | #4,086 |
| 2014 | 0 | – |
| 2013 | 4 | #4,008 |
| 2012 | 3 | #4,999 |
| 2011 | 7 | #2,736 |
| 2010 | 6 | #3,092 |
| 2009 | 6 | #2,970 |
| 2008 | 1 | #5,936 |
| 2007 | 3 | #4,486 |
| 2006 | 0 | – |
| 2005 | 5 | #2,885 |
| 2004 | 0 | – |
| 2003 | 0 | – |
| 2002 | 0 | – |
| 2001 | 0 | – |
| 2000 | 5 | #2,237 |
| 1999 | 3 | #3,043 |
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland) and Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Tendai: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/tendai, updated 20 October 2026.