Tian
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- TEE-an
- Origin
- Chinese
- UK rank, 2025
- #1,859 for boys
- US rank, 2025
- #6,799 for boys
Tian is a boys' name of Chinese origin, meaning “sky, heaven (in Chinese)”. In 2025 it ranked 1,859th for boys in the UK (14 babies) and 6,799th for boys in the US (12 babies).
What does Tian mean?
Chinese: also a short form of names such as Christian
“sky, heaven (in Chinese)”
In Chinese the meaning depends on the character, commonly sky or heaven; elsewhere it is a short form of names such as Christian.
Is Tian a girl's or a boy's name?
Tian is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 14 boys in the UK and 12 boys in the US. Too few girls were given it to be listed.
How popular is Tian in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- 1,859th among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 14 about 1 in 21,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steady up 14% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 14 boys in the UK were named Tian, making it the 1,859th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,657th. Its busiest year was 2021, with 19 boys.
Half of all the boys named Tian in the UK since 1996 were born between 2009 and 2021, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 20 boys in the UK were given Tian or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #1,242, up from #1,859 for this spelling alone.
- Tian 14
- Tion 6
In 1997, 70% of the babies named Tian in the UK were girls. By 2021 it was 5%, with more boys than girls since 2011.
Among boys in 2025, it was 1,795th in England and Wales.
Tian in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 14 | #1,859 |
| 2024 | 14 | #1,825 |
| 2023 | 13 | #1,917 |
| 2022 | 15 | #1,708 |
| 2021 | 19 | #1,422 |
| 2020 | 15 | #1,657 |
| 2019 | 10 | #2,231 |
| 2018 | 11 | #2,088 |
| 2017 | 9 | #2,461 |
| 2016 | 9 | #2,468 |
| 2015 | 15 | #1,693 |
| 2014 | 17 | #1,511 |
| 2013 | 13 | #1,799 |
| 2012 | 14 | #1,765 |
| 2011 | 16 | #1,542 |
| 2010 | 14 | #1,724 |
| 2009 | 8 | #2,445 |
| 2008 | 11 | #1,930 |
| 2007 | 11 | #1,848 |
| 2006 | 8 | #2,193 |
| 2005 | 10 | #1,814 |
| 2004 | 3 | #3,792 |
| 2003 | 7 | #2,054 |
| 2002 | 4 | #2,751 |
| 2001 | 7 | #1,833 |
| 2000 | 3 | #3,146 |
| 1999 | 4 | #2,513 |
| 1998 | 0 | – |
| 1997 | 3 | #2,979 |
How popular is Tian in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- 6,799th among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 12 about 1 in 140,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Rising up 34% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 12 boys in the US were named Tian, making it the 6,799th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 6,292nd. Its busiest year was 2023, with 26 boys. It first appears in the records in 1981.
2025 had fewer boys named Tian than any year since 2016.
Half of all the boys named Tian in the US since 1880 were born between 2005 and 2020, the years shaded on the chart below.
Tian in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 12 | #6,799 |
| 2024 | 25 | #4,197 |
| 2023 | 26 | #4,109 |
| 2022 | 18 | #5,211 |
| 2021 | 13 | #6,330 |
| 2020 | 13 | #6,292 |
| 2019 | 16 | #5,551 |
| 2018 | 18 | #5,102 |
| 2017 | 18 | #5,107 |
| 2016 | 12 | #6,721 |
| 2015 | 10 | #7,486 |
| 2014 | 8 | #8,775 |
| 2013 | 12 | #6,598 |
| 2012 | 11 | #7,044 |
| 2011 | 14 | #5,939 |
| 2010 | 10 | #7,585 |
| 2009 | 13 | #6,432 |
| 2008 | 5 | #12,546 |
| 2007 | 12 | #6,618 |
| 2006 | 14 | #5,777 |
| 2005 | 11 | #6,628 |
| 2004 | 10 | #6,970 |
| 2003 | 12 | #5,870 |
| 2002 | 11 | #6,081 |
| 2001 | 5 | #10,548 |
| 2000 | 6 | #9,104 |
| 1999 | 6 | #8,697 |
| 1998 | 10 | #5,834 |
| 1997 | 8 | #6,612 |
| 1996 | 6 | #7,964 |
| 1995 | 7 | #6,985 |
| 1994 | 0 | – |
| 1993 | 0 | – |
| 1992 | 0 | – |
| 1991 | 0 | – |
| 1990 | 0 | – |
| 1989 | 0 | – |
| 1988 | 0 | – |
| 1987 | 0 | – |
| 1986 | 0 | – |
| 1985 | 0 | – |
| 1984 | 0 | – |
| 1983 | 0 | – |
| 1982 | 0 | – |
| 1981 | 7 | #4,959 |
Names like Tian
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Finn, Kian, Kayden, Brody, Ronan, Aiden, Rowan, Lochlan, Caelan, Cassian, Cillian, Finley
Other spellings of Tian
Names related to Tian
More Chinese names
Lian, Jia, Mei, Tai, Jun, Mulan, Yi, Tao, San, Jian, Han, Mian, Bao, Xia, Lin, Yichen
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Tian: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/tian, updated 20 October 2026.