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Home › Baby Names Directory › Tacuma

Tacuma

♂ Boy

Pronounced tah-KOO-muh /tɑːˈkuːmə/Low

Meaning: Tacuma is an American name of African heritage, a form of Tacuma or Takoma. It is linked in usage to Akan naming and gained visibility through the jazz bassist Jamaaladeen Tacuma. Its exact literal meaning is not firmly documented; it was chosen chiefly as an expression of African-American cultural identity.Low

In 30 seconds: Tacuma is an African-heritage American name, a form of Tacuma/Takoma. It stayed rare and peaked around 1973 (said tah-KOO-muh).
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Origin LowAfrican American
MeaningTacuma is an American name of African heritage, a form of Tacuma or Takoma. It is linked in usage to Akan naming and gained visibility through the jazz bassist Jamaaladeen Tacuma. Its exact literal meaning is not firmly documented; it was chosen chiefly as an expression of African-American cultural identity.
U.S. rank (1982)#6307 ↗ Rising
1982 U.S. births6 boys (0.00% of U.S. boys)
Peak year1973
Total births (all-time)≈ 87

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

peak 197319721982

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Tacuma is an American name of African heritage, connected to Akan traditions and to the place-name Takoma. It rose during the nineteen-seventies alongside a broader movement of African-American families choosing names that affirmed African identity. Its precise literal meaning is not firmly attested, so it is best described honestly as heritage-rooted.

Tacuma was never common, given to only about sixteen boys a year at its peak around 1973. A boy named Tacuma then is around fifty today.

Did you know? The name gained cultural visibility through Jamaaladeen Tacuma, an influential American jazz bassist who took the surname, and it belongs to the Afrocentric naming movement of the nineteen-seventies.
Overall data confidence 30%
References - Tacuma — African-American heritage name; Akan link; bearer Jamaaladeen Tacuma

Variations

TakomaTakumaTacumahTekuma

Nicknames

CumaTac

Famous Bearers

  • ★Jamaaladeen Tacuma (b. 1956)
    American jazz bassist known for his work in harmolodic and funk-jazz

If you like Tacuma…

Kwame— an Akan day-name
Kofi— a related Akan name
Jelani— a like African-American name
Traevion— lands in the same popularity range
Theotis— a fellow African American choice

Explore names like Tacuma

By themerareheritageafrican-american

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Tacuma mean?

It is an African-heritage American name, a form of Tacuma/Takoma with Akan associations; its exact literal meaning is not firmly documented.

How do you pronounce Tacuma?

It is said tah-KOO-muh /tɑːˈkuːmə/ - three syllables.

Is Tacuma a boy or girl name?

Tacuma is used as a boy's name.

How popular is Tacuma?

It was always rare, given to only about sixteen boys a year at its peak in the nineteen-seventies.

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