Recent in Baby
When Baby Resists SolidsWhen Baby Resists SolidsBaby Biting TipsBaby Biting Tips5 Tips To Help Prevent Highchair Injuries5 Tips To Help Prevent Highchair InjuriesWhen Baby and Pet MeetWhen Baby and Pet MeetTreatments for ColicTreatments for ColicBaby Milestones – The First YearBaby Milestones – The First YearTips for Relieving Teething PainTips for Relieving Teething PainBenefits of Making Your Own Baby FoodBenefits of Making Your Own Baby Food

Home › Baby Names Directory › Tapanga

Tapanga

♀ Girl

Pronounced tuh-PANG-guh /təˈpæŋ.ɡə/Medium

Meaning: Tapanga is a respelling of Topanga, the name of a canyon and community in Southern California drawn from a Tongva (Gabrieleno) place name. It entered wider use as a girls' given name after the character Topanga on the television series 'Boy Meets World'.Low

In 30 seconds: Tapanga is a respelled Topanga (said 'tuh-PANG-guh'), a California place name popularized by the show 'Boy Meets World'.
💕 Browse more names
Origin MediumEnglish
MeaningTapanga is a respelling of Topanga, the name of a canyon and community in Southern California drawn from a Tongva (Gabrieleno) place name. It entered wider use as a girls' given name after the character Topanga on the television series 'Boy Meets World'.
U.S. rank (2021)#15063 ↗ Rising
2021 U.S. births6 girls (0.00% of U.S. girls)
Peak year1998
Total births (all-time)≈ 549

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

peak 199819952021

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

Tapanga is a respelling of Topanga, a Southern California place name of Tongva origin. Its use as a given name follows the popular 1990s series 'Boy Meets World', which named a lead character Topanga after the canyon. The respelled form appeared from the mid-1990s and crested around 1998 at a few dozen girls a year.

The name reads as a distinctly 1990s, television-driven choice with a striking sound. A Tapanga from the peak would be reaching her late twenties now, and it has remained uncommon since the show ended.

Did you know? The name jumped from the map to birth certificates thanks to Topanga Lawrence on 'Boy Meets World', which ran from 1993 to 2000 and made the canyon name feel like a girl's name.
Overall data confidence 60%
References — Tapanga — respelling of Topanga, Tongva place name; 'Boy Meets World' character

Variations

TopangaTapangah

Nicknames

TapPanga

Famous Bearers

  • Famous bearers coming soon.

If you like Tapanga…

Topanga— the standard spelling and place-name source
Savanna— a like nature place-name used for girls
Sierra— another Western place-name girls' name of the era
Teneka— another English name
Telani— a fellow English choice

Explore names like Tapanga

By thememodernplace-namenineties

All themes →All meanings →All origins →

Frequently Asked

What does the name Tapanga mean?

Tapanga is a respelling of Topanga, a Southern California place name of Tongva origin popularized by 'Boy Meets World'.

How do you pronounce Tapanga?

It's said tuh-PANG-guh /təˈpæŋ.ɡə/ — three syllables, stress on the middle.

Is Tapanga a boy or girl name?

Tapanga is used as a girl's name.

How popular is Tapanga?

Tapanga is an uncommon name that appeared mainly in the late twentieth century after the show 'Boy Meets World'.

💬 Ask Nia