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Home › Baby Names Directory › Tawney

Tawney

♀ Girl

How to Pronounce Tawney

Pronounced TAW-nee /ˈtɔː.ni/Medium

Meaning: Tawney is a spelling of the color-word Tawny, from Old French tané, 'tanned', describing a warm sandy or golden-brown shade; used as a girl's name it belongs to the modern taste for color and nature words, with the '-ey' ending softening the plain adjective.Low

In 30 seconds: Tawney is a variant of the color-name Tawny, 'warm sandy-brown', from Old French (said 'TAW-nee').
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Origin LowEnglish, French
MeaningTawney is a spelling of the color-word Tawny, from Old French tané, 'tanned', describing a warm sandy or golden-brown shade; used as a girl's name it belongs to the modern taste for color and nature words, with the '-ey' ending softening the plain adjective.
U.S. rank (2005)#12900 ↘ Falling
2005 U.S. births8 girls (0.00% of U.S. girls)
Peak year1988
Total births (all-time)≈ 575

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

peak 198819482005

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

Tawney reworks the English color-word Tawny, from Old French tané, 'tanned' — the warm sandy-golden brown of autumn leaves and lions. As a girl's name it fits the modern fashion for gentle color and nature words.

It belongs with Autumn, Amber and the other warm-toned nature names of the late twentieth century; a Tawney today is likely a mother, and the spelling remains a pretty, uncommon variant of Tawny.

Did you know? Tawney rode the late-century love of color and nature names beside Autumn and Amber; it crested around 1988 at only a few dozen girls a year and stayed a soft, rare spelling.
Overall data confidence 55%
References — Tawney — variant of Tawny; Old French tané 'tanned'

Variations

TawnyTawnie

Nicknames

Tawn

Famous Bearers

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If you like Tawney…

Tawny— the standard spelling of the same color-name
Brandy— a like warm-toned nature-word name of the era
Dawn— another soft nature name of the period
Autumn— a like seasonal nature name with a warm palette

Explore names like Tawney

By themerarevariantnature

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Tawney mean?

Tawney is a variant of the color-name Tawny, 'warm sandy-brown', from Old French 'tané'.

How do you pronounce Tawney?

It's said TAW-nee /ˈtɔː.ni/ — two syllables, stress on the first.

Is Tawney a boy or girl name?

Tawney is used as a girl's name.

How popular is Tawney?

Tawney has always been rare, a late-twentieth-century spelling of Tawny that is very uncommon today.

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