Tawny

♀ Girl

Pronounced TAW-nee /ˈtɔː.ni/High

Meaning: Tawny is a word-name from the color tawny, a warm golden- or orange-brown, from the Old French tané ('tanned'). As a given name it evokes that warm, sun-toned hue.Medium

In 30 seconds: Tawny is the color word for a warm golden-brown (said 'TAW-nee'), from the Old French tané — a soft, sunlit word-name.

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Origin MediumEnglish, French

MeaningTawny is a word-name from the color tawny, a warm golden- or orange-brown, from the Old French tané ('tanned'). As a given name it evokes that warm, sun-toned hue.

U.S. rank (2024)#17377 ↘ Falling

2024 U.S. births5 girls (0.00% of U.S. girls)

Peak year1989

Total births (all-time)≈ 4,228

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

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

Tawny is a color word-name, from the Old French tané, describing a warm golden-brown. It came into fashion as a girl's name in the seventies and eighties alongside other color and nature words, cresting in 1989.

A girl named Tawny at that peak is now in her mid-thirties, and the name carries a distinctly late-eighties warmth. Actress Tawny Kitaen kept it in view; it reads as a name of that decade rather than a current revival.

Did you know? Tawny reached its high point in 1989, at the height of the decade's fashion for warm-toned word-names and boosted by actress Tawny Kitaen's on-screen visibility.

Overall data confidence 60%

References — Tawny — Word-name (color tawny, Old French tané); 1989 peak

Variations

TawnyaTawneeTawnie

Nicknames

TawTawn

Famous Bearers

★Tawny Kitaen (1961–2021)
American actress known for film and music-video work in the 1980s.

If you like Tawny…

Tawnya— an elaborated form of the same name

Dawn— a like warm one-word nature name

Tara— a same-era soft two-beat favorite

Autumn— a like warm-toned seasonal word-name

Explore names like Tawny

By themeword-name 1980s color-name

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Tawny mean?

Tawny is a word-name for the warm golden-brown color, from the Old French tané.

How do you pronounce Tawny?

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

Is Tawny a boy or girl name?

Tawny is used as a girl's name.

How popular is Tawny?

Tawny was a late-eighties color-name that has grown uncommon since.