Fun Facts About the Name Tekoa
- 342 babies named Tekoa: U.S. records list 342 babies given the name Tekoa from 1880 through 2025. Even 150 girls received the name Tekoa.
What Does the Name Tekoa Mean?
Tekoa is a Hebrew name found in the Bible, where it is chiefly a place name: the town of Tekoa in the hill country of Judah, south of Bethlehem. In Hebrew it is written תְּקוֹעַ (Teqoaʿ). The meaning most often given is "trumpet blast" or "a blowing of a horn," from the root תקע (taqaʿ), which means "to blow" or "sound" a horn or trumpet, and also "to thrust" or "to pitch" a tent. Because that root carries several senses, the exact sense behind the place name is uncertain. Some explanations favor "pitching of tents" or a related idea of a camp or stockade, while others keep the trumpet image. The ancient Greek and Latin forms of the name, Thekōe and Thecua, come from the same Hebrew source. "Trumpet blast" is therefore a customary gloss rather than a settled literal translation.
Tekoa Name History & Origins
Tekoa appears in the Hebrew Bible mainly as a town in the Judean hills. Amos 1:1 describes the prophet Amos as one of the shepherds of Tekoa. In 2 Samuel 14, Joab sends for a wise woman from Tekoa to speak to King David. 2 Chronicles 11:6 lists Tekoa among the towns that Rehoboam fortified, and the town is mentioned again in Nehemiah and in the books of the Maccabees. In the genealogies of 1 Chronicles the phrase "the father of Tekoa" occurs (1 Chronicles 2:24 and 4:5); this is generally understood as a clan or town designation rather than a reference to a separate individual.
The town's name passed into Greek as Thekōe and into Latin as Thecua in ancient translations of the Bible. A modern Israeli settlement near the traditional site also bears the name Tekoa. As a personal given name, Tekoa is uncommon in English; it appears occasionally among Jewish and Christian families, and the spelling Tekoah is also used.
How Popular is the Name Tekoa?
Tekoa has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2025. Its best rank was #3,648 in 2025.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | #20,204 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2007 | #13,827 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2003 | #18,179 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2001 | #11,960 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2000 | #13,028 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1996 | #11,702 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1994 | #13,288 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1993 | #13,294 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1988 | #7,074 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1987 | #11,177 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1985 | #9,206 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1984 | #6,748 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1983 | #6,180 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 1982 | #9,152 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1981 | #12,021 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1980 | #6,746 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1979 | #7,983 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1978 | #5,533 | 12 | 0.0008% |
| 1977 | #11,151 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1972 | #8,172 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #3,648 | 31 | 0.0018% |
| 2024 | #5,404 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 2023 | #4,444 | 24 | 0.0014% |
| 2022 | #6,777 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2021 | #7,518 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2019 | #13,918 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2018 | #8,744 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2017 | #9,591 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2016 | #9,574 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2015 | #10,503 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2014 | #8,056 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2012 | #9,605 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2011 | #12,115 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2010 | #10,634 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2008 | #14,373 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 2006 | #11,902 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2004 | #13,027 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2003 | #12,569 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2002 | #10,519 | 6 | 0.0003% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Tekoa Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You like to control everyone within your influence, to shape things to your own liking. If positive, you develop high spirituality, as you have a God's protection. You are sensitive, affectionate, imaginative and cooperative, spiritually aware and prone to self-sacrifice. You can keep secrets and are a good diplomat. You may have healing and psychic powers. You have an eventful, exciting life. You are versatile and have the ability to learn easily.
You are very intuitive. You have a reservoir of inspired wisdom combined with inherited analytical ability, which could reward you through expressions of spiritual leadership, business analysis, marketing, artistic visions, and scientific research. Operating on spiritual side of your individuality can bring you to the great heights, and drop you off if you neglect your spiritual identity. You are always looking for an opportunity to investigate the unknown, to use and show your mental abilities, to find the purpose and meaning of life. You want to grow wise and to understand people and things. You need privacy to replenish your energy. You have a unique way of thinking, intuitive, reflective, absorbing.
✦ Tekoa's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Tekoa's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.