Tawny as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Tawny

What is the meaning of the name Tawny ?

The baby name Tawny is a girl name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced TAW-nee.

Tawny is English, Medieval Latin, Old French in Origin.

Tawny is an English word name taken from the color adjective tawny, denoting a yellowish or light brown shade. The English word is recorded in Middle English as tawny or tauny, from Anglo-French and Old French tané/tanné, the past participle of taner, to tan hides. That verb belongs to Medieval Latin tannare, associated with tannum, oak bark used in leather tanning; the literal sense is therefore tanned, leather-colored, or brownish yellow.

As a given name, Tawny belongs to the modern English category of color and adjective names rather than to an older saintly or dynastic tradition. U.S. birth records show regular female use from the mid-20th century, with its strongest numbers in the 1980s and early 1990s. Public bearers include actress Tawny Kitaen, broadcaster Tawny Little, and actress-musician Tawny Newsome. Spellings such as Tawni, Tawnie, and Tawney appear as modern variants.