Tiago
tee-AH-go /tiˈɑː.ɡoʊ/
Meaning of Tiago
Tiago is the Portuguese short form of Santiago, itself a contraction of 'Santo Iago' — 'Saint James.' Through Santiago → Iago → Tiago, the name traces to the Hebrew Ya'akov (Jacob/James). Tiago is the specifically Portuguese short form; in Spanish the equivalent is Diego. The name carries strong Iberian Catholic heritage through the pilgrimage tradition of Santiago de Compostela.
How to pronounce Tiago
In Portuguese: chi-A-go (in Brazilian Portuguese, t before i becomes 'ch'; in European Portuguese the t is harder: ti-A-go).
Current popularity of Tiago
Rankings from the most recent fully-published year in each national registry. Source links at the foot of the page.
| Registry | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Portugal (INE) | 2024 | #3 |
| Brazil (IBGE) | 2024 | #6 |
Notable bearers of Tiago
Saint James (Tiago in Portuguese tradition); Tiago Motta (football manager); Tiago Splitter (basketball player).
Similar names & variants
Cognates, spelling variants and close relatives. Click any name with an underline to read its own page.
Sibling-name suggestions
Names that pair stylistically with Tiago — useful as middle names or for siblings.
About this entry
Compiled by the Baby Name Finder editorial team following the rules in our Methodology and Editorial guidelines. If you spot an error, please tell us; our corrections policy is at /editorial-guidelines#corrections.
Sources
Last reviewed: 2026-05-31