Tenaya

The name of a lake in Yosemite National Park, California, Tenaya has its roots in Miwok, a language spoken by the Ahwahnechee (or Awani) people, who lived in the Yosemite Valley. The lake was named after the chief of the Ahwahnechee (despite his protests that it already had a name, Pie-we-ack, Lake of the Shining Rocks).

Used quietly in the US since the 70s, the name is believed to derive from the Central Sierra Miwok word, taná·ja, meaning "evening star".

Pronounced te-NY-a.

As of October 2026, Tenaya ranked #15034 for girls in US births in 2024 SSA, peaked at #2054 for girls in 1975.