Pronounced \tah-WUN-nah\, Tawanna is a name of
Native American origin ('tan hide'). The name may have Chinese and Swahili origins as well.
Tawanna is also a Slavic expression, meaning "The tribe of
the Vandals." The Vandals (or Wendlas) were an ancient Slavonic tribe whose
destructive behavior gave us the modern term 'vandalism'. This name may or may not be related to the similar name of a princess found in 18th-century Polish folk tales.
Variations include Tawana, Towanda, Tawanda and Tiwana.