Tenzin (Standard Tibetan: བསྟན་འཛིན) is a Tibetan given name, meaning "the holder of Buddha Dharma". Tenzin can alternatively be spelled as Tenzing and Stanzin as well. Stanzin is generally used by the Ladakhi people, since Ladakhi language retains many archaic forms that have been lost in other modern Tibetan languages. For example, in Standard Written Tibetan, 'Tenzin' is spelled as "bstan'zin"; however, when it is spoken, both the 'b' and the 's' are silent and 'an' becomes 'en' in Standard Lhasa Tibetan.
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Biographical people
Daw Tenzin (born 1956), Bhutanese civil servant
Gyalsey Tenzin Rabgye (1638–1696), fourth Druk Desi (secular ruler) of Bhutan
Khunu Lama Tenzin Gyaltsen (1895–1977), leader of a non-sectarian movement within Buddhism
Lobsang Tenzin (born 1937), Prime Minister of the Tibetan government-in-exile
Lopön Tenzin Namdak (1926–2025), Tibetan religious leader
Tenzin Choedrak (1922–2001), personal physician to the Dalai Lama
Tenzin Delek Rinpoche (1950–2015), Tibetan Buddhist leader accused of involvement in a bombing
Tenzin Gyatso (born 1935), the 14th Dalai Lama
Tenzin Jigme (1948–1997), abbot of an important Tibetan Buddhist monastery
Tenzin Palmo (born 1943), Tibetan Buddhist nun, author, and yogini
Tenzin Priyadarshi, Buddhist philosopher and teacher; Director, The Dalai Lama Center for Ethics and Transformative Values at MIT
Tenzin Tsundue (born 1975), Tibetan poet and activist
Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, Tibetan lama
Tenzin Zopa (born 1975), Buddhist monk and teacher
Fictional characters
Tenzin (Uncharted), fictitious leader of a Tibetan village
Tenzin (The Legend of Korra), a character in the animation series The Legend of Korra
Tenzing Tharkay (Temeraire series), a character in the novel series Temeraire by Naomi Novik
Yakushiji Tenzen, a character in the novel The Kouga Ninja Scrolls