Tiana was named after one of Dan Povenmire's sisters. His other sister is the namesake and inspiration for Linda, so he decided to make a new character so the real-life Tiana "wouldn't feel left out." She is not, however, named after Princess Tiana in the Disney movie "Princess and the Frog." Dan Povenmire claims this to be a coincidence.
Tiana bears an uncanny resemblance to Daphne from Scooby-Doo, but it is unknown whether this is just coincidence.