It is either derived from a conflation of Sundanese language tasik and (ma)layah, meaning, literary 'an ocean of hills', or from Sundanese language tasik, jeung, and laya, meaning 'large tracts of sand' ( Sundanese: keusik ngalayah, Indonesian: hamparan pasir). These new contours of the land are believed to be the beginning of the naming Tasikmalaya. When Mount Galunggung erupted and left its volcanic deposits everywhere nearby, the open space of Sukapura became mountainous or hilly, by mounds of sand scattered over its land. Tawang means paddy fields, or literary 'a wide range of an open space'. This is presumed to begin at Sukapura, a place at earlier time called Tawang or Tawang-Galunggung. Whilst the single word of the name does not convey any apparent meaning in its local languages, many believed that the name Tasikmalaya means either 'a large area of sand' or 'a large area of mountains'. The Ten Thousand Hills, hummocky deposits from the eruption of Mount Galunggung The regency is also known as kota santri (the city of Muslim students) or a major religious centre in West Java, with more than 800 pesantren (traditional Islamic boarding schools). Tasikmalaya Regency is well known for its handicrafts ( Indonesian: kerajinan anyaman), salak (zalacca), whilst nasi tutug oncom (hot steamed rice mixed with oncom) known as the regency's famous dish.

Most of the regency features green fields, predominantly occupied by agriculture and forestry, and the majority of its population are farmers.

The regency was previously administered from Tasikmalaya City, which however is now administratively independent of the regency (the area and population of the regency exclude the city), and the administrative centre of the regency is now at Singaparna to the west of the city. Located in the southeastern region of Priangan ( Preanger), the regency is by far the biggest and the most important regency in East Preanger (Indonesian: Priangan Timur).

It covers an area of 2,708.82 km 2, and had a population of 1,687,776 at the 2010 census, which rose to 1,865,203 at the 2020 census. Tasikmalaya Regency (pronounced Indonesian: Kabupaten Tasikmalaya, Sundanese: ᮊᮘᮥᮕᮒᮦᮔ᮪ ᮒᮞᮤᮊ᮪ᮙᮜᮚ) is a regency (Indonesian: kabupaten) in the province of West Java, Indonesia.

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