Afia
A feminine name of Arabic origin meaning "well-being" or "prosperity".
Name Census estimates that about 582 living Americans carry the first name Afia. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Afia today is around 19 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Afia births was 2024 (29 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Afia. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
582
~ 1 in 588,925 Americans
Peak year
2024
29 babies that year
Average age
19
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,653
Tracked since 1972
Popularity
Afia: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Afia from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 178 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Afia remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Afia by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Afia during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Afias live
Origin
Meaning and history of Afia
The name Afia has its origins in the Akan language spoken in Ghana and other parts of West Africa. It is derived from the Akan word "afi", which means "born on Friday". The name is believed to have been in use since ancient times among the Akan people.
In Akan culture, children were traditionally named based on the day of the week they were born, with each day having a corresponding set of names. Those born on Friday were often given names related to the word "afi", such as Afia for girls and Kofi for boys.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Afia is found in the Akan oral tradition, which includes stories, proverbs, and folktales passed down through generations. These oral histories often featured characters with names like Afia, highlighting the name's deep roots in Akan culture.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals named Afia. One such figure was Afia Dziba, a powerful queen mother of the Akan people in the late 17th century. She was known for her wisdom and played a significant role in political decision-making during her reign.
Another influential Afia was Afia Shawrtu, a pioneering educator and women's rights advocate in Ghana in the early 20th century. She founded one of the first schools for girls in the country and worked tirelessly to promote female education and empowerment.
In the realm of literature, Afia Atakora was a renowned Ghanaian author and playwright born in 1919. Her works often explored themes of cultural identity and the struggles of women in traditional Akan society.
One of the most famous contemporary figures with the name Afia is Afia Schwarzenegger, a Ghanaian comedian, actress, and television personality born in 1982. She has gained widespread popularity for her comedic performances and has been instrumental in promoting Ghanaian culture through her work.
Afia Siddiqui, born in 1972, is a Pakistani neuroscientist and former Pakistani intelligence officer who gained international attention for her alleged involvement in terrorist activities. Her case has been controversial and has strained relations between Pakistan and the United States.
While the name Afia has its roots in West Africa, it has transcended cultural boundaries and is now used by people of various backgrounds around the world, each with their own unique stories and contributions to society.
People
Afia + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Afia as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with A
Other first names starting with A with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Afia: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Afia?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 582 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Afia going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 588,925 US residents.
Is Afia a common name?
We classify Afia as "Very Rare". It ranks above 85.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 594 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Afia most popular?
The single biggest year for Afia was 2024, when 29 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Afia is about 19 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Afia a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Afia in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.