Amistad
A Spanish feminine name meaning "friendship".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Amistad. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Amistad today is around 28 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Amistad births was 1998 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Amistad. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Amistad. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
1998
5 babies that year
Average age
28
years old
1998 SSA rank
#9,689
Tracked since 1998
Popularity
Amistad: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Amistad 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 Amistad during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Amistad
The name Amistad is derived from the Spanish word "amistad," meaning friendship or amity. It has its roots in the Latin word "amicitia," which also means friendship or affection. The name Amistad is believed to have originated in Spain during the medieval period, when it was used to represent the concept of friendship and camaraderie.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Amistad can be traced back to the 19th century, when it gained widespread recognition due to the famous Amistad case. In 1839, a group of African captives who were being transported on the Spanish slave ship La Amistad staged a successful revolt and took control of the vessel. The case, known as the Amistad case, became a significant legal battle in the United States and played a crucial role in the abolitionist movement.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Amistad. One of the most famous was Amistad Africanus (c. 1819 - c. 1876), one of the leaders of the Amistad revolt. After being granted their freedom, he returned to Sierra Leone and later became a missionary and an advocate for the abolition of slavery.
Another notable figure was Amistad Gonzalez (1887 - 1962), a Cuban-American author and activist known for her contributions to the labor movement and the struggle for workers' rights in the United States. She was a prominent figure in the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union and was instrumental in organizing strikes and advocating for better working conditions for garment workers.
In the realm of literature, Amistad Ramos (1920 - 1997) was a celebrated Mexican writer and poet. He was known for his works that explored themes of social injustice, indigenous rights, and the struggles of the working class. His poetry collection "Canto a la Tierra" (Song to the Earth) is considered a seminal work in Mexican literature.
Another notable figure was Amistad Cabrera (1901 - 1988), a Cuban-American artist and activist. She was a pioneer of the Afro-Cuban art movement and dedicated her life to promoting and preserving African and Afro-Caribbean cultural traditions through her artwork and advocacy efforts.
Lastly, Amistad Valverde (1924 - 2003) was a renowned Mexican archaeologist and anthropologist. She made significant contributions to the study of pre-Columbian cultures, particularly the Olmec civilization, and was instrumental in uncovering and preserving numerous archaeological sites throughout Mexico.
People
Amistad + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Amistad 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
Amistad: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Amistad?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Amistad 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Amistad a common name?
We classify Amistad as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Amistad most popular?
The single biggest year for Amistad was 1998, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Amistad is about 28 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Amistad in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Amistad a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Amistad in the SSA data are male. 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.
Is Amistad still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Amistad in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Amistad can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people share the name Amistad?
You can see how many Americans are named Amistad on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.