Bina
A feminine name of Arabic origin meaning "brilliant, radiant".
Name Census estimates that about 724 living Americans carry the first name Bina. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Bina today is around 30 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Bina births was 2019 (34 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Bina. 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
724
~ 1 in 473,418 Americans
Peak year
2019
34 babies that year
Average age
30
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,185
Tracked since 1881
Popularity
Bina: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Bina from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 192 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Bina remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Bina 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 Bina during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Binas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Bina
The name Bina has its origins in Sanskrit, an ancient Indo-Aryan language that dates back to the 2nd millennium BCE. It is derived from the Sanskrit word "bindu," which means "drop" or "dot." This name has a rich history that spans across various cultures and time periods.
In Hinduism, the term "bindu" holds significant spiritual and philosophical connotations, representing the source of creation and the ultimate reality. The name Bina is often associated with the concept of the divine feminine energy, also known as "Shakti" in Hindu philosophy.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Bina can be found in ancient Hindu texts, such as the Upanishads and the Puranas. These sacred scriptures mention the name in various contexts, often as a representation of the divine feminine principle or as a symbolic reference to the universe's origin.
During the ancient and medieval periods, the name Bina was relatively uncommon but not unheard of. One notable historical figure bearing this name was Bina Devi, a 16th-century Hindu queen from the Ahom kingdom in present-day Assam, India. She was known for her courage and leadership during times of conflict.
As time progressed, the name Bina gained popularity across various regions of South Asia, particularly in India, Bangladesh, and Nepal. Several prominent individuals have carried this name throughout history, including:
1. Bina Rai (1919-2009), a renowned Indian actress and dancer who made significant contributions to the Bengali film industry.
2. Bina Agarwal (born 1951), an Indian economist and professor known for her work on gender, land rights, and environmental economics.
3. Bina Ramani (1942-2022), an Indian businesswoman and socialite who founded the famous Ramani's nightclub in New Delhi.
4. Bina Puri (born 1956), a Malaysian businesswoman and the founder of Bina Puri Holdings Berhad, a construction company.
5. Bina Chatterjee (1924-2001), an Indian classical singer and exponent of the Patiala gharana, a prominent musical lineage.
While the name Bina has its roots in Sanskrit and Hinduism, it has transcended cultural boundaries and gained popularity in various parts of the world, particularly among communities with South Asian heritage. The name continues to be cherished for its spiritual and linguistic significance, as well as its association with notable individuals throughout history.
People
Bina + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Bina as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with B
Other first names starting with B with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Bina: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Bina?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 724 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Bina 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 473,418 US residents.
Is Bina a common name?
We classify Bina as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,265 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Bina most popular?
The single biggest year for Bina was 2019, when 34 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Bina is about 30 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Bina a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Bina 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.