Damiana
A feminine name of Spanish origin meaning "subduer" or "tamer".
Name Census estimates that about 628 living Americans carry the first name Damiana. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Damiana today is around 26 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Damiana births was 2006 (33 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Damiana. 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
628
~ 1 in 545,787 Americans
Peak year
2006
33 babies that year
Average age
26
years old
2024 SSA rank
#15,779
Tracked since 1915
Popularity
Damiana: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Damiana from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 10 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 229 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Damiana 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 Damiana during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Damianas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Damiana
The name Damiana has its origins in the Late Latin name Damianus, which was derived from the Greek name Damianos. The name Damianos, in turn, can be traced back to the Greek word "damian," which means "to tame" or "to subdue." This suggests that the name Damiana may have been associated with strength, power, or the ability to conquer.
Damiana is believed to have first gained popularity during the early Christian era, as it was borne by several early Christian saints and martyrs. One of the most notable figures was Saint Damian, a 4th-century Christian martyr who was tortured and executed for his faith during the reign of the Roman Emperor Diocletian.
In the Middle Ages, the name Damiana became widely used across Europe, particularly in regions with strong Christian traditions. It was frequently chosen as a name for girls born on the feast day of Saint Damian or in honor of other Christian saints and martyrs bearing the name.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Damiana can be found in the writings of the Italian poet Dante Alighieri (1265-1321), who mentioned a character named Damiana in his famous work, the Divine Comedy.
Throughout history, several notable women have borne the name Damiana. These include Saint Damiana of Assisi (1233-1256), an Italian nun and follower of Saint Francis of Assisi; Damiana Milon Ruggia (1550-1637), an Italian painter and nun; and Damiana Eusebia Semo (1825-1895), a Mexican nun who founded the Congregation of the Sisters of the Most Pure Virgin Mary.
Other famous individuals with the name Damiana include Damiana Maslennikova (1768-1810), a Russian poet and translator; Damiana Ponce Román (1835-1916), a Mexican educator and feminist; and Damiana Eugenio (1899-1979), a Filipino lawyer and human rights activist.
The name Damiana has continued to be used throughout the world, particularly in regions with strong Catholic or Christian traditions, such as Latin America and parts of Europe. While its popularity has fluctuated over time, the name remains a testament to its rich historical and cultural significance.
People
Damiana + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Damiana as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with D
Other first names starting with D with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Damiana: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Damiana?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 628 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Damiana 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 545,787 US residents.
Is Damiana a common name?
We classify Damiana as "Very Rare". It ranks above 86.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 698 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Damiana most popular?
The single biggest year for Damiana was 2006, when 33 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Damiana is about 26 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Damiana a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Damiana 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.