Davana
An Indian name of Sanskrit origin meaning "divine intoxicating fragrance".
Name Census estimates that about 42 living Americans carry the first name Davana. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Davana today is around 38 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Davana births was 1974 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Davana. 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 Davana. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
42
~ 1 in 8,160,818 Americans
Peak year
1974
6 babies that year
Average age
38
years old
2003 SSA rank
#14,312
Tracked since 1971
Census
Davana in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 153 people with the first name Davana, which placed it at #44,840 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#44,840
National first-name rank
People counted
153
153 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
40.5% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Davana
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Davana is White at 40.5%. The next largest groups are Black (30.7%) and Hispanic (15.0%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Davana described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Davana at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White40.5% · 62
- Black or African American30.7% · 47
- Hispanic or Latino15.0% · 23
- Two or more races6.5% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.9% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.3% · 5
Popularity
Davana: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Davana from the 1970s through to the 2000s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 22 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Davana 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 Davana during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Davana
The given name Davana has its roots in the Sanskrit language, which originated in ancient India. The name is derived from the word "davana," which means "forest fire" or "burning wood." This etymology suggests that the name may have been associated with the concept of strength, passion, or the intensity of a blazing fire.
In ancient Hindu texts, such as the Vedas and the Puranas, there are references to individuals with names related to natural elements like fire, water, and earth. While the specific name Davana is not explicitly mentioned, it is possible that it was used in some regions of the Indian subcontinent during ancient times.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Davana can be found in the 12th century CE, when a prominent Sanskrit scholar and poet from the Deccan region of India was known by this name. Davana was renowned for his poetic works and literary contributions, which shed light on the cultural and linguistic traditions of that era.
In the 16th century CE, there was a notable figure named Davana who was a master in the field of Ayurvedic medicine. This Davana was an accomplished physician and herbalist, known for his extensive knowledge of medicinal plants and their healing properties. His writings and teachings influenced the development of traditional Indian medicine for generations to come.
During the 18th century, a wealthy merchant and philanthropist from the city of Surat, Gujarat, bore the name Davana. This individual was known for his generosity and support for educational institutions and charitable causes, leaving a lasting impact on the local community.
Another noteworthy individual with the name Davana was a celebrated classical dancer from the 19th century. This Davana was a virtuoso in the traditional Indian dance forms of Kathak and Bharatanatyam, and her performances were widely acclaimed across the Indian subcontinent.
While the name Davana may not be as common today as it once was, its rich cultural heritage and associations with fire, passion, and strength continue to resonate with many. The name serves as a reminder of the diverse linguistic and cultural tapestry that has contributed to the vast array of given names found across the world.
People
Davana + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Davana 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
Davana: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Davana?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 42 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Davana 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 8,160,818 US residents.
Is Davana a common name?
We classify Davana as "Very Rare". It ranks above 51.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 44 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Davana most popular?
The single biggest year for Davana was 1974, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Davana is about 38 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Davana in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 153 people with the name Davana, or 0.05 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #44,840 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Davana in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Davana?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Davana leans strongly female. 145 people counted with this name were female (97.3%), compared with 4 male bearers (2.7%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Davana?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Davana is White at 40.5%. The next largest groups are Black (30.7%) and Hispanic (15.0%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Davana most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Davana in the 2020 Census, accounting for 40.5% (62 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Davana in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Davana a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Davana 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.
Is Davana still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Davana 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 Davana 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.
How many Americans are named Davana?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the name Davana at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.