Dawana
An invented name with no precise meaning or origins.
Name Census estimates that about 466 living Americans carry the first name Dawana. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Dawana today is around 52 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Dawana births was 1976 (26 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Dawana. 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
466
~ 1 in 735,524 Americans
Peak year
1976
26 babies that year
Average age
52
years old
1994 SSA rank
#13,974
Tracked since 1951
Census
Dawana in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 471 people with the first name Dawana, which placed it at #21,522 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
#21,522
National first-name rank
People counted
471
471 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
62.0% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dawana
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Dawana is Black at 62.0%. The next largest groups are White (33.1%) and Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Dawana 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 Dawana at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American62.0% · 292
- White33.1% · 156
- Two or more races2.1% · 10
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 4
Popularity
Dawana: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Dawana from the 1950s through to the 1990s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 191 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Dawana 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 Dawana during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Dawanas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. California, New York, Ohio recorded the most babies named Dawana, while Ohio, New York, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 5 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Dawana
The name Dawana originates from the Sanskrit language and has its roots in ancient India. It is believed to have emerged around the 5th century BCE and is derived from the Sanskrit word "davan," which means "fire" or "light."
In Hindu mythology, the name Dawana is associated with the goddess Agni, who is the personification of fire and considered the bearer of knowledge and purification. The name is often interpreted as "the one who shines" or "the one who illuminates," reflecting the sacred and revered status of fire in Hindu culture.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Dawana can be found in ancient Hindu scriptures, such as the Vedas and the Puranas, where it is mentioned in various hymns and prayers dedicated to the fire deity. It is also believed to have been used as a personal name among the Brahmin caste, which held a prominent position in the Hindu social hierarchy.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Dawana. One of the earliest recorded figures was Dawana Mishra (c. 800 CE), a renowned scholar and philosopher from the Mithila region of India. He made significant contributions to the field of logic and epistemology and wrote numerous treatises on various aspects of Hindu philosophy.
Another prominent figure was Dawana Pandita (c. 1250 CE), a celebrated Sanskrit grammarian and poet from the Kashmir region. His works, including the celebrated grammar text "Dawana-Vyakarana," were widely studied and influenced generations of scholars in India and beyond.
In the realm of spirituality, Dawana Swami (1854-1932) was a revered mystic and spiritual teacher who founded the Radha Soami faith, a spiritual movement that emphasizes the importance of self-realization and inner enlightenment.
In more recent times, Dawana Devi (1907-1995) was a prominent Indian freedom fighter and social activist who played a crucial role in the Indian independence movement. She was also a strong advocate for women's rights and worked tirelessly to improve the lives of underprivileged communities.
Lastly, Dawana Pandey (1923-2014) was a renowned Indian classical dancer and choreographer. She was instrumental in reviving and popularizing the ancient Kathak dance form and was awarded numerous honors, including the prestigious Padma Bhushan, for her contributions to the field of dance.
People
Dawana + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Dawana 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
Dawana: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Dawana?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 466 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Dawana 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 735,524 US residents.
Is Dawana a common name?
We classify Dawana as "Very Rare". It ranks above 83.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 533 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Dawana most popular?
The single biggest year for Dawana was 1976, when 26 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Dawana is about 52 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Dawana in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 471 people with the name Dawana, or 0.16 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #21,522 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 Dawana 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 Dawana?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Dawana leans strongly female. 468 people counted with this name were female (98.9%), compared with 5 male bearers (1.1%). 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 Dawana?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Dawana is Black at 62.0%. The next largest groups are White (33.1%) and Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Dawana most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Dawana in the 2020 Census, accounting for 62.0% (292 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 Dawana in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Dawana a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Dawana 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 Dawana still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Dawana 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 Dawana 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 common is the name Dawana?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.