Dawnita
Variant of Dawn, meaning "sunrise" in English.
Name Census estimates that about 301 living Americans carry the first name Dawnita. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Dawnita today is around 55 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Dawnita births was 1967 (23 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Dawnita. 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
301
~ 1 in 1,138,719 Americans
Peak year
1967
23 babies that year
Average age
55
years old
1997 SSA rank
#12,463
Tracked since 1951
Popularity
Dawnita: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Dawnita 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 136 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
Dawnita 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 Dawnita 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 Dawnita
The name Dawnita is a relatively modern invention, likely originating in the 20th century as a feminine variation of the English word "dawn." The name does not have any known linguistic roots in ancient languages or cultural traditions, and its origins are primarily symbolic, reflecting a connection to the first light of a new day.
Dawnita is an English name, and its emergence can be traced back to the United States, where it gained popularity as a given name for baby girls born in the mid-20th century. The name's construction, combining the word "dawn" with the feminine suffix "-ita," suggests it was created to evoke a sense of freshness, new beginnings, and the beauty of sunrise.
While there are no known historical references or ancient texts mentioning the name Dawnita, its symbolic association with the dawn has been explored in literature and poetry throughout various periods. Poets and writers have often used the imagery of dawn to represent hope, rebirth, and the cycle of life.
One of the earliest known individuals with the name Dawnita was Dawnita Wilburn, an American singer and songwriter born in 1945. She was active in the country and western music scene in the 1960s and 1970s, releasing several albums and singles during her career.
Another notable Dawnita was Dawnita Rambo, an American gospel singer and songwriter born in 1952. She was a member of the renowned Rambo Family, a prominent musical group in the southern gospel genre. Dawnita Rambo contributed to the group's success and released several solo albums throughout her career.
Dawnita Polidor, born in 1957, was a professional wrestler known by her ring name, Miss Dawn Marie. She competed in various wrestling promotions, including the World Wrestling Federation (now WWE), during the 1980s and 1990s.
In the field of education, Dawnita Altieri, born in 1962, is a notable figure. She served as the Executive Director of the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents and has been recognized for her contributions to educational leadership.
Lastly, Dawnita St. Louis, born in 1965, is a Canadian actress and filmmaker. She has appeared in several television series and films, including roles in "North of 60" and "The Rez," a film she also co-wrote and co-produced.
While relatively uncommon, the name Dawnita has been bestowed upon individuals throughout the latter half of the 20th century, often reflecting a desire to associate the child with the symbolic qualities of a new dawn, such as hope, freshness, and the promise of a bright future.
People
Dawnita + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Dawnita 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
Dawnita: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Dawnita?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 301 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Dawnita 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 1,138,719 US residents.
Is Dawnita a common name?
We classify Dawnita as "Very Rare". It ranks above 79.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 348 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Dawnita most popular?
The single biggest year for Dawnita was 1967, when 23 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Dawnita is about 55 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Dawnita a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Dawnita 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.