Dayonna
A feminine name of modern American origin, a variant of Diona.
Name Census estimates that about 767 living Americans carry the first name Dayonna. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Dayonna today is around 20 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Dayonna births was 2008 (45 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Dayonna. 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
767
~ 1 in 446,877 Americans
Peak year
2008
45 babies that year
Average age
20
years old
2024 SSA rank
#12,442
Tracked since 1983
Popularity
Dayonna: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Dayonna from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 354 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
Dayonna 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 Dayonna during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Dayonnas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. Pennsylvania, Maryland, District of Columbia recorded the most babies named Dayonna, while North Carolina, District of Columbia, Maryland recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 31 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Dayonna
The given name Dayonna has its origins in the English language, likely emerging in the late 20th century as a unique and creative variation of more traditional names like Donna or Yvonne. It is believed to be a blend of the words "day" and "Yvonne," possibly intended to convey a sense of brightness, freshness, or a new beginning.
While the name Dayonna itself does not appear to have any direct historical references in ancient texts or religious scriptures, its components can be traced back to various linguistic roots. The word "day" finds its origins in the Old English "dæg," which is derived from the Proto-Germanic "dag-az," ultimately stemming from the Proto-Indo-European root "*agh-," meaning "to burn or shine." This connection with light and radiance may have contributed to the naming inspiration.
The earliest recorded examples of the name Dayonna are relatively recent, with the first known instances appearing in the late 20th century. One of the earliest notable individuals with this name is Dayonna Browne, an American former professional basketball player who was born in 1985 and played in the WNBA for teams like the San Antonio Silver Stars and the Atlanta Dream.
Another individual named Dayonna is Dayonna Watts, an American actress and singer born in 1990. She is best known for her role as Esperanza in the Disney Channel series "Cory in the House" and has also appeared in various other television shows and films.
In the world of sports, Dayonna Bundy is a Canadian track and field athlete specializing in the 100 and 200-meter sprints. Born in 1994, she has represented Canada in international competitions such as the Commonwealth Games and the World Athletics Championships.
Dayonna Golatt, born in 1993, is an American professional basketball player who currently plays for the Las Vegas Aces in the WNBA. She was drafted in the second round of the 2016 WNBA Draft after a successful college career at the University of Cincinnati.
Lastly, Dayonna Denton is an American singer and songwriter born in 1997. She has gained recognition for her unique vocal style and has released several independent albums and singles in the pop and R&B genres.
While the name Dayonna is still relatively uncommon, it has gained popularity in recent decades, likely due to its unique sound and meaning. Its emergence as a given name reflects the trend of creating fresh and creative names by combining or modifying existing ones, often drawing inspiration from various linguistic and cultural sources.
People
Dayonna + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Dayonna 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
Dayonna: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Dayonna?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 767 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Dayonna 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 446,877 US residents.
Is Dayonna a common name?
We classify Dayonna as "Very Rare". It ranks above 88.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 780 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Dayonna most popular?
The single biggest year for Dayonna was 2008, when 45 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Dayonna is about 20 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Dayonna a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Dayonna 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.