Demeta
Of uncertain origin, possibly from Ancient Greek, potentially signifying "harvester" or "earth mother".
Name Census estimates that about 22 living Americans carry the first name Demeta. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Demeta today is around 62 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Demeta births was 1962 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Demeta. 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 Demeta. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
22
~ 1 in 15,579,743 Americans
Peak year
1962
8 babies that year
Average age
62
years old
1973 SSA rank
#6,826
Tracked since 1958
Popularity
Demeta: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Demeta from the 1950s through to the 1970s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 15 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1960s peak, Demeta remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Demeta 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 Demeta 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 Demeta
The given name Demeta has its origins in ancient Greece, dating back to the classical period around the 5th century BC. It is derived from the Greek word "demetrios," which translates to "follower of Demeter," the Greek goddess of agriculture and fertility.
The name Demeta was particularly popular among women in the Greek city-states, where the worship of Demeter held great significance. It was often bestowed upon girls with the hope that they would be blessed with fertility and abundance, reflecting the qualities associated with the goddess.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Demeta can be found in the writings of the ancient Greek historian Herodotus, who mentioned a woman by this name in his work "The Histories," written in the 5th century BC.
Throughout the centuries, several notable figures have borne the name Demeta. In the 4th century BC, Demeta of Cyrene was a renowned philosopher and mathematician from the city of Cyrene in modern-day Libya. She is credited with contributing to the development of geometry and is considered one of the earliest female mathematicians in recorded history.
During the Byzantine era, Demeta was the name of a prominent saint and martyr who lived in the 3rd century AD. Saint Demeta of Constantinople is venerated in the Eastern Orthodox Church for her unwavering faith and dedication to Christianity, even in the face of persecution.
In the realm of literature, Demeta was the name of a character in the ancient Greek play "The Trojan Women" by Euripides, written in the 5th century BC. The character of Demeta represented the suffering and resilience of women during times of war and conflict.
Another notable figure with the name Demeta was Demeta of Smyrna, a Greek painter who lived in the 2nd century AD. She was renowned for her exceptional skill in portraiture and is considered one of the earliest known female artists in the ancient world.
While the name Demeta has its roots in ancient Greek culture, it has been adapted and used across various regions and time periods, reflecting the enduring influence of Greek mythology and history on naming traditions.
People
Demeta + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Demeta 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
Demeta: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Demeta?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 22 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Demeta 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 15,579,743 US residents.
Is Demeta a common name?
We classify Demeta as "Very Rare". It ranks above 41.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 27 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Demeta most popular?
The single biggest year for Demeta was 1962, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Demeta is about 62 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Demeta in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Demeta a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Demeta 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 Demeta still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Demeta 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 Demeta 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many Americans are named Demeta?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.