Deona
Of uncertain origin and meaning, potentially derived from the Greek word "deinos" meaning "terrible" or "formidable".
Name Census estimates that about 1,080 living Americans carry the first name Deona. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Deona today is around 38 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Deona births was 1995 (36 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Deona. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Deona with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
1.1K
~ 1 in 317,365 Americans
Peak year
1995
36 babies that year
Average age
38
years old
2024 SSA rank
#15,840
Tracked since 1946
Census
Deona in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 981 people with the first name Deona, which placed it at #12,620 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
#12,620
National first-name rank
People counted
981
981 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.3
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
51.5% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Deona
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Deona is Black at 51.5%. The next largest groups are White (33.8%) and Two or More Races (7.2%). 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 Deona 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 Deona at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American51.5% · 505
- White33.8% · 332
- Two or more races7.2% · 71
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 44
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.0% · 20
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 9
Popularity
Deona: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Deona from the 1940s through to the 2020s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 276 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
Deona 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 Deona during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Deonas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 7 states and territories. Georgia, Ohio, Pennsylvania recorded the most babies named Deona, while Texas, Michigan, Illinois recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 7 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Deona
The name Deona is a rare and unique feminine name that has its origins in Greek and Latin languages. It is derived from the Greek word "deo," meaning "to bind" or "to tie," and the Latin word "dona," meaning "gift." This suggests that the name Deona may have been given to a child who was considered a precious gift, bound to their parents or family.
The earliest recorded use of the name Deona dates back to the 5th century CE, when it appeared in ancient Greek texts and inscriptions. During this time, the name was primarily used in the regions of ancient Greece and the eastern Mediterranean.
In the 9th century, the name Deona made its way into the religious scriptures of the Eastern Orthodox Church. It was occasionally used as a name for nuns or devout Christian women, symbolizing their dedication and commitment to their faith.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Deona. One of the earliest recorded was Deona of Alexandria, a renowned philosopher and scholar who lived in the 3rd century CE. She is known for her contributions to the study of ethics and moral philosophy.
Another significant figure was Deona the Martyr, a Christian saint who lived in the 4th century CE. According to historical accounts, she was persecuted for her faith during the reign of Emperor Diocletian and ultimately martyred for refusing to renounce her beliefs.
In the 12th century, Deona of Aquitaine was a notable noblewoman and patron of the arts. She is recognized for her support of troubadours and her involvement in the cultural and literary circles of the time.
During the Renaissance period, Deona Boccaccio, an Italian poet and writer, gained recognition for her works celebrating love and the beauty of nature. She lived from 1412 to 1472 and was a contemporary of notable figures like Dante Alighieri and Petrarch.
In more recent times, Deona Arbus (1923-1971) was an influential American photographer known for her unconventional and thought-provoking portraiture. Her work often explored themes of marginalization and challenged societal norms.
While the name Deona may be rare, it carries a rich history and cultural significance. Its origins in Greek and Latin languages, as well as its presence in ancient texts and religious scriptures, add depth and meaning to this unique and captivating name.
People
Deona + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Deona 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
Deona: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Deona?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,080 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Deona 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 317,365 US residents.
Is Deona a common name?
We classify Deona as "Rare". It ranks above 90.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,166 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Deona most popular?
The single biggest year for Deona was 1995, when 36 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Deona 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 Deona in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 981 people with the name Deona, or 0.32 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #12,620 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 Deona 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 Deona?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Deona appears almost entirely female. Of the 987 people counted with this name, 99.5% were female and only a very small share were male. 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 Deona?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Deona is Black at 51.5%. The next largest groups are White (33.8%) and Two or More Races (7.2%). 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 Deona most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Deona in the 2020 Census, accounting for 51.5% (505 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 Deona in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Deona a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Deona 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 Deona still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Deona 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 Deona 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 people are named Deona?
Find out how many Americans are named Deona on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.