Diarra
A Malian given name derived from the Arabic word meaning "wealthy one".
Name Census estimates that about 412 living Americans carry the first name Diarra. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 81.7% of registrations being female. The average person named Diarra today is around 28 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Diarra births was 1994 (26 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Diarra. 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
412
~ 1 in 831,928 Americans
Peak year
1994
26 babies that year
Average age
28
years old
2001 SSA rank
#9,698
Tracked since 1971
Census
Diarra in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 424 people with the first name Diarra, which placed it at #23,170 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
#23,170
National first-name rank
People counted
424
424 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
90.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Diarra
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Diarra is Black at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Diarra 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 Diarra at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American90.3% · 383
- Two or more races4.5% · 19
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 15
- White1.4% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 1
Gender
Gender distribution for Diarra
Diarra leans heavily female at 81.7% of total registrations, but 78 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Diarra as a male name
- Ranked #11,025 in 2001
- 5 male births in 2001
- Peak: 1972 (13 births)
Diarra as a female name
- Ranked #9,698 in 2024
- 10 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1994 (20 births)
2020 Census snapshot
The 2020 Census sex table shows Diarra on both sides of the split. Of the 423 people counted with this name, 118 were male (27.9%) and 305 were female (72.1%).
Popularity
Diarra: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Diarra from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 145 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
Diarra 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 Diarra during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Diarras live
Origin
Meaning and history of Diarra
The name Diarra has its origins in the Bambara language, which is spoken by the Bambara people of Mali in West Africa. The name is believed to have originated in the 13th century during the era of the Mali Empire, one of the wealthiest and most powerful empires in African history.
The name Diarra is derived from the Bambara word "diarran," which means "strength" or "power." It was a common name given to boys born into the noble and warrior classes of the Bambara society, as it symbolized the qualities of bravery, resilience, and leadership that were highly valued in their culture.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Diarra can be found in the epic oral traditions of the Bambara people, particularly in the tales of the legendary hero Sundiata Keita, who founded the Mali Empire in the early 13th century. Sundiata's sister, Diarra, played a significant role in his rise to power and was respected for her wisdom and courage.
Throughout the centuries, the name Diarra has been borne by several notable figures in West African history. One such individual was Diarra Kanté (c. 1710-1758), a renowned military leader and advisor to the Segu Bambara Empire in present-day Mali and Guinea. He was renowned for his strategic brilliance and played a crucial role in the expansion of the empire.
Another notable bearer of the name was Diarra Traoré (1892-1942), a Malian diplomat and politician who served as the first President of the French Sudanese Union, a political organization that advocated for the rights of the people in French West Africa during the colonial era.
In the realm of literature, the name Diarra is associated with the acclaimed Malian writer Diarra Kéïta (1925-2021), whose novels and short stories explored themes of tradition, identity, and the challenges faced by African societies in the post-colonial era. His works, including "The Interpreter" and "The Guardian of the Word," were widely celebrated and translated into several languages.
The name Diarra has also been carried by prominent figures in other fields, such as Diarra Kiliba Coulibaly (1962-), a Malian economist and former Minister of Finance, and Diarra Karim (1953-), a renowned Malian architect known for his innovative designs that blend traditional and modern elements.
While the name Diarra has its roots in the Bambara culture, it has transcended its origins and is now used by families across West Africa and in the African diaspora worldwide, serving as a testament to the rich cultural heritage and enduring legacy of the Bambara people.
People
Diarra + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Diarra 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
Diarra: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Diarra?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 412 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Diarra 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 831,928 US residents.
Is Diarra a common name?
We classify Diarra as "Very Rare". It ranks above 82.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 426 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Diarra most popular?
The single biggest year for Diarra was 1994, when 26 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Diarra is about 28 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Diarra in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 424 people with the name Diarra, or 0.14 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #23,170 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 Diarra 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 Diarra?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Diarra on both sides of the split. Of the 423 people counted with this name, 118 were male (27.9%) and 305 were female (72.1%). 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 Diarra?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Diarra is Black at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Diarra most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Diarra in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.3% (383 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 Diarra in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Diarra a female name?
Yes, 81.7% of people registered as Diarra 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 Diarra still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Diarra 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 Diarra 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 Diarra?
See how many people have the name Diarra on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.