Dontia
A feminine name of obscure origin with an uncertain meaning.
Name Census estimates that about 47 living Americans carry the first name Dontia. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 73.5% of registrations being female. The average person named Dontia today is around 35 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Dontia births was 1980 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Dontia. 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 Dontia. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
47
~ 1 in 7,292,645 Americans
Peak year
1980
8 babies that year
Average age
35
years old
1988 SSA rank
#7,596
Tracked since 1980
Census
Dontia in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 110 people with the first name Dontia, which placed it at #51,979 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
#51,979
National first-name rank
People counted
110
110 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
86.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dontia
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Dontia is Black at 86.4%. The next largest groups are White (4.5%) and Hispanic (4.5%). 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 Dontia 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 Dontia at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American86.4% · 95
- White4.5% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 5
- Two or more races4.5% · 5
Gender
Gender distribution for Dontia
Dontia is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 49 total registrations, 13 (26.5%) were male and 36 (73.5%) were female.
Dontia as a male name
- Ranked #7,596 in 1988
- 5 male births in 1988
- Peak: 1980 (8 births)
Dontia as a female name
- Ranked #16,857 in 2004
- 5 female births in 2004
- Peak: 1989 (8 births)
2020 Census snapshot
The 2020 Census sex table shows Dontia on both sides of the split. Of the 115 people counted with this name, 40 were male (34.8%) and 75 were female (65.2%).
Popularity
Dontia: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Dontia from the 1980s through to the 2000s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 23 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
Dontia 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 Dontia 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 Dontia
The given name Dontia has its origins traced back to the ancient Etruscan civilization, which flourished in Italy during the 8th to 3rd century BC. It is believed to have derived from the Etruscan word "Donte," meaning "the gift" or "the blessing." The Etruscans were known for their rich cultural heritage, advanced engineering skills, and unique language, which heavily influenced the development of Latin and other Romance languages.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Dontia can be found in the Etruscan inscriptions discovered in the ancient city of Cerveteri, dating back to the 6th century BC. These inscriptions often depicted the name on funerary urns and sarcophagi, suggesting its significance and usage among the Etruscan nobility and elite classes.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Dontia. One such figure was Dontia Tullus, a renowned Etruscan architect and engineer who lived in the 5th century BC. He is credited with designing and overseeing the construction of the famous Cloaca Maxima, an impressive sewage system that drained the marshes and improved sanitation in ancient Rome.
Another prominent figure was Dontia Tarquinia, a powerful Etruscan noblewoman who lived in the 4th century BC. She was celebrated for her patronage of the arts and her influence in the political affairs of the time. Her name is inscribed on several artifacts and artworks from the period, indicating her significant role in Etruscan society.
In the realm of literature, Dontia Aemilius was a celebrated Etruscan poet and playwright who lived in the 3rd century BC. His works, though largely lost to time, were highly acclaimed during his lifetime and are believed to have influenced the development of Roman literature and theater.
Another notable figure was Dontia Philus, a renowned philosopher and scholar who lived in the 2nd century BC. He was known for his writings on ethics, metaphysics, and the nature of the universe, which drew inspiration from both Etruscan and Greek philosophical traditions.
Dontia Marcellus, a skilled military commander and strategist, lived in the 1st century BC. He played a crucial role in the Roman conquest of Etruria and is remembered for his tactical prowess and leadership during the campaigns against the Etruscan cities.
While the name Dontia has its roots in the ancient Etruscan culture, it has managed to transcend time and geography, leaving an indelible mark on various civilizations and historical periods. Its enduring legacy serves as a testament to the rich tapestry of human history and the enduring influence of ancient civilizations on our modern world.
People
Dontia + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Dontia 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
Dontia: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Dontia?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 47 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Dontia 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 7,292,645 US residents.
Is Dontia a common name?
We classify Dontia as "Very Rare". It ranks above 53.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 49 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Dontia most popular?
The single biggest year for Dontia was 1980, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Dontia is about 35 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Dontia in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 110 people with the name Dontia, or 0.04 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #51,979 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 Dontia 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 Dontia?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Dontia on both sides of the split. Of the 115 people counted with this name, 40 were male (34.8%) and 75 were female (65.2%). 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 Dontia?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Dontia is Black at 86.4%. The next largest groups are White (4.5%) and Hispanic (4.5%). 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 Dontia most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Dontia in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.4% (95 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 Dontia in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Dontia a female name?
Yes, 73.5% of people registered as Dontia 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 Dontia still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Dontia 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 Dontia 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 called Dontia?
You can see how many people have the name Dontia on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.