Dunia
A feminine Arabic name meaning "world" or "the present life".
Name Census estimates that about 603 living Americans carry the first name Dunia. It is a predominantly female name (99.0% of registrations). The average person named Dunia today is around 25 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Dunia births was 2004 (29 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Dunia. 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
603
~ 1 in 568,415 Americans
Peak year
2004
29 babies that year
Average age
25
years old
2024 SSA rank
#7,669
Tracked since 1973
Gender
Gender distribution for Dunia
Out of the 620 babies given the name Dunia since 1880, 99.0% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Dunia as a male name
- Ranked #11,253 in 2024
- 6 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2024 (6 births)
Dunia as a female name
- Ranked #7,669 in 2024
- 14 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2004 (29 births)
Popularity
Dunia: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Dunia from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 176 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Dunia remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Dunia 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 Dunia during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Dunias live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. California, Michigan, New York recorded the most babies named Dunia, while New York, Michigan, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 15 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Dunia
The name Dunia originates from the Arabic language, where it means "world" or "universe." It is derived from the Arabic word "dunya," which has its roots in the Semitic languages and is believed to have been in use since ancient times.
In the Islamic tradition, the word "dunya" is often used to refer to the temporal world, as opposed to the eternal hereafter. The name Dunia carries a connotation of vastness and expansiveness, reflecting the vastness of the world or the universe.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Dunia can be found in the 13th century, in the work of the renowned Persian poet and scholar, Rumi. In his famous poetic masterpiece, the "Masnavi," Rumi uses the word "dunya" to symbolize the material world and its transient nature.
Throughout history, the name Dunia has been carried by several notable figures. One of the earliest recorded individuals with this name was Dunia al-Watawat, a 9th-century Abbasid princess and poet from Baghdad. Her poetry is considered a significant contribution to the Arabic literary tradition.
In the 14th century, Dunia Sundari was a renowned Indian courtesan and poetess who lived during the Delhi Sultanate. Her poetry, written in Persian, is celebrated for its depth and beauty.
Another notable bearer of the name was Dunia Buhur, a 16th-century Ottoman princess and the daughter of Sultan Selim II. She is remembered for her patronage of the arts and her influence in the Ottoman court.
In more recent times, Dunia Shuaib was a prominent Sudanese writer and activist who lived from 1934 to 2010. Her works addressed issues of gender inequality and social justice, earning her recognition as a pioneering voice in Sudanese literature.
Dunia Batma, born in 1949, is a renowned Moroccan singer and actress. She has made significant contributions to the preservation and promotion of Moroccan cultural heritage through her music and acting performances.
While these are just a few examples, the name Dunia has been carried by individuals from various cultural backgrounds and historical periods, reflecting its timeless and universal appeal.
People
Dunia + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Dunia 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
Dunia: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Dunia?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 603 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Dunia 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 568,415 US residents.
Is Dunia a common name?
We classify Dunia as "Very Rare". It ranks above 86.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 620 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Dunia most popular?
The single biggest year for Dunia was 2004, when 29 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Dunia is about 25 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Dunia a female name?
Yes, 99.0% of people registered as Dunia 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.