Dunta
A masculine given name of Indian origin meaning "gift of God".
Name Census estimates that about 10 living Americans carry the first name Dunta. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Dunta today is around 36 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Dunta births was 1979 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Dunta. 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 Dunta. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
10
~ 1 in 34,275,434 Americans
Peak year
1979
5 babies that year
Average age
36
years old
1997 SSA rank
#9,687
Tracked since 1979
Popularity
Dunta: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Dunta from the 1970s through to the 1990s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 5 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Dunta 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 Dunta 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 Dunta
The name Dunta is believed to have its origins in the ancient Sanskrit language of India, dating back to around the 5th century BCE. It is derived from the word "dunta," which means "messenger" or "ambassador." The name was likely given to individuals who served as envoys or diplomats in ancient Indian kingdoms.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Dunta can be found in the Hindu epic Mahabharata, where it is mentioned as the name of a minor character. The Mahabharata is an ancient Indian text that dates back to around the 8th or 9th century BCE, and its mention of the name Dunta suggests that the name was in use during that time period.
In the 3rd century BCE, a famous Indian philosopher and grammarian named Dunta Shakti lived. He was known for his contributions to the study of Sanskrit grammar and linguistics. His work, titled "Dunta Shakti Sutras," is still studied by scholars of ancient Indian languages and literature.
During the Gupta Empire, which ruled over northern and central India from the 4th to the 6th century CE, there was a renowned poet and playwright named Dunta Kalidasa. He is best known for his works such as the play "Abhijnanashakuntalam" and the epic poem "Raghuvamsha."
In the 11th century CE, a prominent Hindu scholar and philosopher named Dunta Bhatta lived in the city of Varanasi, which was a center of learning and culture during that time. He wrote several influential treatises on Vedanta philosophy and Hindu religious texts.
Another notable figure named Dunta was a 16th-century Indian painter from the Mughal court of Emperor Akbar. He was renowned for his intricate and detailed miniature paintings, which depicted scenes from Indian mythology and court life. Some of his works can be found in museums and collections around the world.
People
Dunta + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Dunta 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
Dunta: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Dunta?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 10 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Dunta 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 34,275,434 US residents.
Is Dunta a common name?
We classify Dunta as "Very Rare". It ranks above 28.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 10 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Dunta most popular?
The single biggest year for Dunta was 1979, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Dunta is about 36 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 Dunta in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Dunta a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Dunta in the SSA data are male. 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 Dunta still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Dunta 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 Dunta 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 people share the name Dunta?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.