Effa
A feminine name of unknown origin, possibly from the Icelandic word for "after".
Name Census estimates that about 8 living Americans carry the first name Effa. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Effa today is around 104 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Effa births was 1889 (20 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Effa. 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
- • The typical person named Effa is about 104 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Effas were born before 1932.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Effa. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
8
~ 1 in 42,844,292 Americans
Peak year
1889
20 babies that year
Average age
104
years old
1944 SSA rank
#3,799
Tracked since 1880
Popularity
Effa: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Effa from the 1880s through to the 1940s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1880s, with 107 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1880s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Effa 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 Effa 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 Effa
The given name Effa is believed to have its origins in ancient Germanic languages, tracing back to the 5th or 6th century CE. It is thought to derive from the Old High German word "afa," meaning "forefather" or "ancestor." The name was likely used as a way to honor one's lineage and pay tribute to previous generations.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Effa can be found in the Frankish Annals, a historical chronicle from the 9th century. The text mentions an individual named Effa who held a prominent position within the Frankish court during the reign of Charlemagne.
In the 11th century, a powerful Anglo-Saxon noble named Effa of Mercia was documented in various chronicles of the time. He played a significant role in the political affairs of the Kingdom of Mercia, which was one of the major Anglo-Saxon kingdoms in what is now central England.
During the Middle Ages, the name Effa gained popularity among certain noble families in various parts of Europe. One notable figure was Effa of Quedlinburg, a German abbess who lived in the 10th century and was renowned for her piety and leadership of the Quedlinburg Abbey.
In the 16th century, the name Effa appeared in the writings of the English poet and dramatist William Shakespeare. In his play "The Merry Wives of Windsor," there is a character named Effa, though it is unclear whether this was a reference to a real person or a fictional name used by the playwright.
Another prominent individual with the name Effa was Effa Everard, a Dutch painter who lived in the 17th century. She was known for her still-life paintings and portraits, many of which can be found in museums and private collections across Europe.
It is worth noting that while the name Effa has its roots in ancient Germanic languages, it has been used across various cultures and regions throughout history, often with slight variations in spelling or pronunciation.
People
Effa + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Effa as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with E
Other first names starting with E with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Effa: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Effa?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 8 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Effa 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 42,844,292 US residents.
Is Effa a common name?
We classify Effa as "Very Rare". It ranks above 24.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 312 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Effa most popular?
The single biggest year for Effa was 1889, when 20 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Effa is about 104 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 Effa in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Effa a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Effa 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 Effa still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Effa 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 Effa 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 common is the name Effa?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.