Enga
A feminine name of uncertain origin, potentially meaning "ever-shining" or "eternal brightness".
Name Census estimates that about 21 living Americans carry the first name Enga. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Enga today is around 55 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Enga births was 1970 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Enga. 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 Enga. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
21
~ 1 in 16,321,635 Americans
Peak year
1970
7 babies that year
Average age
55
years old
1978 SSA rank
#8,866
Tracked since 1899
Popularity
Enga: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Enga from the 1890s through to the 1970s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 18 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
Enga 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 Enga 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 Enga
The name Enga has its origins in the Basque language, spoken primarily in the Basque Country region of northern Spain and southwestern France. The name's earliest known use dates back to the Middle Ages, around the 12th century.
The name Enga is derived from the Basque word "enge," which means "mercy" or "compassion." It was likely given to children as a way of expressing a wish for them to be kind and merciful individuals.
In the 14th century, a notable figure named Enga of Navarre was recorded in historical documents. She was a noblewoman and philanthropist known for her charitable works and support of local monasteries and churches.
During the 16th century, Enga Gonzalez was a renowned Spanish scholar and translator. She played a significant role in introducing and translating classical Greek and Roman texts into Spanish, contributing to the spread of knowledge during the Renaissance period.
In the 17th century, Enga Garcés de Marcilla was a Spanish playwright and poet. Her works explored themes of love, passion, and the complexities of human relationships, earning her recognition among the literary circles of her time.
Moving to the 19th century, Enga Iturriaga was a Basque political activist and advocate for Basque cultural rights. She worked tirelessly to promote the preservation of the Basque language and traditions, making significant contributions to the Basque nationalist movement.
In the 20th century, Enga Demetriou was a Cypriot artist known for her vibrant and expressive paintings. She drew inspiration from the landscapes and cultural heritage of her native Cyprus, creating works that captured the island's beauty and rich traditions.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who bore the name Enga, highlighting its enduring presence across various cultures and time periods, rooted in the Basque language and associated with virtues such as mercy and compassion.
People
Enga + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Enga 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
Enga: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Enga?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 21 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Enga 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 16,321,635 US residents.
Is Enga a common name?
We classify Enga as "Very Rare". It ranks above 40.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 29 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Enga most popular?
The single biggest year for Enga was 1970, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Enga is about 55 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 Enga in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Enga a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Enga 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 Enga still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Enga 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 Enga 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 have Enga as a first name?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans are named Enga on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.