Ezana
Derived from the Semitic root meaning "rest" or "repose."
Name Census estimates that about 573 living Americans carry the first name Ezana. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Ezana today is around 12 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ezana births was 2019 (39 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ezana. 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
573
~ 1 in 598,175 Americans
Peak year
2019
39 babies that year
Average age
12
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,999
Tracked since 1992
Popularity
Ezana: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ezana from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 292 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Ezana remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ezana 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 Ezana during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Ezanas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 6 states and territories. Texas, Maryland, Georgia recorded the most babies named Ezana, while Virginia, Washington, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 16 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Ezana
The given name Ezana has its roots in the Ge'ez language, an ancient Semitic tongue that was the liturgical language of the Aksumite Empire, a powerful kingdom that flourished in present-day Eritrea and Ethiopia from around the 1st to the 8th century AD. Ezana is derived from the Ge'ez word "ʕezān," meaning "powerful" or "mighty."
One of the earliest and most significant references to the name Ezana can be found in the inscriptions of King Ezana, who ruled the Aksumite Empire from around 320 to 360 AD. These inscriptions, carved in stone and written in Ge'ez, document King Ezana's conquests, his conversion to Christianity, and his role in establishing the religion as the state faith of the Aksumite Empire.
The name Ezana has a long and storied history, with several notable individuals bearing this moniker throughout the centuries. One such figure was Ezana, the Patriarch of Alexandria, who held the position from 621 to 631 AD and played a crucial role in the spread of Coptic Christianity in Egypt.
Another prominent bearer of the name was Ezana, the 14th-century Ethiopian Emperor, who ruled from 1344 to 1372 AD. During his reign, he consolidated power and expanded the boundaries of his kingdom, earning him a reputation as a skilled military leader and statesman.
In more recent times, Ezana Sehay, an Ethiopian politician and diplomat, served as the Foreign Minister of Ethiopia from 1991 to 1993, playing a pivotal role in the country's transition to democracy after years of civil war.
Ezana Kahsay, born in 1935, was an Eritrean athlete who excelled in long-distance running and represented Eritrea in several international competitions, including the 1964 Tokyo Olympics and the 1968 Mexico City Olympics.
These are just a few examples of the notable individuals who have borne the name Ezana throughout history, a name that carries with it a rich cultural heritage and a sense of strength and power.
People
Ezana + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ezana 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
Ezana: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ezana?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 573 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ezana 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 598,175 US residents.
Is Ezana a common name?
We classify Ezana as "Very Rare". It ranks above 85.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 578 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ezana most popular?
The single biggest year for Ezana was 2019, when 39 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ezana is about 12 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Ezana a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ezana 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.
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.