Fawna
An English feminine name meaning "fawn-colored" or "deer-like".
Name Census estimates that about 157 living Americans carry the first name Fawna. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Fawna today is around 44 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Fawna births was 1981 (17 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Fawna. 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
157
~ 1 in 2,183,149 Americans
Peak year
1981
17 babies that year
Average age
44
years old
2004 SSA rank
#16,957
Tracked since 1974
Census
Fawna in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 219 people with the first name Fawna, which placed it at #36,320 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#36,320
National first-name rank
People counted
219
219 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
79.0% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fawna
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Fawna is White at 79.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (5.5%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Fawna described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Fawna at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.0% · 173
- Hispanic or Latino5.9% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native5.5% · 12
- Two or more races4.6% · 10
- Black or African American4.1% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 2
Popularity
Fawna: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Fawna from the 1970s through to the 2000s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 90 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Fawna 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 Fawna 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 Fawna
The name Fawna is believed to originate from the Latin word "fauna," which means "animal life" or "living creatures." It is a relatively modern name that emerged in the 20th century, likely inspired by the growing interest in nature and the environment during that time period.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Fawna can be traced back to the late 19th century, when it was occasionally used as a feminine variant of the name Faun, which refers to a half-human, half-goat creature from Roman mythology. However, its popularity as a given name did not truly take off until the mid-20th century.
While there are no major historical figures directly associated with the name Fawna, it has been used by a few notable individuals. Fawna Farmer (born 1933) is an American actress and model who appeared in several films and television shows in the 1950s and 1960s. Fawna Harrington (born 1986) is a Canadian fashion designer and entrepreneur, known for her sustainable and ethical clothing line.
Another person with the name Fawna is Fawna Mendez (born 1984), an American singer and songwriter who has released several albums in the indie rock and folk genres. Fawna Xiao (born 1993) is a Chinese-American actress and model who has appeared in various TV shows and films, including the Netflix series "Gypsy."
Lastly, Fawna MacKenzie (1962-2020) was a Canadian writer and poet, known for her works that explored themes of nature, feminism, and Indigenous perspectives. Her poetry collections, such as "Feral Visions" and "The Bone Vase," received critical acclaim and several literary awards.
While the name Fawna is relatively uncommon, its connection to nature and the natural world has likely contributed to its appeal among those who appreciate its unique and naturalistic sound. Its modern origins and limited historical usage also make it a distinctive choice for parents seeking a name with a fresh and unconventional feel.
People
Fawna + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Fawna as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with F
Other first names starting with F with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Fawna: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Fawna?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 157 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Fawna 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 2,183,149 US residents.
Is Fawna a common name?
We classify Fawna as "Very Rare". It ranks above 70.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 168 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Fawna most popular?
The single biggest year for Fawna was 1981, when 17 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Fawna is about 44 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Fawna in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 219 people with the name Fawna, or 0.07 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #36,320 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Fawna in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Fawna?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Fawna appears almost entirely female. Of the 215 people counted with this name, 100.0% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Fawna?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Fawna is White at 79.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (5.5%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Fawna most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Fawna in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.0% (173 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Fawna in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Fawna a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Fawna 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 Fawna still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Fawna 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 Fawna 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.
How many people are called Fawna?
You can see how many Americans are named Fawna on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.