Geana
A feminine name derived from Jeanne, originating from the Greek Iōanná.
Name Census estimates that about 298 living Americans carry the first name Geana. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Geana today is around 42 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Geana births was 1968 (12 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Geana. 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
298
~ 1 in 1,150,182 Americans
Peak year
1968
12 babies that year
Average age
42
years old
2019 SSA rank
#10,768
Tracked since 1947
Census
Geana in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 389 people with the first name Geana, which placed it at #24,672 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
#24,672
National first-name rank
People counted
389
389 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
55.5% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Geana
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Geana is White at 55.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (18.5%) and Black (15.4%). 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 Geana 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 Geana at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White55.5% · 216
- Hispanic or Latino18.5% · 72
- Black or African American15.4% · 60
- Two or more races6.2% · 24
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.1% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 5
Popularity
Geana: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Geana from the 1940s through to the 2010s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 80 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Geana 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 Geana 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 Geana
The name Geana has its roots in the Romanian language and culture, with origins dating back to the medieval era. It is derived from the Romanian word "gean," which means "cherry tree" or "cherry fruit." This connection to nature and the vibrant red hue of cherries likely influenced the name's initial usage.
In its early days, Geana was predominantly found in rural regions of Romania, where cherry trees were abundant and held cultural significance. The name was often bestowed upon children born during the cherry blossom season or in areas renowned for their cherry orchards, symbolizing fertility, beauty, and new beginnings.
While no definitive historical records or ancient texts have been uncovered that directly reference the name Geana, its origins can be traced back to the 15th and 16th centuries when Romanian naming traditions were heavily influenced by nature and agricultural elements.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Geana was Geana Popescu, a Romanian peasant woman from the village of Râureni, who lived in the late 16th century. Her name appeared in local parish records, providing a glimpse into the name's early usage.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Geana, though their influence and fame have primarily been confined to Romanian culture and society. One such individual was Geana Sibiceanu (1870-1944), a celebrated Romanian actress and theater director who played a pivotal role in the development of the country's theatrical arts during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Another prominent figure was Geana Dimitriu (1892-1976), a renowned Romanian writer and feminist activist who championed women's rights and education in her home country. Her literary works, including novels and short stories, often explored themes of societal inequality and the struggles faced by women in a patriarchal society.
In the realm of sports, Geana Bratiloveanu (1901-1985) was a pioneering Romanian athlete who excelled in various track and field events, including the long jump and pentathlon. She represented Romania at the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris and later became a respected coach, nurturing generations of aspiring athletes.
Lastly, Geana Doinița (1931-2008) was a celebrated Romanian folk singer and songwriter whose melodies and lyrics captured the essence of traditional Romanian culture. Her powerful voice and heartfelt compositions earned her widespread acclaim, and she is remembered as a national treasure for preserving and promoting the country's rich musical heritage.
People
Geana + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Geana as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with G
Other first names starting with G with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Geana: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Geana?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 298 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Geana 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 1,150,182 US residents.
Is Geana a common name?
We classify Geana as "Very Rare". It ranks above 79.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 328 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Geana most popular?
The single biggest year for Geana was 1968, when 12 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Geana is about 42 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Geana in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 389 people with the name Geana, or 0.13 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #24,672 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 Geana 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 Geana?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Geana appears almost entirely female. Of the 383 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 Geana?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Geana is White at 55.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (18.5%) and Black (15.4%). 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 Geana most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Geana in the 2020 Census, accounting for 55.5% (216 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 Geana in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Geana a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Geana 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 Geana still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Geana 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 Geana 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 have the name Geana?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.