Haiti
A feminine name derived from the Taino language meaning "Land of High Mountains".
Name Census estimates that about 50 living Americans carry the first name Haiti. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Haiti today is around 9 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Haiti births was 2017 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Haiti. 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 Haiti. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
50
~ 1 in 6,855,087 Americans
Peak year
2017
8 babies that year
Average age
9
years old
2024 SSA rank
#16,094
Tracked since 2007
Popularity
Haiti: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Haiti from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 27 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Haiti remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Haiti 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 Haiti 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 Haiti
The given name Haiti has its origins in the indigenous Taíno language spoken by the native inhabitants of the Caribbean islands, including modern-day Haiti and the Dominican Republic. The name is believed to derive from the Taíno word "ayiti," meaning "high ground" or "mountainous land," which was the name the Taíno people used to refer to the island of Hispaniola.
The earliest known written record of the name Haiti appears in the accounts of Christopher Columbus, who arrived in the region in 1492. In his journal, Columbus referred to the island as "La Española" (Spanish for "The Spanish"), but he also noted the indigenous name "Haiti" or "Quisqueya" used by the Taíno people.
While the name Haiti was initially used to refer to the entire island of Hispaniola, over time, it became more closely associated with the western part of the island, which later became the independent nation of Haiti in 1804 after a successful slave revolution against French colonial rule.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the given name Haiti was Haiti Trouillot (c. 1770-1805), a Haitian general and military leader who played a pivotal role in the Haitian Revolution. He was a close ally of Toussaint Louverture, a key figure in the revolution, and fought alongside him against the French forces.
Another notable figure with the name Haiti was Haiti Leconte (1812-1894), a Haitian writer, poet, and journalist who played a significant role in the literary and cultural life of Haiti in the 19th century. His works often explored themes of national identity, freedom, and the struggle for independence.
In the 20th century, one of the most famous individuals with the name Haiti was Haiti Trant (1920-2004), a Haitian dancer, choreographer, and anthropologist. She was renowned for her efforts in preserving and promoting Haitian folk dance traditions, and she founded the Haiti Dance Company in New York City.
Another notable figure was Haiti Mondésir (1935-2017), a Haitian painter and visual artist known for his vibrant and expressive works that captured the spirit and culture of Haiti. His paintings often depicted scenes of everyday life, landscapes, and traditional Haitian motifs.
Finally, Haiti Babii (born 1974) is a contemporary Haitian-American artist, writer, and activist who has gained recognition for her multidisciplinary work that explores issues of identity, diaspora, and social justice. Her work has been exhibited internationally and has received critical acclaim.
People
Haiti + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Haiti as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with H
Other first names starting with H with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Haiti: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Haiti?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 50 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Haiti 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 6,855,087 US residents.
Is Haiti a common name?
We classify Haiti as "Very Rare". It ranks above 54.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 50 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Haiti most popular?
The single biggest year for Haiti was 2017, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Haiti is about 9 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 Haiti in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Haiti a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Haiti 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 Haiti still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Haiti 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 Haiti 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 are called Haiti?
You can see how many people have the name Haiti on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.