Henna
Henna is an Urdu/Hindi feminine name meaning "bright red dye from a flowering plant".
Name Census estimates that about 1,261 living Americans carry the first name Henna. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Henna today is around 21 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Henna births was 2001 (53 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Henna. 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
1.3K
~ 1 in 271,812 Americans
Peak year
2001
53 babies that year
Average age
21
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,056
Tracked since 1974
Popularity
Henna: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Henna from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 409 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Henna remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Henna 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 Henna during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Hennas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 6 states and territories. New York, California, New Jersey recorded the most babies named Henna, while Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 91 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Henna
The name Henna originates from the Arabic language, deriving from the word "al-hinna" which refers to the plant with the same name. The henna plant has been used for centuries in the Middle East and parts of Asia for cosmetic purposes, particularly for dyeing hair, skin, and nails.
The earliest known use of the name Henna can be traced back to the 7th century CE in the Arabian Peninsula. It was a common name among Arab women during the early Islamic era, as the henna plant held significant cultural and traditional importance in the region.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Henna appears in the Kitab al-Aghani, an anthology of Arabic poetry and songs compiled in the 9th century CE. The work mentions a famous singer and poet named Henna bint Bashir al-Sulamiyyah, who lived in the 7th century CE and was renowned for her beautiful voice and poetic talents.
In the 12th century CE, the name Henna gained prominence in North Africa, particularly in present-day Morocco and Algeria. One notable figure from this period was Henna al-Maghribiya, a renowned Andalusian poet and calligrapher who lived in the city of Fez.
During the medieval period, the name Henna was also found in parts of the Middle East and Central Asia. One notable figure was Henna al-Khuwarizmi, a Persian mathematician and astronomer who lived in the 9th century CE and made significant contributions to the development of algebra and trigonometry.
In the 16th century, the name Henna appeared in Ottoman Turkey, where it was associated with the royal court and upper classes. One prominent figure from this era was Henna Sultan, the wife of Sultan Selim II, who played a significant role in the political and cultural life of the Ottoman Empire during her husband's reign.
Throughout history, the name Henna has been borne by various notable figures, including Henna Bakir, an Iraqi poet and feminist activist in the 20th century; Henna Sohail, a Pakistani actress and model; and Henna Asiuzzaman, a Bangladeshi author and activist.
While the name Henna has its roots in the Arabic language and culture, it has since gained popularity in various regions around the world, transcending linguistic and cultural boundaries.
People
Henna + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Henna 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
Henna: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Henna?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,261 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Henna 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 271,812 US residents.
Is Henna a common name?
We classify Henna as "Rare". It ranks above 91.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,288 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Henna most popular?
The single biggest year for Henna was 2001, when 53 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Henna is about 21 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Henna a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Henna 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.
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.