Henya
A feminine form of the Russian feminine name Yevgeniya.
Name Census estimates that about 148 living Americans carry the first name Henya. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Henya today is around 14 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Henya births was 2020 (13 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Henya. 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
148
~ 1 in 2,315,908 Americans
Peak year
2020
13 babies that year
Average age
14
years old
2024 SSA rank
#8,100
Tracked since 1982
Popularity
Henya: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Henya from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 52 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Henya 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 Henya during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Henyas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Henya
The given name Henya has its origins in the Hebrew language and culture. It is a feminine name derived from the Hebrew word "chana," which means "grace" or "favor." The name is often associated with the biblical figure Hannah, the mother of the prophet Samuel, who was known for her piety and devotion.
The name Henya gained popularity in Eastern European Jewish communities, particularly in Poland, Russia, and Ukraine, during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was sometimes spelled as "Chana" or "Hana" in these regions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Henya can be found in the Talmud, a central text of Rabbinic Judaism. The Talmud mentions a woman named Henya who lived in the 2nd century CE and was known for her wisdom and learning.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Henya. One such example is Henya Karlinskaya (1891-1962), a Russian-born Israeli artist and sculptor who was known for her modernist works and her contribution to the development of Israeli art.
Another prominent figure with the name Henya was Henya Zhitnitskaya (1889-1942), a Ukrainian-born Soviet educator and writer who authored several books on education and child psychology. She was executed during the Stalinist purges in the Soviet Union.
In the field of literature, Henya Arendt (1906-1975) was a German-born American political philosopher and author who is best known for her works on totalitarianism, revolution, and the nature of freedom. Her influential works include "The Origins of Totalitarianism" and "The Human Condition."
The name Henya also has a connection to the world of music. Henya Abrahamowna (1921-2005) was a Polish-born Israeli composer and pianist who made significant contributions to contemporary classical music in Israel.
Another notable figure with the name Henya was Henya Kara (1880-1942), a Ukrainian-born writer and educator who was active in the Jewish cultural renaissance in Poland during the early 20th century. She was killed in the Holocaust during World War II.
While the name Henya has seen a decline in popularity in recent decades, it remains a cherished name within the Jewish community, carrying with it a rich cultural and historical significance.
People
Henya + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Henya 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
Henya: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Henya?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 148 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Henya 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 2,315,908 US residents.
Is Henya a common name?
We classify Henya as "Very Rare". It ranks above 70.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 150 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Henya most popular?
The single biggest year for Henya was 2020, when 13 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Henya is about 14 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Henya a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Henya 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.