Hsa
A feminine given name of Sanskrit origin meaning "laughter" or "joy".
Name Census estimates that about 15 living Americans carry the first name Hsa. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Hsa today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Hsa births was 2012 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Hsa. 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 Hsa. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
15
~ 1 in 22,850,289 Americans
Peak year
2012
5 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2020 SSA rank
#12,778
Tracked since 2012
Census
Hsa in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 547 people with the first name Hsa, which placed it at #19,370 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
#19,370
National first-name rank
People counted
547
547 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
96.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hsa
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Hsa is Asian/Pacific Islander at 96.3%. The next largest groups are White (1.6%) and Hispanic (0.7%). 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 Hsa 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 Hsa at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander96.3% · 527
- White1.6% · 9
- Hispanic or Latino0.7% · 4
- Two or more races0.7% · 4
- Black or African American0.5% · 3
Popularity
Hsa: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Hsa from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 10 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Hsa remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Hsa 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 Hsa 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 Hsa
The given name Hsa originated in the ancient Sumerian civilization, which flourished in the southern region of Mesopotamia between 4500 BCE and 1900 BCE. It is derived from the Sumerian word "hsa," which means "to bless" or "to bestow favor upon." This name was commonly used among the Sumerian people, who were known for their advanced writing system, architectural marvels, and religious beliefs.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hsa can be found in the Sumerian King List, an ancient manuscript that chronicles the rulers of various Sumerian city-states. One of the kings listed is named Hsa-Lugal, who ruled over the city of Uruk around 2600 BCE. This historical record suggests that the name Hsa was in use during the Early Dynastic Period of Sumer.
In addition to its Sumerian roots, the name Hsa also appears in ancient Akkadian texts, which were written in the Semitic language of the Akkadian Empire. The Akkadian people, who ruled over Mesopotamia from around 2350 BCE to 2150 BCE, adopted and adapted many elements of Sumerian culture, including some names.
Over the centuries, the name Hsa has been borne by several notable individuals throughout history. One such figure was Hsa-Ammurabi, a prominent Sumerian scribe who lived around 2100 BCE and is known for his contributions to the development of cuneiform writing. Another was Hsa-Eresh, a renowned Sumerian architect who designed and oversaw the construction of the iconic Ziggurats of Ur, monumental stepped pyramids that served as both temples and burial sites for Sumerian kings.
In the realm of ancient literature, the name Hsa is mentioned in the Epic of Gilgamesh, one of the earliest known works of literature in human history. The protagonist, Gilgamesh, encounters a character named Hsa-Bani, who serves as a friend and companion throughout his heroic journey.
Moving forward in time, the name Hsa also appears in the historical records of the ancient Egyptian civilization. One notable figure was Hsa-Nefer, a high-ranking official and architect who lived during the reign of Pharaoh Khufu (circa 2551 BCE – 2528 BCE) and oversaw the construction of the Great Pyramid of Giza, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
While the name Hsa may not be as common in modern times, it has left an indelible mark on the rich tapestry of human history, stretching back to the earliest civilizations of the ancient world.
People
Hsa + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Hsa 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
Hsa: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Hsa?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 15 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Hsa 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 22,850,289 US residents.
Is Hsa a common name?
We classify Hsa as "Very Rare". It ranks above 35.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 15 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Hsa most popular?
The single biggest year for Hsa was 2012, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Hsa is about 11 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Hsa in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 547 people with the name Hsa, or 0.18 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #19,370 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 Hsa 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 Hsa?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Hsa on both sides of the split. Of the 545 people counted with this name, 330 were male (60.6%) and 215 were female (39.4%). 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 Hsa?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Hsa is Asian/Pacific Islander at 96.3%. The next largest groups are White (1.6%) and Hispanic (0.7%). 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 Hsa most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Hsa in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.3% (527 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 Hsa in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Hsa a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Hsa in the SSA data are male. 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 Hsa still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Hsa 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 Hsa 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 Hsa?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.