Itza
A feminine name of Mayan origin meaning "magic, sorcery".
Name Census estimates that about 388 living Americans carry the first name Itza. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Itza today is around 18 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Itza births was 2007 (24 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Itza. 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
388
~ 1 in 883,387 Americans
Peak year
2007
24 babies that year
Average age
18
years old
2024 SSA rank
#7,351
Tracked since 1978
Census
Itza in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 659 people with the first name Itza, which placed it at #16,934 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
#16,934
National first-name rank
People counted
659
659 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Hispanic or Latino
97.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Itza
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Itza is Hispanic at 97.7%. The next largest groups are White (1.8%) and Black (0.3%). 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 Itza 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 Itza at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino97.7% · 644
- White1.8% · 12
- Black or African American0.3% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 1
Popularity
Itza: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Itza 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 141 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Itza remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Itza 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 Itza during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Itzas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Itza
The name Itza originates from the Maya civilization, which flourished in Mesoamerica from around 250 AD to the 16th century. It is derived from the Yucatec Maya language, where "Itz" means "dew" or "moisture." The name is closely associated with the Itza Maya people, who were one of the principal Maya ethnic groups and inhabited the area around Lake Petén Itzá in present-day Guatemala.
Itza is believed to have been a common name among the Maya, particularly in the region surrounding Lake Petén Itzá, which was a significant ceremonial and cultural center for the Itza Maya. The name is found inscribed in various Maya hieroglyphic texts and monuments, indicating its usage during the Classical and Postclassical periods of Maya civilization.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Itza can be found in the Popol Vuh, a sacred book of the Quiché Maya containing their mythological and historical narratives. In this text, Itza is mentioned as the name of a Maya ruler or leader.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Itza. One example is Itza Mat, a Maya noble and warrior who lived in the 16th century and played a significant role in the resistance against the Spanish conquistadors during the conquest of the Maya territories.
Another prominent figure with the name Itza was Itza Yaxuun Bahlam, a Maya ruler who governed the city-state of Saki in the 7th century AD. He is known for his military campaigns and the construction of several important Maya structures, including the Temple of the Inscriptions at Palenque.
In the realm of Maya art and culture, the name Itza is associated with the renowned Maya artist and scribe Itza Ahau, who lived in the late 15th century and created remarkable works of Maya calligraphy and codices.
Itza Kan Xib, a Maya noble and diplomat from the 16th century, is also notable for his efforts in negotiating with the Spanish conquistadors and attempting to preserve Maya cultural traditions during the tumultuous period of Spanish colonization.
Itza Chel, a Maya priestess and healer who lived in the 9th century AD, is celebrated for her contributions to Maya medicinal knowledge and her influential role in the religious practices of her time.
While the name Itza has its roots in the Maya civilization, it has transcended its historical origins and continues to be used as a given name in various parts of the world, serving as a cultural connection to the rich heritage of the Maya people.
People
Itza + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Itza as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with I
Other first names starting with I with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Itza: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Itza?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 388 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Itza 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 883,387 US residents.
Is Itza a common name?
We classify Itza as "Very Rare". It ranks above 82% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 394 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Itza most popular?
The single biggest year for Itza was 2007, when 24 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Itza is about 18 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Itza in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 659 people with the name Itza, or 0.22 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #16,934 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 Itza 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 Itza?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Itza appears almost entirely female. Of the 654 people counted with this name, 99.4% 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 Itza?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Itza is Hispanic at 97.7%. The next largest groups are White (1.8%) and Black (0.3%). 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 Itza most often in the Census?
Hispanic is the largest reported group for people named Itza in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.7% (644 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 Itza in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Itza a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Itza 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 Itza still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Itza 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 Itza 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 are named Itza?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.