Ivah
A feminine name of unknown origin, possibly a variant of Eve.
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the first name Ivah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Ivah today is around 29 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ivah births was 1895 (28 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ivah. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Ivah with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
124
~ 1 in 2,764,148 Americans
Peak year
1895
28 babies that year
Average age
29
years old
2024 SSA rank
#9,148
Tracked since 1880
Census
Ivah in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 217 people with the first name Ivah, which placed it at #36,520 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
#36,520
National first-name rank
People counted
217
217 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
65.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ivah
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Ivah is White at 65.4%. The next largest groups are Black (12.4%) and Hispanic (7.8%). 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 Ivah 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 Ivah at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White65.4% · 142
- Black or African American12.4% · 27
- Hispanic or Latino7.8% · 17
- Two or more races6.9% · 15
- Asian and Pacific Islander5.5% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 4
Popularity
Ivah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ivah from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 10 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1910s, with 174 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1910s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ivah 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 Ivah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Ivahs live
Origin
Meaning and history of Ivah
The name Ivah is a rare and intriguing one, with its origins shrouded in mystery and speculation. Some scholars believe it to be derived from the Sanskrit word "Iha," which means "here" or "in this world." This suggests that the name may have its roots in ancient Indian culture, possibly linked to spiritual or philosophical concepts.
Others trace the name's lineage to the Hebrew word "Ivah," meaning "to pass away" or "to disappear." This connection could indicate a deeper significance associated with the cyclical nature of life and the impermanence of physical existence. However, concrete evidence to support either of these theories is scarce, leaving the true origin of the name open to interpretation.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Ivah was Ivah ibn Qurrah, a 9th-century Arab mathematician and astronomer from Baghdad. His contributions to the fields of mathematics and astronomy were significant, and he is credited with introducing the concept of algebraic notation to the Islamic world.
In the realm of literature, Ivah Strindberg, a Swedish novelist and playwright born in 1849, achieved recognition for her works that explored themes of social injustice and the struggles of women in a patriarchal society. Her novel "The Outcast" was particularly influential and sparked discussions about gender equality.
The world of music has also been graced by individuals bearing the name Ivah. Ivah Bagratuni, an Armenian composer born in 1887, is renowned for her contributions to the development of Armenian classical music. Her compositions seamlessly blended traditional Armenian folk melodies with Western musical styles, creating a unique and captivating sound.
In the early 20th century, Ivah Wills, an American actress and vaudeville performer, made a name for herself on the stages of New York City. Born in 1883, she was celebrated for her comedic talents and ability to captivate audiences with her wit and charm.
Lastly, Ivah Willerton, a British painter and sculptor born in 1924, gained recognition for her vibrant and expressive works that captured the essence of the human form. Her sculptures, particularly those depicting dancers in motion, are widely admired for their fluidity and grace.
While the name Ivah may be relatively uncommon, its rich history and the accomplishments of those who have borne it serve as a testament to its enduring allure and the remarkable individuals who have left their mark on various fields throughout the ages.
People
Ivah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ivah 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
Ivah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ivah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 124 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ivah 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 2,764,148 US residents.
Is Ivah a common name?
We classify Ivah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 67.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 900 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ivah most popular?
The single biggest year for Ivah was 1895, when 28 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ivah is about 29 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Ivah in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 217 people with the name Ivah, or 0.07 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #36,520 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 Ivah 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 Ivah?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Ivah leans strongly female. 196 people counted with this name were female (92.9%), compared with 15 male bearers (7.1%). 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 Ivah?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Ivah is White at 65.4%. The next largest groups are Black (12.4%) and Hispanic (7.8%). 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 Ivah most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Ivah in the 2020 Census, accounting for 65.4% (142 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 Ivah in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Ivah a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ivah 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 Ivah still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Ivah 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 Ivah 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 common is the name Ivah?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.