Janila
Of Arabic origin meaning "woman beloved by everyone".
Name Census estimates that about 197 living Americans carry the first name Janila. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Janila today is around 16 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Janila births was 2005 (18 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Janila. 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
197
~ 1 in 1,739,870 Americans
Peak year
2005
18 babies that year
Average age
16
years old
2024 SSA rank
#14,160
Tracked since 1998
Census
Janila in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 185 people with the first name Janila, which placed it at #40,305 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
#40,305
National first-name rank
People counted
185
185 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
69.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Janila
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Janila is Black at 69.2%. The next largest groups are White (11.9%) and Hispanic (10.8%). 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 Janila 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 Janila at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American69.2% · 128
- White11.9% · 22
- Hispanic or Latino10.8% · 20
- Two or more races4.3% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.2% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 1
Popularity
Janila: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Janila from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 95 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Janila 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 Janila during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Janilas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Janila
The name Janila is believed to have originated from the Sanskrit language, which was prevalent in ancient India. It is derived from the combination of two Sanskrit words, "Jani" meaning "born" and "La" meaning "to take or seize." Together, the name Janila can be interpreted to mean "one who seizes or takes at birth."
This name has its roots in Hindu mythology and culture, where it was commonly used during the Vedic period, which spanned from around 1500 BCE to 500 BCE. It is found in ancient Hindu texts and scriptures, often associated with goddesses or celestial beings symbolizing strength, power, and determination.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Janila can be traced back to the Mahabharata, an epic Sanskrit poem composed around the 3rd century BCE. In this ancient text, Janila is mentioned as the name of a powerful female warrior who fought alongside the Pandava brothers in the great battle of Kurukshetra.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Janila. In the 7th century CE, Janila was the name of a renowned Sanskrit scholar and poet who authored numerous works on grammar and literature. Her contributions to the preservation and propagation of Sanskrit literature were highly regarded during her time.
Another prominent figure with this name was Janila Devi, a 12th-century Hindu mystic and saint from the Nath tradition. She was renowned for her spiritual teachings and is believed to have attained a high level of enlightenment.
In the 16th century, Janila Bai was a prominent female warrior and military leader from the Rajput clan in Rajasthan, India. She played a crucial role in defending her kingdom against invading forces and was revered for her bravery and strategic prowess.
During the 18th century, Janila Singh was a renowned artist and sculptor from the Mughal Empire. His exquisite works, depicting scenes from Hindu mythology and royal life, were widely celebrated and can still be found adorning various historical monuments and museums across India.
While the name Janila has its roots in ancient India, it has since spread to other parts of the world, albeit with varying spellings and pronunciations. However, its essence and connection to strength, determination, and spiritual enlightenment remain intact, making it a name steeped in rich cultural heritage and historical significance.
People
Janila + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Janila as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with J
Other first names starting with J with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Janila: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Janila?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 197 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Janila 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 1,739,870 US residents.
Is Janila a common name?
We classify Janila as "Very Rare". It ranks above 74% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 199 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Janila most popular?
The single biggest year for Janila was 2005, when 18 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Janila is about 16 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Janila in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 185 people with the name Janila, or 0.06 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #40,305 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 Janila 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 Janila?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Janila appears almost entirely female. Of the 184 people counted with this name, 99.5% 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 Janila?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Janila is Black at 69.2%. The next largest groups are White (11.9%) and Hispanic (10.8%). 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 Janila most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Janila in the 2020 Census, accounting for 69.2% (128 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 Janila in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Janila a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Janila 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 Janila still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Janila 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 Janila 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 Janila?
See how many people share the name Janila on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.