Juba
A feminine name of Arabic origin meaning "brave" or "courageous".
Name Census estimates that about 11 living Americans carry the first name Juba. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Juba today is around 54 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Juba births was 1973 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Juba. 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 Juba. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
11
~ 1 in 31,159,485 Americans
Peak year
1973
7 babies that year
Average age
54
years old
1973 SSA rank
#4,286
Tracked since 1969
Popularity
Juba: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Juba from the 1960s through to the 1970s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 7 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
Juba 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 Juba 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 Juba
The name Juba originates from the ancient Berber culture of North Africa, particularly in the regions of modern-day Libya and Algeria. It is derived from the Berber word "yuba," which means "lion." The earliest known reference to the name Juba dates back to the 1st century BC.
One of the most notable historical figures bearing the name Juba was Juba I, a Berber prince who ruled the ancient kingdom of Numidia from around 60 BC to 46 BC. He was an ally of the Roman general Pompey during the Roman Civil War against Julius Caesar. After being defeated by Caesar, Juba I committed suicide in 46 BC.
Another prominent figure named Juba was Juba II, the son of Juba I. He was born around 52 BC and ruled the client state of Mauretania under the Roman Empire from 25 BC until his death in 23 AD. Juba II was renowned for his scholarly pursuits and is credited with writing several works on history, geography, and culture.
In the 7th century AD, Juba al-Asadi was an Arab poet and writer from the city of Basra in modern-day Iraq. He was known for his mastery of Arabic poetry and his works have been preserved in various anthologies.
During the 12th century, Juba al-Tawil was a prominent poet and scholar from Seville, Spain. He was celebrated for his contributions to Arabic literature and his works were widely circulated in the Islamic world.
In the 19th century, Juba Freeman was a notable African-American actor, dancer, and comedian who was born into slavery in Virginia in 1808. He gained fame for his performances in blackface minstrel shows and is considered a pioneering figure in African-American entertainment.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who bore the name Juba, a name with deep roots in the Berber culture of North Africa and a rich historical legacy spanning centuries.
People
Juba + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Juba 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
Juba: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Juba?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 11 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Juba 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 31,159,485 US residents.
Is Juba a common name?
We classify Juba as "Very Rare". It ranks above 30.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 12 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Juba most popular?
The single biggest year for Juba was 1973, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Juba is about 54 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Juba in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Juba a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Juba 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 Juba still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Juba 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 Juba 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How common is the name Juba?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.