Juniata
Likely derived from the indigenous Iroquoian word Choniata meaning "standing stone".
Name Census estimates that about 1 living Americans carry the first name Juniata. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Juniata today is around 124 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Juniata births was 1922 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Juniata. 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
- • The typical person named Juniata is about 124 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Juniatas were born before 1912.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Juniata. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
1
~ 1 in 342,754,338 Americans
Peak year
1922
6 babies that year
Average age
124
years old
1936 SSA rank
#4,532
Tracked since 1912
Popularity
Juniata: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Juniata from the 1910s through to the 1930s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 12 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1920s peak, Juniata remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Juniata 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 Juniata 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 Juniata
The name Juniata has its origins in the language of the Lenape, also known as the Delaware people, a Native American tribe that inhabited the areas now known as Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. The word "Juniata" is derived from the Lenape words "chuen" and "hanna," which together translate to "standing stone" or "upright stone."
The Juniata River, a tributary of the Susquehanna River in central Pennsylvania, is believed to have been named after the Lenape word "Juniata." The name is thought to have been given to the river because of the presence of large, upright stones along its banks. This river and the surrounding region were significant to the Lenape and other Native American tribes who lived in the area.
While the name Juniata does not appear to have any direct references in ancient texts or religious scriptures, it does have historical significance as a place name in the United States. The Juniata Valley, which encompasses parts of central Pennsylvania, was an important region during the colonial era and the early days of the United States.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Juniata being used as a given name dates back to the late 18th century. Juniata Carswell, born in 1786 in Pennsylvania, was one of the first individuals known to have borne the name. Other notable individuals with the name Juniata throughout history include:
1. Juniata Shackleford (1828-1903), an American educator and activist who advocated for the education of Native American children.
2. Juniata Stafford (1846-1914), an American author and poet who wrote about life in the Ozark Mountains.
3. Juniata Ricketts (1869-1947), an American educator and suffragist who fought for women's rights and education reform.
4. Juniata Pollock (1899-1984), an American artist and painter known for her abstract expressionist works.
5. Juniata Stokes (1926-2002), an American civil rights activist and community organizer who worked to improve housing conditions for low-income families.
While the name Juniata may not be as widely used today as it once was, it has a rich history and cultural significance, particularly in the United States, where it is closely tied to the Lenape people and the early colonial era.
People
Juniata + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Juniata 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
Juniata: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Juniata?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Juniata 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 342,754,338 US residents.
Is Juniata a common name?
We classify Juniata as "Very Rare". It ranks above 3.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 27 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Juniata most popular?
The single biggest year for Juniata was 1922, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Juniata is about 124 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 Juniata in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Juniata a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Juniata 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 Juniata still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Juniata 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 Juniata 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 many people are called Juniata?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.