Lavonya
A feminine name likely derived from the French word for "wave".
Name Census estimates that about 227 living Americans carry the first name Lavonya. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Lavonya today is around 49 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Lavonya births was 1973 (23 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Lavonya. 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
227
~ 1 in 1,509,931 Americans
Peak year
1973
23 babies that year
Average age
49
years old
1992 SSA rank
#11,150
Tracked since 1960
Census
Lavonya in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 252 people with the first name Lavonya, which placed it at #33,030 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
#33,030
National first-name rank
People counted
252
252 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
93.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lavonya
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Lavonya is Black at 93.7%. The next largest groups are White (4.0%) and Two or More Races (1.2%). 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 Lavonya 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 Lavonya at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American93.7% · 236
- White4.0% · 10
- Two or more races1.2% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 1
Popularity
Lavonya: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Lavonya from the 1960s through to the 1990s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 135 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Lavonya 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 Lavonya 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 Lavonya
The name Lavonya has its origins in the United States, specifically among African American communities in the early to mid-20th century. It is believed to be a blend of two French names, Lavonne and Sonya, creating a unique and melodic moniker.
While the exact origin and meaning behind the combination are not entirely clear, some sources suggest that it may have been derived from the French word "lavande," meaning lavender, signifying grace and beauty. The addition of the "ya" ending may have been influenced by other African American names of the time, such as Tonya or Sonya.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Lavonya dates back to the late 19th century, when it appeared in census records in the southern United States. However, it gained more widespread popularity in the mid-20th century, particularly during the 1950s and 1960s.
Notable individuals who have borne the name Lavonya throughout history include Lavonya DeJean (born 1925), an American blues singer and songwriter known for her contributions to the Chicago blues scene. Another notable Lavonya was Lavonya Lenton (1928-2011), a civil rights activist and educator who worked tirelessly to promote equality and educational opportunities for African American students.
In the literary world, Lavonya Ferrell (born 1951) is a celebrated author and poet whose works explore themes of identity, culture, and the African American experience. Her poetry collection, "The Handmaid's Tale," received critical acclaim and numerous accolades.
The sports world has also seen its share of notable Lavonyas, including Lavonya Mallory (born 1972), a former professional basketball player who played in the WNBA for several seasons and was known for her defensive prowess on the court.
Lastly, Lavonya Bright (1948-2018) was a renowned jazz vocalist and educator who performed with some of the most prestigious jazz ensembles and taught at several prestigious music institutions, inspiring generations of aspiring musicians.
People
Lavonya + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Lavonya as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with L
Other first names starting with L with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Lavonya: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Lavonya?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 227 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Lavonya 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 1,509,931 US residents.
Is Lavonya a common name?
We classify Lavonya as "Very Rare". It ranks above 75.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 251 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Lavonya most popular?
The single biggest year for Lavonya was 1973, when 23 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Lavonya is about 49 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Lavonya in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 252 people with the name Lavonya, or 0.08 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #33,030 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 Lavonya 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 Lavonya?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Lavonya appears almost entirely female. Of the 257 people counted with this name, 99.6% 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 Lavonya?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Lavonya is Black at 93.7%. The next largest groups are White (4.0%) and Two or More Races (1.2%). 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 Lavonya most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Lavonya in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.7% (236 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 Lavonya in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Lavonya a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Lavonya 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 Lavonya still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Lavonya 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 Lavonya 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 Americans are named Lavonya?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.