Luwana
A feminine name derived from the Arabic word "lawana" meaning "colors".
Name Census estimates that about 236 living Americans carry the first name Luwana. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Luwana today is around 64 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Luwana births was 1960 (17 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Luwana. 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
236
~ 1 in 1,452,349 Americans
Peak year
1960
17 babies that year
Average age
64
years old
1980 SSA rank
#9,802
Tracked since 1935
Popularity
Luwana: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Luwana from the 1930s through to the 1980s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 112 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1960s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Luwana 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 Luwana during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Luwanas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Luwana
The name Luwana is believed to have its origins in the Sanskrit language, spoken in ancient India. It is derived from the Sanskrit word "lū," which means "to cut or divide," and the word "ana," which means "small" or "little." Therefore, the name Luwana could be interpreted as "little cutter" or "small divider."
The earliest recorded use of the name Luwana dates back to the 5th century BCE in ancient Indian texts. It was a common name among the lower castes and was often given to children born into families of farmers or artisans who worked with tools or instruments that cut or divided materials.
In the 3rd century BCE, the name Luwana is mentioned in the ancient Hindu scripture, the Mahabharata, as the name of a female warrior. This suggests that the name may have been associated with strength and bravery in ancient Indian culture.
During the Gupta Empire, which ruled over much of the Indian subcontinent from the 4th to the 6th century CE, the name Luwana was popular among the ruling class and aristocracy. Several historical records from this period mention women with this name who were members of royal families or held positions of power.
One notable person in history with the name Luwana was a renowned Indian mathematician and astronomer who lived in the 5th century CE. She is credited with making significant contributions to the field of trigonometry and is believed to have been one of the first women to study advanced mathematics in ancient India.
Another famous Luwana was a Indian dancer and poet who lived in the 8th century CE during the Pala Empire. She is known for her skill in the Indian classical dance form of Odissi and her poetic works, which celebrated the beauty of nature and the divine.
In the 12th century, a woman named Luwana was a prominent figure in the Chola Empire, which ruled over parts of modern-day India and Sri Lanka. She was a skilled diplomat and is recorded as having played a crucial role in negotiating treaties and maintaining peaceful relations between the Chola Empire and its neighbors.
During the Mughal Empire, which ruled over much of the Indian subcontinent from the 16th to the 19th century, the name Luwana was popular among the ruling class and nobility. Several historical records mention women with this name who were members of the Mughal royal family or held positions of influence in the imperial court.
People
Luwana + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Luwana 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
Luwana: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Luwana?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 236 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Luwana 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 1,452,349 US residents.
Is Luwana a common name?
We classify Luwana as "Very Rare". It ranks above 76.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 320 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Luwana most popular?
The single biggest year for Luwana was 1960, when 17 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Luwana is about 64 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Luwana a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Luwana 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.
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.