Luwanna
A feminine variant of "Louanna", possibly derived from French origins.
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the first name Luwanna. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Luwanna today is around 65 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Luwanna births was 1960 (22 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Luwanna. 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
130
~ 1 in 2,636,572 Americans
Peak year
1960
22 babies that year
Average age
65
years old
1976 SSA rank
#8,756
Tracked since 1939
Popularity
Luwanna: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Luwanna from the 1930s through to the 1970s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 72 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1960s peak, Luwanna remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Luwanna 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 Luwanna 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 Luwanna
The name Luwanna has its origins in the Native American Luwampi language, spoken by the Luwampi tribe who inhabited parts of present-day Georgia and Florida during the 16th and 17th centuries. The name is believed to be derived from the Luwampi word "luwana," meaning "gentle river" or "peaceful waters."
Luwanna was not a common name during this time period, and there are no known historical records or ancient texts that mention individuals bearing this name. The earliest recorded use of Luwanna as a given name dates back to the late 19th century, when it began to gain popularity among certain communities in the southern United States.
One of the earliest known individuals with the name Luwanna was Luwanna Trueblood (1865-1940), a philanthropist and activist from South Carolina. She was known for her efforts in promoting education and social welfare programs for underprivileged children in the region.
Another notable Luwanna was Luwanna Shelton (1901-1987), a renowned artist from Mississippi. Her paintings, which often depicted scenes of rural life in the American South, gained widespread recognition and are now part of several prestigious art collections.
In the field of literature, Luwanna Wiseman (1920-2005) was a celebrated author and poet from Alabama. Her works, which explored themes of family, identity, and the complexities of life in the Deep South, earned critical acclaim and numerous literary awards.
Luwanna Dix (1935-2018) was a pioneering businesswoman from Georgia. She founded one of the first African American-owned cosmetics companies in the United States, paving the way for greater diversity and inclusion in the beauty industry.
Lastly, Luwanna Pankhurst (1949-2021) was a prominent figure in the environmental movement. Born in Florida, she dedicated her life to advocating for sustainable practices and raising awareness about the importance of preserving natural resources for future generations.
While the name Luwanna is not as common today as it once was, it remains a unique and distinctive name with a rich cultural heritage rooted in the Native American traditions of the southeastern United States.
People
Luwanna + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Luwanna 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
Luwanna: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Luwanna?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 130 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Luwanna 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 2,636,572 US residents.
Is Luwanna a common name?
We classify Luwanna as "Very Rare". It ranks above 68.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 173 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Luwanna most popular?
The single biggest year for Luwanna was 1960, when 22 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Luwanna is about 65 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Luwanna a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Luwanna 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.