Mana
A word meaning power or prestige in Hawaiian and Polynesian cultures.
Name Census estimates that about 773 living Americans carry the first name Mana. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 84.1% of registrations being female. The average person named Mana today is around 18 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Mana births was 2013 (37 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Mana. 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
773
~ 1 in 443,408 Americans
Peak year
2013
37 babies that year
Average age
18
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,331
Tracked since 1917
Gender
Gender distribution for Mana
Mana leans heavily female at 84.1% of total registrations, but 128 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Mana as a male name
- Ranked #6,331 in 2024
- 14 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2024 (14 births)
Mana as a female name
- Ranked #7,095 in 2024
- 16 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2009 (27 births)
Popularity
Mana: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Mana from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 10 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 301 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Mana remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Mana 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 Mana during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Manas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. California, Hawaii, New York recorded the most babies named Mana, while New York, Hawaii, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 44 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Mana
The name Mana has its origins in several ancient cultures and languages around the world. In Polynesian mythology, Mana refers to a supernatural force or spiritual power that can be passed on through individuals, objects, or rituals. The word is thought to have derived from the Proto-Polynesian root "mana," meaning "power" or "authority."
Mana is also a name found in Sanskrit, the ancient language of India. In Hinduism, it can refer to respect, honor, or the sacred essence within all beings. The name may be related to the Sanskrit word "manas," meaning "mind" or "soul." In this context, Mana could signify the divine nature or inner strength of an individual.
In ancient Egyptian mythology, the name Mana appears as a personification of the concept of truth, order, and cosmic harmony. Mana was often depicted as a feather, which symbolized lightness, justice, and the weighing of one's heart against the feather of truth in the afterlife.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Mana can be found in the Upanishads, a collection of ancient Hindu philosophical texts dating back to around the 8th century BCE. In these texts, Mana is described as a spiritual principle or the essence of consciousness.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Mana. In ancient Greece, Mana was the daughter of the river god Sangarius and the nymph Metope. In Hindu mythology, Mana was the daughter of the sage Virata and the wife of the warrior Samba.
In more recent times, Mana Zucca (1885-1972) was an Italian painter and sculptor known for her works depicting the human figure. Mana Neyestani (born 1973) is an Iranian cartoonist and political activist who has faced persecution for his satirical works criticizing the Iranian government.
Mana Wahine (1836-1921) was a prominent Maori leader and activist from New Zealand who advocated for women's rights and the preservation of Maori culture and language. Mana Loa (born 1986) is a professional wrestler from Samoa who has competed in various organizations, including WWE and Impact Wrestling.
Mana Izumi (1920-1985) was a Japanese writer and translator known for her works exploring themes of feminism, identity, and cultural clashes between East and West. She was awarded the Noma Literary Prize in 1964 for her novel "The Vagabond."
People
Mana + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Mana as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with M
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Mana: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Mana?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 773 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Mana 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 443,408 US residents.
Is Mana a common name?
We classify Mana as "Very Rare". It ranks above 88.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 806 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Mana most popular?
The single biggest year for Mana was 2013, when 37 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Mana is about 18 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Mana a female name?
Yes, 84.1% of people registered as Mana 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.