Myda
A feminine Persian name meaning "prosperity, success".
Name Census estimates that about 55 living Americans carry the first name Myda. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Myda today is around 40 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Myda births was 1987 (10 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Myda. 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
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Myda. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
55
~ 1 in 6,231,897 Americans
Peak year
1987
10 babies that year
Average age
40
years old
1993 SSA rank
#15,006
Tracked since 1978
Census
Myda in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 200 people with the first name Myda, which placed it at #38,397 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
#38,397
National first-name rank
People counted
200
200 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Hispanic or Latino
60.0% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Myda
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Myda is Hispanic at 60.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (17.5%) and White (16.0%). 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 Myda 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 Myda at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino60.0% · 120
- Asian and Pacific Islander17.5% · 35
- White16.0% · 32
- Black or African American3.0% · 6
- Two or more races2.0% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.5% · 3
Popularity
Myda: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Myda from the 1970s through to the 1990s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 34 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1980s peak, Myda remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Myda 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 Myda 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 Myda
The given name Myda is believed to have its origins in ancient Greece, dating back to the 5th century BCE. It is thought to be derived from the Greek word "mydao," which means "to be wet" or "to be moist." This could suggest an association with water, rain, or fertility.
In ancient Greek mythology, there are references to a nymph named Myda, who was said to be one of the attendants of the goddess Artemis. However, the details surrounding this figure are scarce, and it is uncertain whether the name was directly inspired by this mythological character.
The earliest recorded use of the name Myda can be traced back to a Greek philosopher named Myda of Gordium, who lived in the 4th century BCE. She was known for her contributions to the field of ethics and is mentioned in several ancient texts, including the works of Aristotle.
Another notable figure with the name Myda was a Greek poet from the 3rd century BCE. Her poems, though largely lost to time, were celebrated in her era for their lyrical beauty and evocative imagery.
In the Middle Ages, there are records of a Byzantine noblewoman named Myda Doukas, who lived in the 11th century. She was renowned for her philanthropic efforts and her support of the arts and literature.
During the Renaissance period, a Italian artist named Myda Veneziano gained recognition for her intricate woodcarvings and sculptures. She was active in the early 16th century and is considered a pioneer in the field of woodworking for women of her time.
In more recent history, a French scientist named Myda Curie, born in 1867, made significant contributions to the study of radioactivity. She was the daughter of the famous physicists Pierre and Marie Curie and continued their groundbreaking work in the field of nuclear physics.
While the name Myda has remained relatively uncommon throughout history, these examples highlight its diverse cultural and geographical origins, as well as the achievements of those who have borne this unique and intriguing name.
People
Myda + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Myda 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
Myda: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Myda?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 55 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Myda 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 6,231,897 US residents.
Is Myda a common name?
We classify Myda as "Very Rare". It ranks above 55.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 58 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Myda most popular?
The single biggest year for Myda was 1987, when 10 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Myda is about 40 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Myda in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 200 people with the name Myda, or 0.07 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #38,397 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 Myda 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 Myda?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Myda appears almost entirely female. Of the 194 people counted with this name, 100.0% 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 Myda?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Myda is Hispanic at 60.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (17.5%) and White (16.0%). 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 Myda most often in the Census?
Hispanic is the largest reported group for people named Myda in the 2020 Census, accounting for 60.0% (120 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 Myda in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Myda a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Myda 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 Myda still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Myda 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 Myda 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 people have Myda as a first name?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans are named Myda on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.