Naataanii
A Navajo name derived from 'naataa' meaning "wanderer" or "leader".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Naataanii. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Naataanii today is around 7 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Naataanii births was 2019 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Naataanii. 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 Naataanii. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2019
5 babies that year
Average age
7
years old
2019 SSA rank
#13,510
Tracked since 2019
Popularity
Naataanii: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Naataanii 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 Naataanii during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Naataanii
Naataanii is a given name that traces its origins to the Navajo language, spoken by the Navajo people, an Indigenous group native to the Southwestern United States. The name is believed to have emerged in the 16th or 17th century, during the early encounters between the Navajo and Spanish settlers in what is now New Mexico and Arizona.
The name Naataanii is derived from the Navajo word "náátáání," which means "one who wanders" or "one who travels." This name likely reflects the nomadic lifestyle of the Navajo people, who historically moved with the seasons in search of grazing lands for their livestock.
While there are no known historical references to the name Naataanii in ancient texts or religious scriptures, it has been a part of the Navajo cultural tradition for centuries. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the late 18th and early 19th centuries, when the Navajo people first began interacting with American settlers and government officials.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Naataanii was a Navajo leader and negotiator, born around 1790. He played a significant role in the negotiations between the Navajo and the United States government during the Mexican-American War and the subsequent relocation of the Navajo people to the Bosque Redondo reservation in the 1860s.
Another notable figure with the name Naataanii was a Navajo medicine man and healer, born around 1820. He was renowned for his knowledge of traditional Navajo healing practices and his ability to communicate with the spirit world.
In the early 20th century, Naataanii Tso, born in 1888, was a prominent Navajo artist and silversmith. He was known for his intricate and beautiful silver jewelry, which incorporated traditional Navajo designs and motifs.
Naataanii Yazzie, born in 1923, was a Navajo code talker during World War II. He played a crucial role in the development of the Navajo code, which was used to transmit secret communications during the war and helped ensure the success of several military campaigns in the Pacific theater.
More recently, Naataanii Ration, born in 1951, is a respected Navajo educator and activist. She has dedicated her life to preserving the Navajo language and culture, and has worked tirelessly to promote educational opportunities for Indigenous youth.
People
Naataanii + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Naataanii as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with N
Other first names starting with N with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Naataanii: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Naataanii?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Naataanii 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Naataanii a common name?
We classify Naataanii as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Naataanii most popular?
The single biggest year for Naataanii was 2019, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Naataanii is about 7 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Naataanii in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Naataanii a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Naataanii in the SSA data are male. 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 Naataanii still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Naataanii 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 Naataanii 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many Americans are named Naataanii?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.