Naja
An Urdu name meaning "serpent" or "cobra".
Name Census estimates that about 1,239 living Americans carry the first name Naja. It is a predominantly female name (99.5% of registrations). The average person named Naja today is around 29 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Naja births was 1998 (150 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Naja. 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
1.2K
~ 1 in 276,638 Americans
Peak year
1998
150 babies that year
Average age
29
years old
2005 SSA rank
#11,051
Tracked since 1964
Gender
Gender distribution for Naja
Out of the 1,281 babies given the name Naja since 1880, 99.5% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Naja as a male name
- Ranked #11,051 in 2005
- 6 male births in 2005
- Peak: 2005 (6 births)
Naja as a female name
- Ranked #13,052 in 2023
- 7 female births in 2023
- Peak: 1998 (150 births)
Popularity
Naja: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Naja from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 482 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Naja 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 Naja during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Najas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 17 states and territories. New York, Pennsylvania, California recorded the most babies named Naja, while Mississippi, Louisiana, Illinois recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 22 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Naja
The given name Naja originates from Sanskrit, the ancient Indo-Aryan language that served as the root of many modern Indian languages. It can be traced back to the Sanskrit word "naga," which means "serpent" or "snake." The name likely gained popularity in India during the ancient Vedic period, when snakes were revered as symbols of fertility, rebirth, and divine power.
In Hindu mythology, the Nagas were a race of serpent-like beings often depicted as half-human, half-snake. They were associated with various deities, including Shiva and Vishnu, and played significant roles in numerous myths and legends. The name Naja may have been inspired by these mythological figures, reflecting a connection to the natural world and spiritual realms.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Naja appears in the ancient Indian epic poem, the Mahabharata. In this epic, a character named Naja is mentioned as a skilled warrior and archer. This reference suggests that the name was in use during the time when the Mahabharata was composed, which is estimated to be around the 8th or 9th century BCE.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Naja. One of the earliest was Naja, a Sogdian princess who lived in the 7th century CE. She was the daughter of the Sogdian ruler Khusrau and was married to the Tang Dynasty Emperor Gaozong of China.
Another prominent figure was Naja al-Baghdadiyya, a 9th-century Arab mathematician and astronomer from Baghdad. She made significant contributions to the field of mathematics, particularly in the areas of algebra and geometry.
In the 16th century, Naja Quli Mirza was a prominent Persian nobleman and military commander who served under the Safavid dynasty. He played a crucial role in the military campaigns of Shah Ismail I and was known for his bravery and strategic skills.
Naja Krispin, born in 1651 in Sweden, was a notable artist and engraver. She was one of the few female artists of her time and is known for her intricate engravings and etchings depicting religious and historical scenes.
In more recent times, Naja Marie Aidt, born in 1963, is a Danish poet and author. She has received numerous literary awards and is renowned for her powerful and evocative poetry, which often explores themes of love, loss, and the human condition.
People
Naja + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Naja 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
Naja: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Naja?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,239 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Naja 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 276,638 US residents.
Is Naja a common name?
We classify Naja as "Rare". It ranks above 91.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,281 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Naja most popular?
The single biggest year for Naja was 1998, when 150 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Naja is about 29 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Naja a female name?
Yes, 99.5% of people registered as Naja 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.