Nawana
A masculine name of Arabic origin meaning "protector or defender".
Name Census estimates that about 11 living Americans carry the first name Nawana. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Nawana today is around 51 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Nawana births was 1973 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Nawana. 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 Nawana. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
11
~ 1 in 31,159,485 Americans
Peak year
1973
6 babies that year
Average age
51
years old
1975 SSA rank
#8,695
Tracked since 1973
Popularity
Nawana: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Nawana 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 Nawana during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0 | 12 | 12 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Nawana
The name Nawana is believed to have originated from the Sanskrit language, which was prevalent in ancient India. Sanskrit is an Indo-Aryan language that has its roots dating back to the 2nd millennium BCE. The name Nawana is thought to be derived from the Sanskrit word "nava," which means "new" or "fresh."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Nawana can be found in the ancient Hindu texts known as the Vedas, which date back to around 1500–500 BCE. In these sacred texts, the name Nawana is mentioned in reference to a celestial nymph or an apsara, who were believed to be beautiful and skilled dancers.
During the ancient and medieval periods, the name Nawana was relatively popular among the Hindu and Buddhist communities in the Indian subcontinent. Several historical figures from this region bore this name, including Nawana Malla, a 14th-century ruler of the Malla dynasty in Nepal.
In the 16th century, Nawana Devi, a queen consort of the Rajput ruler Maharana Pratap of Mewar, became a notable figure in Indian history. She is celebrated for her bravery and support of her husband during the Battle of Haldighati against the Mughal Empire in 1576.
Another prominent individual with the name Nawana was Nawana Rijalu, a Nepalese poet and writer who lived in the 17th century. He is renowned for his contributions to the literature of the Newari language, which is spoken in the Kathmandu Valley region of Nepal.
Moving forward in time, Nawana Jayasinghe was a Sri Lankan educator and social reformer who lived from 1876 to 1948. He played a significant role in promoting education and advocating for social justice in colonial Ceylon (now Sri Lanka).
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who bore the name Nawana. While the name has its roots in ancient Sanskrit and Hindu traditions, it has been embraced by various cultures and communities across South Asia over the centuries.
People
Nawana + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Nawana 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
Nawana: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Nawana?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 11 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Nawana 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 31,159,485 US residents.
Is Nawana a common name?
We classify Nawana as "Very Rare". It ranks above 30.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 12 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Nawana most popular?
The single biggest year for Nawana was 1973, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Nawana is about 51 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Nawana a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Nawana 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.