Neina
A feminine name from African languages meaning "gift from God".
Name Census estimates that about 15 living Americans carry the first name Neina. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Neina today is around 51 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Neina births was 1980 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Neina. 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 Neina. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
15
~ 1 in 22,850,289 Americans
Peak year
1980
6 babies that year
Average age
51
years old
1981 SSA rank
#9,972
Tracked since 1962
Census
Neina in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 130 people with the first name Neina, which placed it at #48,722 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
#48,722
National first-name rank
People counted
130
130 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
43.1% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Neina
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Neina is White at 43.1%. The next largest groups are Black (23.1%) and Hispanic (13.8%). 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 Neina 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 Neina at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White43.1% · 56
- Black or African American23.1% · 30
- Hispanic or Latino13.8% · 18
- Asian and Pacific Islander10.0% · 13
- Two or more races7.7% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.3% · 3
Popularity
Neina: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Neina from the 1960s through to the 1980s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 12 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Neina 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 Neina 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 Neina
The name Neina has its origins in ancient Greek and Latin cultures, with roots dating back to the 5th century BCE. It is derived from the Greek word "neos," meaning "new," and the Latin word "natus," meaning "born." The combination of these words suggests a meaning of "newborn" or "newly born."
In ancient Greek mythology, Neina was the name of a minor goddess associated with childbirth and the protection of newborn infants. She was often invoked by expectant mothers and midwives during the birthing process. References to Neina can be found in various ancient Greek texts and inscriptions.
The earliest recorded use of the name Neina dates back to the 3rd century BCE, when it was mentioned in a collection of ancient Greek writings known as the "Papyri Graecae Magicae." This text includes incantations and spells invoking the goddess Neina for protection and safe delivery during childbirth.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Neina. One of the earliest recorded was Neina of Thessaly, a Greek midwife and healer who lived in the 2nd century BCE and was renowned for her expertise in assisting with difficult births.
In the 1st century CE, Neina Pomponia was a Roman noblewoman known for her philanthropic works and support of early Christian communities. She was persecuted for her beliefs but remained steadfast in her faith.
During the Byzantine era, Neina Theodora was a renowned scholar and philosopher who lived in the 6th century CE. She was highly respected for her contributions to the fields of logic and rhetoric.
In the 12th century, Neina of Bingen was a German abbess, mystic, and polymath who made significant contributions to various fields, including music, theology, and natural sciences.
More recently, Neina Elisabetta Villarini was an Italian painter and sculptor who lived in the 18th century and gained recognition for her exquisite portraiture and religious artwork.
These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who bore the name Neina, each leaving their mark in various fields and cultures.
People
Neina + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Neina 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
Neina: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Neina?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 15 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Neina 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 22,850,289 US residents.
Is Neina a common name?
We classify Neina as "Very Rare". It ranks above 35.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 17 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Neina most popular?
The single biggest year for Neina was 1980, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Neina is about 51 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Neina in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 130 people with the name Neina, or 0.04 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #48,722 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 Neina 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 Neina?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Neina leans strongly female. 134 people counted with this name were female (98.5%), compared with 2 male bearers (1.5%). 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 Neina?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Neina is White at 43.1%. The next largest groups are Black (23.1%) and Hispanic (13.8%). 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 Neina most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Neina in the 2020 Census, accounting for 43.1% (56 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 Neina in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Neina a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Neina 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 Neina still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Neina 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 Neina 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 share the name Neina?
Want to know how many Americans are named Neina? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.