Netanya
A feminine name of Hebrew origin meaning "gift of God".
Name Census estimates that about 502 living Americans carry the first name Netanya. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Netanya today is around 24 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Netanya births was 1998 (43 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Netanya. 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
502
~ 1 in 682,778 Americans
Peak year
1998
43 babies that year
Average age
24
years old
2024 SSA rank
#13,045
Tracked since 1978
Popularity
Netanya: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Netanya from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 213 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
Netanya 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 Netanya during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Netanyas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. California, New York, Texas recorded the most babies named Netanya, while Texas, New York, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 7 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Netanya
The name Netanya has its origins in the Hebrew language and culture. It is believed to have derived from the biblical place name "Netofa," which was a town mentioned in the Book of Ezra. The name Netanya is a feminine form of the word "Netofah," meaning "distillation" or "rill."
In ancient times, the name Netanya was associated with the concept of a small stream or a gentle flow of water. This connection to water sources was significant in the arid regions of the Middle East, where water was a precious resource.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Netanya can be found in the Hebrew Bible, specifically in the Book of Ezra. The town of Netofa is mentioned as one of the settlements where the returning exiles from Babylon resided.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Netanya. One of the earliest recorded was Netanya ben Shemaiah, a Jewish scholar who lived in the 2nd century CE and is mentioned in the Talmud, the central text of Rabbinic Judaism.
Another prominent figure was Netanya Gurevitch (1820-1888), a Russian-born Hebrew author and educator who played a significant role in the Hebrew literary revival in the 19th century.
In the realm of modern Israeli history, Netanya Davrath (1885-1976) was a pioneer of the Zionist movement and one of the founders of the city of Netanya in modern-day Israel.
Netanya Nagler (1920-2015) was an Israeli artist and sculptor, known for her unique style of combining traditional Jewish motifs with modern art techniques.
Netanya Ben-Dror (born 1960) is an Israeli author and playwright, renowned for her works that explore themes of identity, relationships, and the complexities of modern life.
While the name Netanya has its roots in ancient Hebrew culture, it has transcended its origins and is now used globally, with variations in spelling and pronunciation across different languages and cultures.
People
Netanya + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Netanya 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
Netanya: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Netanya?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 502 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Netanya 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 682,778 US residents.
Is Netanya a common name?
We classify Netanya as "Very Rare". It ranks above 84.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 514 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Netanya most popular?
The single biggest year for Netanya was 1998, when 43 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Netanya is about 24 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Netanya a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Netanya 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.