Niana
A feminine name of uncertain origin, potentially derived from Nian meaning "sweet".
Name Census estimates that about 282 living Americans carry the first name Niana. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Niana today is around 14 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Niana births was 2019 (24 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Niana. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Niana with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
282
~ 1 in 1,215,441 Americans
Peak year
2019
24 babies that year
Average age
14
years old
2024 SSA rank
#13,051
Tracked since 1992
Census
Niana in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 245 people with the first name Niana, which placed it at #33,672 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
#33,672
National first-name rank
People counted
245
245 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
35.9% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Niana
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Niana is Black at 35.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (29.0%) and White (11.8%). 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 Niana 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 Niana at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American35.9% · 88
- Hispanic or Latino29.0% · 71
- White11.8% · 29
- Asian and Pacific Islander11.8% · 29
- Two or more races9.8% · 24
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.6% · 4
Popularity
Niana: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Niana from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 115 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Niana remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Niana 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 Niana during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Nianas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Niana
The name Niana is of Latin origin and dates back to the ancient Roman era. It is derived from the Latin word "nanus," which means "dwarf" or "small person." This name was initially given to children who were born significantly smaller than average or to individuals of shorter stature.
In the early days of the Roman Empire, the name Niana was often associated with the lower classes or those who worked in professions that required physical labor and strength, such as farming or construction. It was believed that those with this name possessed a resilient and hardworking spirit, despite their smaller physical stature.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Niana can be found in a Roman census record from the year 56 AD, where a woman named Niana Claudia was listed as a resident of the city of Pompeii. Unfortunately, little is known about her life or significance.
Throughout history, there have been a few notable individuals who bore the name Niana. One of the earliest was Niana of Carthage, a Christian martyr who lived in the 3rd century AD. She was executed for her religious beliefs during the persecution of Christians under the Roman Emperor Decius.
In the 9th century, Niana of Hohenlohe was a German noblewoman and abbess who played a significant role in the establishment of several monasteries and convents in the region. She is remembered for her piety and dedication to religious life.
During the Renaissance period, Niana Visconti was an Italian painter and illustrator who lived in Milan in the 15th century. Her works, primarily depicting religious scenes and portraits, were highly regarded during her lifetime.
In the 18th century, Niana Bakunina was a Russian aristocrat and author who wrote several novels and plays that explored themes of social inequality and gender roles. Her works were influential in shaping the literary landscape of her time.
Closer to the modern era, Niana Ghinda was a Romanian composer and musician who lived from 1891 to 1965. She is celebrated for her contributions to the development of Romanian classical music and her efforts in preserving traditional folk songs and dances.
While the name Niana has its roots in ancient Roman culture and has been carried through various historical periods, its usage has been relatively uncommon compared to other names. However, its unique origins and associations with resilience and strength have given it a distinct character throughout the ages.
People
Niana + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Niana 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
Niana: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Niana?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 282 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Niana 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 1,215,441 US residents.
Is Niana a common name?
We classify Niana as "Very Rare". It ranks above 78.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 285 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Niana most popular?
The single biggest year for Niana was 2019, when 24 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Niana is about 14 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Niana in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 245 people with the name Niana, or 0.08 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #33,672 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 Niana 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 Niana?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Niana appears almost entirely female. Of the 243 people counted with this name, 99.2% were female and only a very small share were male. 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 Niana?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Niana is Black at 35.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (29.0%) and White (11.8%). 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 Niana most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Niana in the 2020 Census, accounting for 35.9% (88 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 Niana in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Niana a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Niana 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 Niana still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Niana 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 Niana 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 common is the name Niana?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans are named Niana at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.