Nyala
A feminine name of African origin meaning "antelope".
Name Census estimates that about 320 living Americans carry the first name Nyala. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Nyala today is around 16 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Nyala births was 2009 (18 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Nyala. 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 Nyala with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
320
~ 1 in 1,071,107 Americans
Peak year
2009
18 babies that year
Average age
16
years old
2024 SSA rank
#10,036
Tracked since 1987
Census
Nyala in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 249 people with the first name Nyala, which placed it at #33,298 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
#33,298
National first-name rank
People counted
249
249 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
66.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nyala
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Nyala is Black at 66.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.4%) and Two or More Races (10.0%). 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 Nyala 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 Nyala at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American66.3% · 165
- Hispanic or Latino10.4% · 26
- Two or more races10.0% · 25
- White9.2% · 23
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.6% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 1
Popularity
Nyala: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Nyala from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 117 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Nyala remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Nyala 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 Nyala during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Nyalas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Nyala
The name Nyala is believed to have its origins in the Bantu languages of Africa, particularly in the Nguni group of languages spoken in southern Africa. One of the earliest recorded uses of the name can be traced back to the Zulu people, where it was likely derived from the word "inyala," which refers to a type of antelope found in the region.
In Zulu culture, the antelope held significant symbolic meaning, often associated with grace, beauty, and agility. It's possible that the name Nyala was initially bestowed upon children as a way to imbue them with these desirable qualities or to honor the revered animal.
While the exact origin and meaning of the name can be difficult to pinpoint with certainty, some linguists suggest that the root word "nyala" may have connections to words meaning "to be graceful" or "to be elegant" in other Bantu languages.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the name Nyala was Nyala Shaka, a prominent Zulu warrior and military leader who lived in the early 19th century. Shaka was a prominent figure during the reign of the Zulu King Shaka Zulu and played a crucial role in the expansion of the Zulu Kingdom.
Another historical figure bearing the name was Nyala Mndende, a renowned South African singer and musician who rose to prominence in the 1950s and 1960s. Mndende was celebrated for her powerful voice and her contributions to the development of South African jazz and township music.
In the realm of literature, Nyala Mbatsha was a celebrated South African author and poet who wrote extensively about the experiences of black South Africans during the apartheid era. Her works, such as the novel "The Heart in Exile," explored themes of identity, resilience, and the struggle for freedom.
Moving to the world of sports, Nyala Xaba was a South African track and field athlete who competed in the 1990s and early 2000s. She represented her country at multiple Olympic Games and won numerous medals in international competitions, including gold in the 4x400m relay at the 1998 Commonwealth Games.
Finally, Nyala Nkosi was a prominent South African activist and political figure who played a significant role in the anti-apartheid movement. She worked tirelessly to promote human rights and advocate for the rights of black South Africans, often facing persecution and imprisonment for her efforts.
These are just a few examples of individuals who have carried the name Nyala throughout history, each leaving their mark in their respective fields and contributing to the rich tapestry of cultural and historical narratives associated with this name.
People
Nyala + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Nyala 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
Nyala: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Nyala?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 320 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Nyala 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 1,071,107 US residents.
Is Nyala a common name?
We classify Nyala as "Very Rare". It ranks above 79.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 324 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Nyala most popular?
The single biggest year for Nyala was 2009, when 18 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Nyala is about 16 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Nyala in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 249 people with the name Nyala, or 0.08 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #33,298 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 Nyala 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 Nyala?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Nyala leans strongly female. 243 people counted with this name were female (98.4%), compared with 4 male bearers (1.6%). 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 Nyala?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Nyala is Black at 66.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.4%) and Two or More Races (10.0%). 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 Nyala most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Nyala in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.3% (165 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 Nyala in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Nyala a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Nyala 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 Nyala still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Nyala 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 Nyala 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 have Nyala as a first name?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans are named Nyala on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.