Nyana
A Nepalese feminine name meaning "beautiful, lovely".
Name Census estimates that about 460 living Americans carry the first name Nyana. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Nyana today is around 17 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Nyana births was 2007 (29 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Nyana. 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
460
~ 1 in 745,118 Americans
Peak year
2007
29 babies that year
Average age
17
years old
2024 SSA rank
#7,837
Tracked since 1962
Census
Nyana in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 372 people with the first name Nyana, which placed it at #25,491 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
#25,491
National first-name rank
People counted
372
372 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
54.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nyana
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Nyana is Black at 54.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (22.6%) and White (12.4%). 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 Nyana 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 Nyana at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American54.3% · 202
- Hispanic or Latino22.6% · 84
- White12.4% · 46
- Two or more races8.9% · 33
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 7
Popularity
Nyana: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Nyana from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 220 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Nyana 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 Nyana during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Nyanas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. California, Florida, New York recorded the most babies named Nyana, while New York, Florida, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 5 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Nyana
The name Nyana has its origins in Sanskrit, the ancient language of India. It is believed to have originated around the 2nd century BCE, during the Maurya Empire. The name is derived from the Sanskrit word "nyana," which means wisdom, knowledge, or understanding.
In ancient Hindu texts and scriptures, such as the Upanishads and the Vedas, the concept of "nyana" is prominently featured, often referring to the highest form of knowledge and spiritual enlightenment. This association with wisdom and knowledge is likely the reason behind the name's creation and usage.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Nyana can be found in the ancient Indian epic, the Mahabharata. In this epic, Nyana is mentioned as the name of a sage who imparted valuable teachings to the central characters.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Nyana. One such person was Nyana Prabha (1070-1130 CE), a renowned Buddhist scholar and philosopher from the Pala Empire in ancient Bengal (present-day Bangladesh and West Bengal, India). Her writings and teachings on Buddhist philosophy and logic were highly influential during her time.
Another prominent figure was Nyana Tiloka (1380-1450 CE), a revered Theravada Buddhist monk and scholar from Sri Lanka. He was known for his expertise in Pali language and literature, and his contributions to the preservation and dissemination of Buddhist teachings.
In the 16th century, Nyana Ranjith (1510-1580 CE) was a celebrated poet and playwright from the Vijayanagar Empire in southern India. His works, written in the Kannada language, were renowned for their depth and literary excellence.
During the 18th century, Nyana Devi (1720-1795 CE) was a prominent figure in the Sikh community. She was a highly respected scholar and theologian, known for her expertise in the Sikh scriptures and her efforts in promoting education and literacy among women.
More recently, in the 20th century, Nyana Samantara (1920-2005 CE) was a distinguished painter and artist from Odisha, India. Her vibrant and colorful works, which often depicted scenes from Indian mythology and folklore, earned her widespread acclaim and recognition.
While the name Nyana has its roots in ancient Indian culture, it has transcended geographical boundaries and continues to be used across various parts of the world, carrying with it the connotation of wisdom and knowledge.
People
Nyana + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Nyana 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
Nyana: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Nyana?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 460 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Nyana 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 745,118 US residents.
Is Nyana a common name?
We classify Nyana as "Very Rare". It ranks above 83.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 467 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Nyana most popular?
The single biggest year for Nyana was 2007, when 29 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Nyana is about 17 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Nyana in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 372 people with the name Nyana, or 0.12 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #25,491 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 Nyana 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 Nyana?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Nyana appears almost entirely female. Of the 372 people counted with this name, 100.0% 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 Nyana?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Nyana is Black at 54.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (22.6%) and White (12.4%). 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 Nyana most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Nyana in the 2020 Census, accounting for 54.3% (202 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 Nyana in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Nyana a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Nyana 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 Nyana still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Nyana 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 Nyana 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 are named Nyana?
Find out how many Americans are named Nyana on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.