Ofa
An Arabic/Samoan name meaning "love, care, or compassion".
Name Census estimates that about 53 living Americans carry the first name Ofa. It is a predominantly female name (91.7% of registrations). The average person named Ofa today is around 24 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ofa births was 2005 (11 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ofa. 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 Ofa. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
53
~ 1 in 6,467,063 Americans
Peak year
2005
11 babies that year
Average age
24
years old
2005 SSA rank
#12,819
Tracked since 1922
Census
Ofa in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 368 people with the first name Ofa, which placed it at #25,680 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
#25,680
National first-name rank
People counted
368
368 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
88.0% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ofa
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Ofa is Asian/Pacific Islander at 88.0%. The next largest groups are White (4.1%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Ofa 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 Ofa at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander88.0% · 324
- White4.1% · 15
- Two or more races4.1% · 15
- Black or African American2.2% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino1.6% · 6
Gender
Gender distribution for Ofa
Ofa leans heavily female at 91.7% of total registrations, but 5 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Ofa as a male name
- Ranked #12,819 in 2005
- 5 male births in 2005
- Peak: 2005 (5 births)
Ofa as a female name
- Ranked #14,695 in 2023
- 6 female births in 2023
- Peak: 1993 (9 births)
2020 Census snapshot
The 2020 Census sex table shows Ofa on both sides of the split. Of the 373 people counted with this name, 117 were male (31.4%) and 256 were female (68.6%).
Popularity
Ofa: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ofa from the 1920s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 16 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1980s peak, Ofa remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ofa 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 Ofa 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 Ofa
The name Ofa has its origins in the Polynesian languages, specifically in Tonga and Samoa, where it has been used for centuries. It is derived from the Tongan word 'ofa,' which means 'love' or 'affection.' The name is believed to have been given to children as a symbol of love and affection from their parents.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ofa can be found in the Tongan oral tradition, where it is mentioned in ancient folklore and legends. In Samoa, the name has a similar meaning and has been used for generations. It is also found in various Samoan proverbs and sayings, reflecting the importance of love and affection in Samoan culture.
The name Ofa has been carried by several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest known figures was Ofa Hange, a Tongan chief who lived in the 17th century and was known for his leadership and wisdom. Another prominent figure was Ofa Taufeliau, a Samoan political leader and orator who played a significant role in the country's independence movement in the early 20th century.
In more recent times, Ofa Paulsen, a Samoan-American football player, made a name for himself in the National Football League (NFL) during the 1980s and 1990s. He was a member of the Los Angeles Rams and the Cleveland Browns. Another notable individual is Ofa Tuungafasi, a Tongan rugby union player who has represented the Tongan national team and various clubs in New Zealand and France.
Ofa Dewes, a Samoan-New Zealand artist and activist, has gained recognition for her work in promoting Pacific Island art and culture. She has been instrumental in raising awareness about environmental and social issues affecting Pacific communities.
While the name Ofa has its roots in Polynesian cultures, it has gained popularity in other parts of the world as well. It is not uncommon to find individuals with this name in various countries, reflecting the global reach and influence of Polynesian cultures.
People
Ofa + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ofa as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with O
Other first names starting with O with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Ofa: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ofa?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 53 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ofa 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 6,467,063 US residents.
Is Ofa a common name?
We classify Ofa as "Very Rare". It ranks above 55.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 60 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ofa most popular?
The single biggest year for Ofa was 2005, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ofa is about 24 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Ofa in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 368 people with the name Ofa, or 0.12 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #25,680 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 Ofa 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 Ofa?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Ofa on both sides of the split. Of the 373 people counted with this name, 117 were male (31.4%) and 256 were female (68.6%). 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 Ofa?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Ofa is Asian/Pacific Islander at 88.0%. The next largest groups are White (4.1%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Ofa most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Ofa in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.0% (324 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 Ofa in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Ofa a female name?
Yes, 91.7% of people registered as Ofa 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 Ofa still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Ofa 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 Ofa 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 Ofa as a first name?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.