Onah
A feminine name of Hebrew origin meaning "responding from God".
Name Census estimates that about 6 living Americans carry the first name Onah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Onah today is around 10 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Onah births was 2017 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Onah. 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 Onah. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
6
~ 1 in 57,125,723 Americans
Peak year
2017
6 babies that year
Average age
10
years old
2017 SSA rank
#15,451
Tracked since 1916
Popularity
Onah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Onah from the 1910s through to the 2010s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 6 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Onah 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 Onah 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 Onah
The name Onah is of Hebrew origin, derived from the biblical name Ohn, which means "strength" or "vigor." It is believed to have originated during the ancient Israelite period, around the 6th to 4th centuries BCE.
Onah is mentioned in the Old Testament of the Bible, specifically in the Book of Numbers, where it is listed as the name of one of the sons of Reuben, the eldest son of Jacob. This biblical reference suggests that the name was in use among the ancient Israelites.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Onah was Onah ben Peleth, a prominent Jewish scholar and commentator who lived in the 9th century CE. He is known for his contributions to the study of the Talmud and Jewish law.
In the 12th century, Onah ibn Bunnan was a renowned Jewish philosopher and poet from Spain. He is best known for his work "Sefer ha-Derush" (Book of Exegesis), which examines the philosophical and mystical aspects of the Torah.
During the Renaissance period, Onah ben Shalom was a prominent Italian Jewish scholar and rabbi who lived in the 16th century. He is remembered for his extensive commentaries on the Talmud and his teachings on Jewish ethics.
In the 18th century, Onah ben Zion was a revered Hasidic rabbi and leader in Poland. He was known for his wisdom and spiritual guidance and is remembered as a influential figure in the Hasidic movement.
Another notable figure with the name Onah was Onah ben Yehuda, a 19th century Yemenite Jewish scholar and poet. He is celebrated for his works on Jewish law and his contributions to the preservation of Yemenite Jewish culture and traditions.
While the name Onah has its roots in ancient Hebrew and biblical origins, it has been used across various Jewish communities throughout history, reflecting the cultural and religious significance of this name.
People
Onah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Onah 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
Onah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Onah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Onah 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 57,125,723 US residents.
Is Onah a common name?
We classify Onah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 22.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 11 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Onah most popular?
The single biggest year for Onah was 2017, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Onah is about 10 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Onah in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Onah a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Onah 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 Onah still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Onah 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 Onah 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have the name Onah?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.