Pahoua
A Thai feminine name meaning "blossoming flower".
Name Census estimates that about 143 living Americans carry the first name Pahoua. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Pahoua today is around 33 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Pahoua births was 1994 (17 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Pahoua. 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
143
~ 1 in 2,396,883 Americans
Peak year
1994
17 babies that year
Average age
33
years old
2000 SSA rank
#12,799
Tracked since 1983
Popularity
Pahoua: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Pahoua from the 1980s through to the 2000s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 103 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Pahoua 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 Pahoua during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Pahouas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. California, Wisconsin, Minnesota recorded the most babies named Pahoua, while Minnesota, Wisconsin, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 16 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Pahoua
The name Pahoua has its origins in the Lao language, which is spoken in Laos, a country located in Southeast Asia. The name is believed to have emerged during the 16th century, when the Lao Kingdom of Lan Xang was at its peak.
Pahoua is a combination of two words from the Lao language: "Pa," meaning forest, and "houa," meaning flower. Thus, the name can be interpreted as "flower of the forest," reflecting the natural beauty and importance of the lush forests in Lao culture and tradition.
Although the name does not appear in any ancient texts or religious scriptures, it has been used throughout the history of Laos and the surrounding regions. Some variations in spelling include Pahoua, Pahoa, and Pahaua, but the meaning remains consistent across these variations.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Pahoua was a prominent Lao poet who lived during the late 17th century. Her works celebrated the natural beauty of Laos and the spiritual connection between humans and nature, themes that resonated with the meaning of her name.
Another notable figure was Pahoua Vongvichit, a 19th-century Lao leader who played a crucial role in the resistance against Siamese (Thai) occupation. She is regarded as a symbol of courage and resilience in Lao history.
In the 20th century, Pahoua Khennavong was a renowned Lao artist known for her intricate silk weavings and her efforts to preserve traditional Lao textile arts. She was born in 1915 and received numerous accolades for her contributions to Lao culture.
Pahoua Xayasane, born in 1937, was a celebrated Lao writer and poet whose works explored themes of identity, diaspora, and the challenges faced by the Lao people during times of conflict and upheaval.
More recently, Pahoua Yang is a Lao-American author and educator who has written extensively about the Lao refugee experience and the preservation of Lao cultural traditions in the United States. She was born in 1965 and continues to be an influential voice in the Lao-American community.
While the name Pahoua is primarily associated with Lao culture, its beauty and connection to nature have resonated across borders, and individuals with this name can be found in various parts of the world, carrying with them the rich history and meaning of this ancient name.
People
Pahoua + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Pahoua as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with P
Other first names starting with P with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Pahoua: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Pahoua?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 143 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Pahoua 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 2,396,883 US residents.
Is Pahoua a common name?
We classify Pahoua as "Very Rare". It ranks above 69.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 148 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Pahoua most popular?
The single biggest year for Pahoua was 1994, when 17 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Pahoua is about 33 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Pahoua a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Pahoua 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.
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.