Pono
A name of Hawaiian origin meaning righteousness, goodness, or uprightness.
Name Census estimates that about 25 living Americans carry the first name Pono. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Pono today is around 23 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Pono births was 2007 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Pono. 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 Pono. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
25
~ 1 in 13,710,174 Americans
Peak year
2007
8 babies that year
Average age
23
years old
2007 SSA rank
#9,536
Tracked since 1996
Census
Pono in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 158 people with the first name Pono, which placed it at #44,091 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
#44,091
National first-name rank
People counted
158
158 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
53.8% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pono
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Pono is Asian/Pacific Islander at 53.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (28.5%) and Hispanic (12.7%). 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 Pono 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 Pono at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander53.8% · 85
- Two or more races28.5% · 45
- Hispanic or Latino12.7% · 20
- White3.8% · 6
- Black or African American1.3% · 2
Popularity
Pono: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Pono from the 1990s through to the 2000s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 20 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
Pono 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 Pono during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Ponos live
Origin
Meaning and history of Pono
The name Pono originates from the Hawaiian language and culture. It is derived from the word "pono," which means righteous, virtuous, or correct in Hawaiian. The name's earliest known use dates back to ancient Hawaiian society, where it was likely used to describe someone with a strong moral character or someone who lived according to the principles of Hawaiian culture.
In Hawaiian mythology, Pono was also the name of a god associated with righteousness, prosperity, and balance. This divine association likely contributed to the name's popularity and positive connotations within the Hawaiian community.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Pono can be found in the writings of Hawaiian scholars and historians from the late 18th and early 19th centuries. During this period, Hawaiian culture and traditions were being documented and preserved, and the name Pono was likely mentioned in connection with its cultural significance.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Pono. One example is Pono Kahele (1906-1953), a Hawaiian musician and composer who helped popularize traditional Hawaiian music in the early 20th century. Another notable figure is Pono Hawkins (1923-2019), a Hawaiian activist and educator who played a significant role in the Hawaiian Renaissance movement, which aimed to revive and promote Hawaiian language, culture, and sovereignty.
In the realm of sports, Pono Fa'asuamalie (born 1980) is a former professional rugby player who represented Samoa at the international level. Pono Van Peebles (born 1991) is an American actor and filmmaker, the son of renowned director Melvin Van Peebles.
Additionally, Pono Shim (born 1986) is a Hawaiian politician who currently serves in the Hawaii State Senate, representing the 21st district.
Overall, the name Pono has a rich cultural heritage rooted in Hawaiian language and tradition, with a meaning that emphasizes righteousness, virtue, and living in harmony with cultural values. Its usage has spanned centuries, carried by individuals from various walks of life who have made significant contributions to their respective fields.
People
Pono + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Pono 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
Pono: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Pono?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 25 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Pono 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 13,710,174 US residents.
Is Pono a common name?
We classify Pono as "Very Rare". It ranks above 43.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 25 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Pono most popular?
The single biggest year for Pono was 2007, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Pono is about 23 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Pono in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 158 people with the name Pono, or 0.05 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #44,091 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 Pono 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 Pono?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Pono leans strongly male. 147 people counted with this name were male (94.8%), compared with 8 female bearers (5.2%). 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 Pono?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Pono is Asian/Pacific Islander at 53.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (28.5%) and Hispanic (12.7%). 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 Pono most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Pono in the 2020 Census, accounting for 53.8% (85 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 Pono in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Pono a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Pono in the SSA data are male. 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 Pono still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Pono 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 Pono 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 Pono as a first name?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.