Ravina
A feminine name of Sanskrit origin meaning "sun" or "little ray of sunshine".
Name Census estimates that about 103 living Americans carry the first name Ravina. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Ravina today is around 21 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ravina births was 1996 (12 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ravina. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Ravina with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
103
~ 1 in 3,327,712 Americans
Peak year
1996
12 babies that year
Average age
21
years old
2024 SSA rank
#13,114
Tracked since 1992
Census
Ravina in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 314 people with the first name Ravina, which placed it at #28,548 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
#28,548
National first-name rank
People counted
314
314 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
65.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ravina
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Ravina is Asian/Pacific Islander at 65.6%. The next largest groups are Black (11.8%) and White (11.5%). 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 Ravina 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 Ravina at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander65.6% · 206
- Black or African American11.8% · 37
- White11.5% · 36
- Two or more races5.1% · 16
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.2% · 7
Popularity
Ravina: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ravina from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 59 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1990s peak, Ravina remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ravina 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 Ravina during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Ravinas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Ravina
The name Ravina has its linguistic origins in the Sanskrit language, tracing back to ancient India. It is derived from the Sanskrit word "ravindra," which means "the sun" or "the sun god." This association with the sun and celestial bodies hints at the name's connection to radiance, warmth, and vitality.
In Hindu mythology, the name is closely tied to the god Surya, the supreme solar deity and the source of all life. Ravina was often used as a name for children born during auspicious celestial events or solar festivals, as it was believed to bestow upon them the blessings and qualities associated with the sun.
The earliest recorded usage of the name Ravina can be traced back to ancient Sanskrit texts and inscriptions from the Gupta Empire, which ruled over a significant portion of the Indian subcontinent between the 4th and 6th centuries CE. During this period, the name was particularly popular among the aristocratic and scholarly classes.
One notable historical figure bearing the name Ravina was a renowned Sanskrit scholar and poet who lived during the reign of the Gupta Emperor Chandragupta II in the 4th century CE. Her literary works, particularly her poetic compositions, were highly acclaimed and influenced the literary traditions of her time.
In the realm of spirituality, Ravina was the name of a revered female mystic and sage who lived in the 9th century CE. Her teachings on the principles of non-violence, compassion, and inner peace were widely disseminated and continue to inspire spiritual seekers to this day.
Another prominent figure was Ravina Devi, a powerful queen who ruled over the Chola Empire in southern India during the 11th century CE. Known for her military prowess and strategic acumen, she led her kingdom to numerous victories and expanded its territories significantly.
In the field of music, Ravina Burnier was a celebrated Indian classical dancer and choreographer who lived from 1917 to 2010. She was instrumental in preserving and promoting the ancient dance forms of Bharatanatyam and Odissi, and her contributions to the art were recognized with numerous prestigious awards.
Lastly, Ravina Shamdasani was an eminent Indian writer and social activist who lived from 1930 to 2018. Her literary works, which often explored themes of gender equality, social justice, and human rights, earned her widespread acclaim and several literary awards.
People
Ravina + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ravina as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with R
Other first names starting with R with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Ravina: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ravina?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 103 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ravina 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 3,327,712 US residents.
Is Ravina a common name?
We classify Ravina as "Very Rare". It ranks above 65% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 105 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ravina most popular?
The single biggest year for Ravina was 1996, when 12 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ravina is about 21 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Ravina in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 314 people with the name Ravina, or 0.10 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #28,548 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 Ravina 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 Ravina?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Ravina appears almost entirely female. Of the 304 people counted with this name, 99.7% 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 Ravina?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Ravina is Asian/Pacific Islander at 65.6%. The next largest groups are Black (11.8%) and White (11.5%). 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 Ravina most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Ravina in the 2020 Census, accounting for 65.6% (206 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 Ravina in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Ravina a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ravina 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 Ravina still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Ravina 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 Ravina 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 the name Ravina?
If you just want to know how many people share the name Ravina, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.