Runa
A feminine name of Scandinavian origin referring to the ancient runic alphabet.
Name Census estimates that about 556 living Americans carry the first name Runa. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Runa today is around 7 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Runa births was 2020 (70 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Runa. 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
556
~ 1 in 616,465 Americans
Peak year
2020
70 babies that year
Average age
7
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,871
Tracked since 2000
Popularity
Runa: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Runa from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 309 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
Runa 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 Runa during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Runas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 9 states and territories. Washington, California, Oregon recorded the most babies named Runa, while Minnesota, Iowa, Arizona recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 13 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Runa
The name Runa finds its origins in Old Norse, the language spoken by the Norse people who inhabited Scandinavia and parts of modern-day Iceland, Greenland, and the Faroe Islands. The name is derived from the Old Norse word "rún," which means "secret lore" or "mystery." It is closely tied to the runic alphabet, a writing system used by the ancient Germanic peoples.
Runa was a common name among the Vikings and appears in several Old Norse sagas and poems. In the Poetic Edda, a collection of Old Norse poems, Runa is mentioned as one of the valkyries, the female figures who chose which warriors would die in battle and bring them to Valhalla. This association with the valkyries suggests that the name was held in high regard by the ancient Norsemen.
One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name Runa was a 10th-century Norwegian noblewoman named Runa Ragnvaldsdatter. She was the daughter of Ragnvald Eysteinsson, a powerful Norwegian Earl, and is mentioned in several sagas, including the Heimskringla, written by the Icelandic scholar Snorri Sturluson in the 13th century.
In the 11th century, a Swedish woman named Runa Ramundsdotter is mentioned in the Hervarar saga, an Icelandic saga that tells the story of the legendary Swedish King Heidrek. Runa Ramundsdotter was a skilled sorceress and is depicted as a powerful and influential figure in the saga.
During the Viking Age, the name Runa was also used by men, though it was less common than its feminine counterpart. One notable bearer was Runa Bjornsson, a Norwegian chieftain who lived in the 10th century and is mentioned in the Grettis saga, an Icelandic saga that recounts the life and adventures of the outlaw Grettir Ásmundarson.
In more recent history, Runa Greffe was a Swedish writer and artist who lived from 1901 to 1985. She was known for her children's books and illustrations, as well as her work in textile design and ceramics.
While the name Runa has fallen out of widespread use in modern times, it has experienced a resurgence in popularity in certain parts of Scandinavia and among those interested in Norse culture and mythology. Its rich historical significance and connection to the runic alphabet and ancient Norse traditions have made it a name of enduring appeal.
People
Runa + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Runa 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
Runa: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Runa?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 556 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Runa 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 616,465 US residents.
Is Runa a common name?
We classify Runa as "Very Rare". It ranks above 85.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 560 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Runa most popular?
The single biggest year for Runa was 2020, when 70 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Runa is about 7 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Runa a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Runa 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.