Sione
A masculine name of Tongan origin meaning "holy, consecrated, dedicated".
Name Census estimates that about 1,447 living Americans carry the first name Sione. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Sione today is around 23 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Sione births was 2009 (53 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Sione. 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
1.4K
~ 1 in 236,872 Americans
Peak year
2009
53 babies that year
Average age
23
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,957
Tracked since 1973
Gender
Gender distribution for Sione
Out of the 1,477 babies given the name Sione since 1880, 99.6% were registered as male. The name sits firmly on the male side of the spectrum, with only a handful of female registrations across the entire dataset.
Sione as a male name
- Ranked #3,957 in 2024
- 28 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2017 (51 births)
Sione as a female name
- Ranked #17,002 in 2009
- 6 female births in 2009
- Peak: 2009 (6 births)
Popularity
Sione: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Sione from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 380 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Sione remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Sione 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 Sione during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Siones live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. California, Utah, Hawaii recorded the most babies named Sione, while Washington, Hawaii, Utah recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 251 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Sione
The name Sione has its origins in the Tongan language, spoken by the indigenous people of the Pacific island nation of Tonga. It is a masculine given name that dates back several centuries, with records indicating its use as early as the 16th century. The name is believed to be derived from the Tongan word "sio," which means "to see" or "to look."
The name Sione is closely associated with Tongan culture and tradition. It has been used by members of the Tongan royal family and nobility throughout history. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is Sione Fakanaiki, a prominent chief who lived in the late 16th century and played a significant role in the unification of the Tongan archipelago.
In the Christian tradition, the name Sione is often considered a variant of the Biblical name John, which has its roots in the Hebrew name Yochanan, meaning "Yahweh is gracious." This connection may have contributed to the adoption and popularity of the name among Tongan Christians after the arrival of Christian missionaries in the 19th century.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Sione. One of the most prominent was Sione Latukefu, a Tongan academic and historian who lived from 1925 to 2021. He was widely regarded as a leading authority on Tongan history and culture and served as the first Director of the Institute of Pacific Studies at the University of the South Pacific.
Another notable figure was Sione Filipe Tohi, a Tongan politician and diplomat who lived from 1923 to 2006. He served as the Prime Minister of Tonga from 1991 to 1999 and played a pivotal role in promoting democratic reforms in the country.
In the realm of sports, Sione Vailahi Mata'utia is a well-known name in rugby league. Born in 1996, he is a professional player who has represented both Australia and Tonga at the international level.
Sione Malietau Mangisi, born in 1953, is a prominent Tongan artist and sculptor known for his intricate wood carvings that reflect traditional Tongan motifs and themes.
Lastly, Sione Ngongo Kinikini, who lived from 1886 to 1962, was a Tongan theologian and scholar who contributed significantly to the translation of the Bible into the Tongan language.
People
Sione + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Sione as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with S
Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Sione: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Sione?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,447 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Sione 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 236,872 US residents.
Is Sione a common name?
We classify Sione as "Rare". It ranks above 92.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,477 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Sione most popular?
The single biggest year for Sione was 2009, when 53 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Sione is about 23 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Sione a male name?
Yes, 99.6% of people registered as Sione 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.
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.