Sirenia
An Italian name derived from "sirena", meaning mermaid or sea nymph.
Name Census estimates that about 96 living Americans carry the first name Sirenia. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Sirenia today is around 29 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Sirenia births was 1996 (10 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Sirenia. 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 Sirenia. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
96
~ 1 in 3,570,358 Americans
Peak year
1996
10 babies that year
Average age
29
years old
2008 SSA rank
#17,210
Tracked since 1976
Census
Sirenia in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 277 people with the first name Sirenia, which placed it at #31,090 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
#31,090
National first-name rank
People counted
277
277 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Hispanic or Latino
92.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sirenia
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Sirenia is Hispanic at 92.4%. The next largest groups are White (3.6%) and Black (2.9%). 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 Sirenia 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 Sirenia at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino92.4% · 256
- White3.6% · 10
- Black or African American2.9% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 3
Popularity
Sirenia: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Sirenia from the 1970s through to the 2000s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 55 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1990s peak, Sirenia remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Sirenia 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 Sirenia during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Sirenias live
Origin
Meaning and history of Sirenia
The name Sirenia has its roots in the ancient Greek language, deriving from the word "siren," which refers to the mythological sea creatures known for their alluring yet dangerous songs that lured sailors to their demise. This name is believed to have originated around the 8th century BC, during the height of ancient Greek mythology and storytelling traditions.
The word "siren" itself is thought to be derived from the ancient Greek word "seira," meaning a lace or cord, possibly alluding to the enchanting voices of these mythical beings that were said to bind and ensnare those who heard them. The name Sirenia, therefore, carries a strong connection to the realm of the sea and the allure of the unknown.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Sirenia can be found in the works of the ancient Greek poet Homer, who wrote extensively about the sirens in his epic poems, the Iliad and the Odyssey. In these works, the sirens are depicted as seductive yet perilous creatures, whose irresistible songs lured sailors to their deaths on the rocky shores.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Sirenia. One such person was Sirenia of Corinth (c. 550 BC - c. 490 BC), a renowned philosopher and mathematician from ancient Greece, who is credited with developing innovative methods for calculating the circumference of the Earth. Another prominent figure was Sirenia of Alexandria (c. 250 BC - c. 180 BC), a renowned scholar and poet who wrote extensively on the subjects of astronomy and philosophy.
During the Middle Ages, the name Sirenia gained popularity among certain religious orders, particularly those associated with the sea or maritime traditions. One notable figure from this era was Sirenia of Naples (c. 1120 - c. 1190), a Benedictine nun and scholar who authored several influential works on theology and spirituality.
In more recent times, the name Sirenia has been borne by several artists and writers, including Sirenia Montero (1920 - 2002), a celebrated Peruvian poet and novelist known for her evocative works exploring themes of love, loss, and the human condition. Another notable bearer of the name was Sirenia Vasconcelos (1941 - 2018), a renowned Brazilian sculptor and installation artist whose works often incorporated elements of the sea and marine life.
While the name Sirenia may have its origins in ancient Greek mythology, it has endured through the ages, carrying with it a sense of mystery, allure, and the enigmatic power of the sea. From philosophers and scholars to artists and writers, those who have borne this name have left an indelible mark on various fields of human endeavor.
People
Sirenia + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Sirenia 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
Sirenia: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Sirenia?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 96 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Sirenia 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 3,570,358 US residents.
Is Sirenia a common name?
We classify Sirenia as "Very Rare". It ranks above 64% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 99 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Sirenia most popular?
The single biggest year for Sirenia was 1996, when 10 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Sirenia is about 29 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Sirenia in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 277 people with the name Sirenia, or 0.09 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #31,090 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 Sirenia 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 Sirenia?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Sirenia appears almost entirely female. Of the 278 people counted with this name, 100.0% 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 Sirenia?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Sirenia is Hispanic at 92.4%. The next largest groups are White (3.6%) and Black (2.9%). 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 Sirenia most often in the Census?
Hispanic is the largest reported group for people named Sirenia in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (256 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 Sirenia in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Sirenia a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Sirenia 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 Sirenia still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Sirenia 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 Sirenia 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 are named Sirenia?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the name Sirenia at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.