Sua
A feminine Arabic name meaning "brightness" or "radiance".
Name Census estimates that about 185 living Americans carry the first name Sua. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Sua today is around 14 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Sua births was 2022 (15 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Sua. 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
185
~ 1 in 1,852,726 Americans
Peak year
2022
15 babies that year
Average age
14
years old
2024 SSA rank
#17,328
Tracked since 1989
Census
Sua in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 477 people with the first name Sua, which placed it at #21,336 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
#21,336
National first-name rank
People counted
477
477 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
68.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sua
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Sua is Asian/Pacific Islander at 68.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (24.9%) and White (4.8%). 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 Sua 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 Sua at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander68.6% · 327
- Hispanic or Latino24.9% · 119
- White4.8% · 23
- Black or African American0.8% · 4
- Two or more races0.8% · 4
Popularity
Sua: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Sua from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 84 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Sua remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Sua 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 Sua during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Suas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Sua
The name Sua has its origins in the Polynesian language and culture, specifically from the Samoan islands. It is believed to have emerged during the early centuries of Samoan history, dating back to around the 7th or 8th century AD. The name Sua is derived from the Samoan word "sua," which means "rain" or "rainy season."
In Samoan mythology and folklore, the rain was often associated with fertility, renewal, and the blessings of nature. The name Sua was likely given to children as a symbolic representation of these positive attributes and as a way to invoke the blessings of a bountiful rainy season.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Sua can be found in the Samoan oral traditions and legends that were passed down through generations. These stories often featured characters or individuals with the name Sua, highlighting its significance within the Samoan culture.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Sua. One of the most renowned was Sua Tavatava, a Samoan chief and warrior who lived in the late 18th century. He was known for his bravery and leadership in defending his village against rival tribes.
Another prominent figure was Sua Tautua, a Samoan orator and statesman who lived in the early 20th century. He played a crucial role in advocating for Samoan rights and preserving the island's cultural traditions during the period of colonial rule.
In the realm of arts and culture, Sua Rimoni Ah Chee was a renowned Samoan artist and sculptor who gained recognition for her intricate woodcarvings and tapa cloth designs in the late 20th century.
Moving into the modern era, Sua Tanielu Lesa'a was a Samoan rugby union player who represented his country in international competitions in the 1990s and early 2000s.
Additionally, Sua William Sio is a prominent New Zealand politician of Samoan descent, who has served as a member of parliament and held various ministerial positions since the early 2000s.
While the name Sua has its roots in Polynesian culture, it has also been adopted and used in other parts of the world, albeit less frequently. However, its origins and deep connections to Samoan heritage and traditions remain a significant part of its historical and cultural significance.
People
Sua + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Sua 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
Sua: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Sua?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 185 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Sua 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 1,852,726 US residents.
Is Sua a common name?
We classify Sua as "Very Rare". It ranks above 73.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 187 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Sua most popular?
The single biggest year for Sua was 2022, when 15 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Sua is about 14 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Sua in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 477 people with the name Sua, or 0.16 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #21,336 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 Sua 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 Sua?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Sua on both sides of the split. Of the 479 people counted with this name, 97 were male (20.3%) and 382 were female (79.7%). 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 Sua?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Sua is Asian/Pacific Islander at 68.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (24.9%) and White (4.8%). 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 Sua most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Sua in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.6% (327 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 Sua in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Sua a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Sua 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 Sua still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Sua 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 Sua 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 Sua as a first name?
If you just want to know how many people have the name Sua, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.