Sunda
A unisex name of Sanskrit origin meaning "beautiful" or "charming".
Name Census estimates that about 23 living Americans carry the first name Sunda. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Sunda today is around 61 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Sunda births was 1942 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Sunda. 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 Sunda. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
23
~ 1 in 14,902,363 Americans
Peak year
1942
7 babies that year
Average age
61
years old
1993 SSA rank
#15,499
Tracked since 1921
Popularity
Sunda: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Sunda from the 1920s through to the 1990s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1940s, with 12 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1940s peak, Sunda remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Sunda 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 Sunda during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Sunda
The name Sunda has its origins in the Indonesian archipelago, specifically the islands of Java and Sumatra. It is derived from the Sundanese language, spoken by the Sundanese people of West Java. The name's roots can be traced back to the 7th century CE when the Sundanese Kingdom of Tarumanagara flourished in the region.
In ancient Sundanese culture, the name Sunda was often associated with the mythical figure of Sunda Upas, a character from the Sundanese creation story. This figure was believed to have played a pivotal role in the formation of the islands and the establishment of the Sundanese people.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Sunda can be found in the Nagarakrtagama, a 14th-century epic poem written during the Majapahit Empire. The poem refers to the island of Java as Nusa Sunda, highlighting the name's historical significance.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Sunda. One such individual was Sunda Kelapa (1334-1389), a legendary prince and ruler of the Kingdom of Sunda Kelapa, which later became the city of Jakarta. Another prominent figure was Sunda Mahendra (1512-1580), a revered Sundanese philosopher and poet who contributed significantly to the region's literary and cultural heritage.
In the 16th century, the name Sunda gained recognition through the writings of Portuguese explorer Tomé Pires, who documented the Sundanese people and their culture in his book "Suma Oriental." This work provided valuable insights into the region's history and traditions.
Another notable figure was Sunda Ningrat (1671-1738), a renowned Sundanese military leader and strategist who played a crucial role in defending the region against Dutch colonization efforts during the 17th and 18th centuries.
Sunda Kalapa (1822-1897) was a prominent Sundanese scholar and educator who dedicated his life to preserving and promoting the Sundanese language and culture. His works on Sundanese literature and grammar remain influential to this day.
Finally, Sunda Wiwitan (1901-1976) was a respected Sundanese spiritual leader and philosopher who played a significant role in reviving and promoting the traditional Sundanese belief system known as Sunda Wiwitan, which emphasizes harmony with nature and ancestral veneration.
People
Sunda + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Sunda 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
Sunda: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Sunda?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 23 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Sunda 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 14,902,363 US residents.
Is Sunda a common name?
We classify Sunda as "Very Rare". It ranks above 42.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 40 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Sunda most popular?
The single biggest year for Sunda was 1942, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Sunda is about 61 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Sunda a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Sunda 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.