Uni
A Japanese word meaning "sea urchin" or "rising sun".
Name Census estimates that about 6 living Americans carry the first name Uni. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Uni today is around 3 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Uni births was 2023 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Uni. 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 Uni. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
6
~ 1 in 57,125,723 Americans
Peak year
2023
6 babies that year
Average age
3
years old
2023 SSA rank
#15,028
Tracked since 2023
Census
Uni in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 137 people with the first name Uni, which placed it at #47,543 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
#47,543
National first-name rank
People counted
137
137 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
49.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Uni
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Uni is Asian/Pacific Islander at 49.6%. The next largest groups are White (19.7%) and Hispanic (13.1%). 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 Uni 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 Uni at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander49.6% · 68
- White19.7% · 27
- Hispanic or Latino13.1% · 18
- Black or African American12.4% · 17
- Two or more races4.4% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 1
Popularity
Uni: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Uni 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 Uni during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 0 | 6 | 6 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Uni
The given name Uni has its roots in various cultures and civilizations across the globe. In ancient Greek mythology, Uni was a minor goddess associated with the ocean and the deep sea. She was often depicted alongside her sister goddesses, the Graeae, who were known for their beauty and allure.
In Japanese culture, the name Uni can be traced back to the Heian period (794-1185 AD). It was derived from the Japanese word for "sea urchin," which was considered a delicacy and a symbol of prosperity. The name was often bestowed upon children born near the sea or during the season when sea urchins were abundant.
In Hawaiian culture, the name Uni is believed to have originated from the word "unihipili," which means "close friend" or "companion." This name was often given to children as a reminder of the importance of strong bonds and lasting relationships.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Uni can be found in ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics. In the Book of the Dead, a funerary text dating back to the 16th century BC, there is a mention of a woman named Uni-Ankh, which translates to "life is eternal."
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Uni. In the 14th century, Uni Shōnin was a prominent Buddhist monk and calligrapher in Japan. His works and teachings had a profound influence on the development of Zen Buddhism in the country.
In the realm of literature, Uni Terrasson was a French writer and philosopher who lived during the 18th century. She is best known for her work "The Life of Sethos," which explored themes of morality and virtue through the lens of ancient Egyptian culture.
During the 20th century, Uni Dufour was a renowned Swiss artist known for her vibrant and expressive paintings. Her works often depicted scenes of everyday life and captured the essence of human emotions.
Another notable figure was Uni Hieskanen, a Finnish architect who made significant contributions to the field of sustainable and eco-friendly design. Her buildings were celebrated for their harmonious integration with the natural environment.
In the world of sports, Uni Luokkanen was a Finnish distance runner who competed in the 1952 and 1956 Olympic Games. She won a silver medal in the 800-meter event and was celebrated for her determination and perseverance.
People
Uni + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Uni as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with U
Other first names starting with U with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Uni: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Uni?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Uni 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 57,125,723 US residents.
Is Uni a common name?
We classify Uni as "Very Rare". It ranks above 22.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 6 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Uni most popular?
The single biggest year for Uni was 2023, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Uni is about 3 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Uni in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 137 people with the name Uni, or 0.05 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #47,543 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 Uni 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 Uni?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Uni on both sides of the split. Of the 130 people counted with this name, 29 were male (22.3%) and 101 were female (77.7%). 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 Uni?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Uni is Asian/Pacific Islander at 49.6%. The next largest groups are White (19.7%) and Hispanic (13.1%). 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 Uni most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Uni in the 2020 Census, accounting for 49.6% (68 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 Uni in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Uni a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Uni 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 Uni still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Uni 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 Uni 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 the name Uni?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.