Unica
A feminine name with Latin roots meaning "unique" or "singular".
Name Census estimates that about 40 living Americans carry the first name Unica. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Unica today is around 31 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Unica births was 1993 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Unica. 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 Unica. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
40
~ 1 in 8,568,858 Americans
Peak year
1993
6 babies that year
Average age
31
years old
2015 SSA rank
#18,918
Tracked since 1979
Census
Unica in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 125 people with the first name Unica, which placed it at #49,507 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
#49,507
National first-name rank
People counted
125
125 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Hispanic or Latino
48.0% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Unica
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Unica is Hispanic at 48.0%. The next largest groups are Black (29.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (9.6%). 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 Unica 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 Unica at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino48.0% · 60
- Black or African American29.6% · 37
- Asian and Pacific Islander9.6% · 12
- White8.0% · 10
- Two or more races3.2% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.6% · 2
Popularity
Unica: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Unica from the 1970s through to the 2010s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 11 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Unica remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Unica 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 Unica 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 Unica
Unica is a unique and intriguing name with a rich history that spans several cultures and languages. Its origins can be traced back to Latin, where the word "unica" means "one and only" or "unique." This name was likely used to honor a child who was the only offspring or to emphasize the child's uniqueness and special qualities.
In ancient Rome, the name Unica was sometimes bestowed upon daughters born to wealthy or influential families, as a way to signify their elevated status and singularity. It was also occasionally used as a nickname or pet name for girls whose given names held similar meanings, such as Unica for a girl named Unica Filia (Latin for "only daughter").
Moving forward in history, the name Unica gained popularity in various European countries during the Renaissance period. It was particularly favored by artists and intellectuals who appreciated its artistic and philosophical connotations. One notable bearer of this name was Unica Zürn (1916-1970), a German artist and writer known for her surrealist works and her tumultuous relationship with the artist Hans Bellmer.
In Italy, the name Unica has a long-standing tradition and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. One of the earliest recorded instances of this name is Unica da Siena (1235-1299), an Italian mystic and religious figure who was revered for her visions and spiritual writings.
Another notable figure named Unica was Unica Brizzi (1924-2002), an Italian actress and singer who appeared in various films and television shows throughout the 20th century. She was celebrated for her versatility and her ability to portray a wide range of characters.
In Spain, the name Unica has been used for centuries, often as a shortened form of the name Unicia or Unicia de la Cruz. One famous bearer of this name was Unica Calderón (1503-1588), a Spanish noblewoman and patron of the arts who was known for her support of artists and writers during the Spanish Golden Age.
While the name Unica may be relatively uncommon in some parts of the world, it has a rich and diverse history that spans multiple cultures and time periods. Its unique meaning and artistic associations have made it a favored choice among those who value individuality and creativity.
People
Unica + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Unica 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
Unica: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Unica?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 40 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Unica 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 8,568,858 US residents.
Is Unica a common name?
We classify Unica as "Very Rare". It ranks above 51% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 42 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Unica most popular?
The single biggest year for Unica was 1993, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Unica is about 31 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Unica in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 125 people with the name Unica, or 0.04 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #49,507 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 Unica 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 Unica?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Unica appears almost entirely female. Of the 135 people counted with this name, 99.3% 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 Unica?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Unica is Hispanic at 48.0%. The next largest groups are Black (29.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (9.6%). 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 Unica most often in the Census?
Hispanic is the largest reported group for people named Unica in the 2020 Census, accounting for 48.0% (60 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 Unica in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Unica a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Unica 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 Unica still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Unica 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 Unica 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 common is the name Unica?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.