Uta
A Japanese name meaning "song" or "poetry".
Name Census estimates that about 19 living Americans carry the first name Uta. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Uta today is around 43 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Uta births was 1964 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Uta. 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 Uta. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
19
~ 1 in 18,039,702 Americans
Peak year
1964
6 babies that year
Average age
43
years old
2023 SSA rank
#17,407
Tracked since 1916
Popularity
Uta: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Uta from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 11 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1960s peak, Uta remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Uta 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 Uta 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 Uta
The name Uta is of Germanic origin and has its roots in the Old High German language. It is believed to have derived from the word "uotan," which means "to possess" or "to own." This name was popular among the Germanic tribes during the Middle Ages.
Uta was a common name among the Saxons and Franks, who were two of the most powerful Germanic tribes in Europe during the early medieval period. The earliest recorded use of the name Uta dates back to the 8th century, when it appeared in various historical documents and records.
One of the earliest and most notable figures to bear the name Uta was Uta of Ballenstedt, a German noblewoman who lived in the 11th century. She was the wife of Margrave Eckard I of Meissen and played a significant role in the political affairs of the Holy Roman Empire.
Another prominent Uta was Uta von Naumburg, who lived in the 13th century and was a German sculptor responsible for creating several remarkable sculptures at the Naumburg Cathedral. Her work is considered one of the finest examples of medieval German sculpture and is highly regarded for its naturalistic style.
In the 14th century, there was Uta von Tobel, a Swiss nun and mystic who gained fame for her visions and writings on spiritual matters. Her writings were influential in the religious circles of her time and helped shape the spiritual landscape of medieval Europe.
During the Renaissance period, Uta Codrogio was an Italian humanist and scholar who lived in the 15th century. She was known for her expertise in classical literature and her translations of ancient Greek texts.
In the 18th century, Uta Gräfin von Leiningen-Westerburg was a German noblewoman and courtier at the court of the Margraviate of Baden-Durlach. She played an important role in the cultural and social life of the court during her time.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who have borne the name Uta throughout history. The name has been used across various cultures and time periods, reflecting its Germanic origins and the influence of the Germanic tribes in Europe.
People
Uta + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Uta 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
Uta: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Uta?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 19 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Uta 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 18,039,702 US residents.
Is Uta a common name?
We classify Uta as "Very Rare". It ranks above 39.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 26 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Uta most popular?
The single biggest year for Uta was 1964, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Uta is about 43 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Uta a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Uta 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.