Vaira
A masculine name of Lithuanian origin meaning "wreath" or "garland".
Name Census estimates that about 25 living Americans carry the first name Vaira. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Vaira today is around 8 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Vaira births was 2013 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Vaira. 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 Vaira. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
25
~ 1 in 13,710,174 Americans
Peak year
2013
5 babies that year
Average age
8
years old
2023 SSA rank
#17,409
Tracked since 2013
Popularity
Vaira: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Vaira from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 15 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Vaira remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Vaira 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 Vaira 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 Vaira
The name Vaira is believed to have its origins in the Sanskrit language, an ancient and classical language of the Indian subcontinent. It is derived from the Sanskrit word "vaira," which translates to "diamond" or "gem." The name is thought to have emerged as early as the 5th century BCE during the Vedic period in ancient India.
In Hindu mythology, the name Vaira is associated with the goddess Durga, who is often depicted as a powerful and fierce warrior goddess. The name is sometimes interpreted as "one who removes obstacles," reflecting the goddess's ability to overcome challenges and protect her devotees.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Vaira can be found in the ancient Hindu text, the Mahabharata, which dates back to around the 4th century BCE. In this epic, there is a character named Vaira, who is described as a skilled warrior and a devoted follower of Lord Krishna.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Vaira. One such figure is Vaira Bhatta, an Indian mathematician and astronomer who lived in the 5th century CE. He made significant contributions to the field of astronomy and is credited with writing a treatise on the calculation of planetary positions.
Another prominent figure with the name Vaira is Vaira Raghava Nayaka, who ruled the Vijayanagar Empire in southern India during the 16th century. He was known for his patronage of the arts and literature, as well as his military campaigns against neighboring kingdoms.
In the 18th century, Vaira Pandita was a renowned scholar and poet from the region of Bengal in eastern India. He wrote extensively on various subjects, including poetry, religion, and philosophy, and his works are still studied and celebrated today.
Moving forward in time, Vaira Venkatacharya was an influential Indian social reformer and educator who lived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He played a pivotal role in promoting education and advocating for the rights of women and underprivileged communities.
Lastly, Vaira Vilhuri was a prominent Finnish writer and journalist who lived from 1892 to 1989. She was known for her novels, short stories, and articles that explored themes of social injustice and the struggles of women in Finnish society.
People
Vaira + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Vaira as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with V
Other first names starting with V with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Vaira: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Vaira?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 25 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Vaira 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 13,710,174 US residents.
Is Vaira a common name?
We classify Vaira as "Very Rare". It ranks above 43.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 25 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Vaira most popular?
The single biggest year for Vaira was 2013, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Vaira is about 8 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Vaira in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Vaira a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Vaira 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 Vaira still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Vaira 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 Vaira 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many Americans are named Vaira?
See how many Americans are named Vaira on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.