Vana
A feminine Hindu name of Sanskrit origin meaning "forest".
Name Census estimates that about 422 living Americans carry the first name Vana. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Vana today is around 45 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Vana births was 1948 (22 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Vana. 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.
People living today
422
~ 1 in 812,214 Americans
Peak year
1948
22 babies that year
Average age
45
years old
2024 SSA rank
#15,074
Tracked since 1917
Popularity
Vana: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Vana from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 138 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1950s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Vana 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 Vana during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Vanas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Vana
The name Vana has its origins in the Sanskrit language, which is one of the oldest Indo-Aryan languages spoken in ancient India. It can be traced back to the Vedic period, which is believed to have started around 1500 BCE. The name Vana is derived from the Sanskrit word 'vana,' which means 'forest' or 'woodland.'
In Hindu mythology, the word 'vana' is often associated with the concept of hermitages or ashrams located in the midst of forests. These were places where sages and rishis would retreat to seek spiritual enlightenment and perform penance. The name Vana, therefore, carried connotations of nature, serenity, and a connection with the divine.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Vana can be found in the ancient Hindu epic, the Ramayana. Vana Parva, which translates to 'The Book of the Forest,' is a significant book in the epic Mahabharata, where the Pandava princes are exiled to the forest for thirteen years.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Vana. One of the most famous was Vana Bhatta, a renowned Sanskrit scholar and grammarian who lived in the 7th century CE. He was the author of the influential work 'Kashika Vritti,' a commentary on Panini's grammar treatise 'Ashtadhyayi.'
Another prominent figure was Vana Mallika, a 12th-century Khmer princess and poet from the Angkor Empire in present-day Cambodia. She is renowned for her compositions in the Khmer language, which have been preserved in stone inscriptions.
In the realm of Indian classical music, Vana Ratnam was a celebrated Carnatic vocalist and composer who lived in the 18th century. She is credited with composing several compositions, including the famous 'Rama Rama Guna Seema' kriti.
Vana Parva, a 16th-century Sanskrit playwright and poet, was known for his works such as 'Mudrara-kshasa' and 'Prabodha-chandrodaya.' His plays were influenced by the classical Sanskrit dramas and explored philosophical themes.
Lastly, Vana Bhoomi was a revered Buddhist monk and scholar from the 5th century CE. He is believed to have played a significant role in the spread of Buddhism in Southeast Asia, particularly in the regions of present-day Thailand and Myanmar.
People
Vana + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Vana 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
Vana: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Vana?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 422 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Vana 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 812,214 US residents.
Is Vana a common name?
We classify Vana as "Very Rare". It ranks above 82.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 545 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Vana most popular?
The single biggest year for Vana was 1948, when 22 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Vana is about 45 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Vana a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Vana 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.