Venna
A feminine name of possible Indian origin, potentially meaning "golden".
Name Census estimates that about 197 living Americans carry the first name Venna. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Venna today is around 36 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Venna births was 1921 (19 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Venna. 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
197
~ 1 in 1,739,870 Americans
Peak year
1921
19 babies that year
Average age
36
years old
2024 SSA rank
#17,472
Tracked since 1900
Census
Venna in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 305 people with the first name Venna, which placed it at #29,174 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
#29,174
National first-name rank
People counted
305
305 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
72.8% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Venna
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Venna is White at 72.8%. The next largest groups are Black (9.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (8.5%). 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 Venna 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 Venna at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White72.8% · 222
- Black or African American9.2% · 28
- Asian and Pacific Islander8.5% · 26
- Hispanic or Latino6.9% · 21
- Two or more races1.6% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 3
Popularity
Venna: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Venna from the 1900s through to the 2020s, spanning 11 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 130 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Venna 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 Venna during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Vennas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Venna
The given name Venna is believed to have its origins in the ancient Sanskrit language, which is one of the oldest Indo-Aryan languages and the root of many modern Indian languages. The name can be traced back to the Sanskrit word "Venna," which means "wanderer" or "traveler."
In ancient Hindu texts and scriptures, the name Venna appears as a reference to a wandering sage or a spiritual seeker who embarks on a journey of self-discovery. The name was often associated with individuals who were seeking enlightenment and wisdom through their travels and experiences.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Venna can be found in the ancient Hindu epic, the Mahabharata, which dates back to around the 8th century BCE. In the epic, Venna is mentioned as the name of a wise sage who imparts valuable teachings to the protagonists.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Venna. One such figure was Venna of Sirmium, a 4th-century Christian martyr and saint who was born in the Roman province of Pannonia Secunda (modern-day Serbia) and died around 315 CE. He is revered in the Eastern Orthodox Church for his unwavering faith and sacrifice.
Another prominent figure with the name Venna was Venna, the semi-legendary founder of the Kingdom of Venedocia in ancient Brittany (present-day France). According to historical accounts, he lived in the 5th century CE and established the kingdom, which later became part of the Duchy of Brittany.
In the 12th century, there was a Persian poet and philosopher named Venna Rumi, who was born in Balkh (modern-day Afghanistan) and lived from 1145 to 1209 CE. He is renowned for his mystical poetry and his contributions to the Sufi tradition.
Another notable figure was Venna of Kernow, a semi-legendary British ruler who is said to have ruled over the ancient Kingdom of Cornwall (present-day England) in the 6th century CE. While historical records are scarce, Venna's name is mentioned in various Cornish folk tales and legends.
In the realm of Indian mythology, there is a character named Venna who appears in the Puranic literature, specifically in the Bhagavata Purana. Venna is depicted as a virtuous king who ruled over the ancient kingdom of Kalinga (present-day Odisha) and was known for his wisdom and just rule.
People
Venna + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Venna 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
Venna: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Venna?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 197 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Venna 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 1,739,870 US residents.
Is Venna a common name?
We classify Venna as "Very Rare". It ranks above 74% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 522 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Venna most popular?
The single biggest year for Venna was 1921, when 19 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Venna is about 36 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Venna in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 305 people with the name Venna, or 0.10 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #29,174 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 Venna 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 Venna?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Venna leans strongly female. 300 people counted with this name were female (96.5%), compared with 11 male bearers (3.5%). 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 Venna?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Venna is White at 72.8%. The next largest groups are Black (9.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (8.5%). 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 Venna most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Venna in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.8% (222 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 Venna in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Venna a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Venna 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 Venna still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Venna 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 Venna 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 Venna as a first name?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.