Vinita
A feminine name of Sanskrit origin meaning "modest" or "humble".
Name Census estimates that about 549 living Americans carry the first name Vinita. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Vinita today is around 58 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Vinita births was 1921 (33 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Vinita. 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
549
~ 1 in 624,325 Americans
Peak year
1921
33 babies that year
Average age
58
years old
2009 SSA rank
#17,180
Tracked since 1900
Popularity
Vinita: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Vinita from the 1900s through to the 2000s, spanning 11 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 213 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
Vinita 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 Vinita during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Vinitas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. Oklahoma, Missouri, Texas recorded the most babies named Vinita, while Arkansas, Texas, Missouri recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 57 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Vinita
The name Vinita has its origins in the Sanskrit language, which was prevalent in ancient India. It is derived from the Sanskrit word "vinita," which means "well-mannered," "polite," or "humble." The name is believed to have been in use since the early centuries of the Common Era.
Vinita was a relatively common name among Hindu communities in India, particularly in the northern and central regions. It was often bestowed upon girls with the hope that they would embody the virtues of humility and good manners, which were highly valued in traditional Indian society.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Vinita can be found in the ancient Hindu scripture, the Mahabharata. In this epic, Vinita is mentioned as the name of a celestial nymph who played a significant role in the story's narrative.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Vinita. One of the most prominent was Vinita Kamte (1936-2021), an Indian social worker and activist who dedicated her life to the empowerment of women and children. She founded the Priyadarshini Academy, an educational institution in Mumbai, and was awarded the Padma Shri, one of India's highest civilian honors, in 2010.
Another noteworthy Vinita was Vinita Nair (born 1978), an Indian classical dancer and choreographer. She is renowned for her contributions to the Mohiniyattam dance form, which originated in the southern Indian state of Kerala. Nair has performed extensively both in India and abroad, and has received numerous accolades for her artistic achievements.
In the field of literature, Vinita Krishna Mukherjee (1921-2012) was a respected Indian novelist and short story writer. Her works often explored themes of social injustice, gender inequality, and the struggles of the marginalized sections of society. She received several prestigious literary awards, including the Sahitya Akademi Award and the Padma Vibhushan.
Another notable figure was Vinita Bali (born 1955), a prominent Indian businesswoman. She served as the Managing Director of Britannia Industries, a leading food company in India, from 2005 to 2014. Under her leadership, Britannia underwent a remarkable transformation and became a highly successful and respected brand.
Lastly, Vinita Kinra (born 1961) is a Canadian author and activist of Indian descent. She has written several books exploring themes of identity, culture, and the experiences of South Asian immigrants in Canada. Kinra has been actively involved in promoting diversity and inclusion and has received recognition for her efforts in fostering cross-cultural understanding.
People
Vinita + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Vinita 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
Vinita: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Vinita?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 549 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Vinita 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 624,325 US residents.
Is Vinita a common name?
We classify Vinita as "Very Rare". It ranks above 85.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,227 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Vinita most popular?
The single biggest year for Vinita was 1921, when 33 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Vinita is about 58 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Vinita a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Vinita 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.