Wauneta
An indigenous Arapaho name meaning "blissful" or "peaceful."
Name Census estimates that about 40 living Americans carry the first name Wauneta. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Wauneta today is around 90 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Wauneta births was 1922 (32 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Wauneta. 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
- • The typical person named Wauneta is about 90 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Waunetas were born before 1946.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Wauneta. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
40
~ 1 in 8,568,858 Americans
Peak year
1922
32 babies that year
Average age
90
years old
1950 SSA rank
#6,091
Tracked since 1900
Census
Wauneta in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 151 people with the first name Wauneta, which placed it at #45,179 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
#45,179
National first-name rank
People counted
151
151 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
92.1% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wauneta
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Wauneta is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Black (2.0%). 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 Wauneta 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 Wauneta at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.1% · 139
- Two or more races2.6% · 4
- Black or African American2.0% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 2
Popularity
Wauneta: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Wauneta from the 1900s through to the 1950s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 234 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
Wauneta 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 Wauneta during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Waunetas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri recorded the most babies named Wauneta, while Illinois, Missouri, Kansas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 32 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Wauneta
The given name Wauneta has its origins in the Native American Osage language, and it is believed to have emerged in the late 18th or early 19th century. The name is derived from the Osage words "wah-nah-tah," which translates to "one who charges" or "one who rushes forward." It is thought to have been used by the Osage tribe to describe warriors or brave individuals.
The Osage people are an indigenous nation that historically inhabited parts of present-day Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas, and Oklahoma. Their language belongs to the Dhegiha branch of the Siouan language family, and it has contributed several names to the English lexicon, including Wauneta.
While there are no known historical references to the name Wauneta in ancient texts or religious scriptures, it has appeared in various historical records and documents related to the Osage people and their interactions with European settlers and the United States government.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Wauneta can be found in the records of the Osage Nation, where it was used for both men and women. Wauneta, an Osage woman born around 1830, was a notable figure who participated in the negotiations that led to the Osage Nation's relocation to present-day Oklahoma in the late 19th century.
Another notable figure with the name Wauneta was Wauneta Norris (1903-1986), an American actress and dancer who appeared in several Broadway productions and Hollywood films during the 1920s and 1930s. She was born in Nebraska and was of mixed Native American and European ancestry.
Wauneta HayBox (1923-2013) was a prominent Osage artist and educator who played a significant role in preserving and promoting Osage culture and traditions. She was born in Oklahoma and dedicated her life to teaching and creating artworks that celebrated her Native American heritage.
Wauneta Brill (1936-2005) was an award-winning author and illustrator of children's books, best known for her works that explored Native American themes and stories. She was born in Oklahoma and was of Osage and Otoe-Missouria descent.
Wauneta McCarter (1924-2020) was a prominent Osage leader and activist who dedicated her life to advocating for the rights and sovereignty of Native American tribes. She served as the Principal Chief of the Osage Nation from 1994 to 2002 and played a pivotal role in the tribe's economic and cultural revitalization.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who have carried the name Wauneta, reflecting its deep roots in Native American culture and its enduring legacy as a powerful and meaningful name.
People
Wauneta + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Wauneta as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with W
Other first names starting with W with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Wauneta: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Wauneta?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 40 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Wauneta 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 8,568,858 US residents.
Is Wauneta a common name?
We classify Wauneta as "Very Rare". It ranks above 51% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 552 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Wauneta most popular?
The single biggest year for Wauneta was 1922, when 32 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Wauneta is about 90 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Wauneta in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 151 people with the name Wauneta, or 0.05 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #45,179 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 Wauneta 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 Wauneta?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Wauneta leans strongly female. 151 people counted with this name were female (98.1%), compared with 3 male bearers (1.9%). 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 Wauneta?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Wauneta is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Black (2.0%). 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 Wauneta most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Wauneta in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.1% (139 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 Wauneta in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Wauneta a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Wauneta 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 Wauneta still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Wauneta 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 Wauneta 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 common is the name Wauneta?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the name Wauneta on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.