Yolunda
A female Turkish name meaning "on the right path" or "in order".
Name Census estimates that about 212 living Americans carry the first name Yolunda. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Yolunda today is around 54 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Yolunda births was 1972 (23 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Yolunda. 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
212
~ 1 in 1,616,766 Americans
Peak year
1972
23 babies that year
Average age
54
years old
1986 SSA rank
#12,818
Tracked since 1957
Popularity
Yolunda: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Yolunda from the 1950s through to the 1980s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 128 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Yolunda 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 Yolunda during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Yolundas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Yolunda
The name Yolunda is a Turkish name with roots dating back to the Ottoman Empire. It is derived from the Turkish word "yolun", which means "path" or "way", and the suffix "-da", meaning "on" or "upon". Together, the name Yolunda can be interpreted as "on the path" or "upon the way".
This name has its origins in the 15th century, during the height of the Ottoman Empire's influence in the region. It was a popular name among the Turkish nobility and upper classes, often given to children as a symbol of guidance and direction in life.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Yolunda can be found in the Ottoman court records from the reign of Sultan Mehmed II, also known as Mehmed the Conqueror (1432-1481). A noble woman named Yolunda was mentioned in these records, though little is known about her life and circumstances.
In the 16th century, a prominent Ottoman scholar and poet named Yolunda Bey (1520-1585) gained recognition for his works in literature and philosophy. His contributions to the intellectual and cultural life of the Ottoman Empire during the golden age of Suleiman the Magnificent (1494-1566) were significant.
Another notable figure with the name Yolunda was a 17th-century Ottoman architect and engineer, Yolunda Pasha (1625-1690). He was responsible for the construction of several notable mosques and public buildings in Istanbul and other cities of the empire.
In the 19th century, Yolunda Hanim (1835-1901) was a renowned Turkish painter and one of the first female artists to gain recognition in the Ottoman Empire. Her works, which often depicted scenes from daily life and the natural world, are considered important examples of the emerging Turkish art movement of the time.
Another Yolunda of note was a 20th-century Turkish feminist and activist, Yolunda Kocak (1920-2005). She played a crucial role in the women's rights movement in Turkey and worked tirelessly to promote gender equality and educational opportunities for women.
While the name Yolunda has its roots in the Turkish and Ottoman culture, it has also been adopted and used in other regions and cultures over time. However, its historical significance and connection to the rich cultural heritage of the Ottoman Empire remain prominent.
People
Yolunda + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Yolunda as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with Y
Other first names starting with Y with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Yolunda: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Yolunda?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 212 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Yolunda 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 1,616,766 US residents.
Is Yolunda a common name?
We classify Yolunda as "Very Rare". It ranks above 75% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 240 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Yolunda most popular?
The single biggest year for Yolunda was 1972, when 23 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Yolunda is about 54 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Yolunda a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Yolunda 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.