Yunalesca
A feminine name likely of Spanish origin, potentially meaning "moon blossom".
Name Census estimates that about 59 living Americans carry the first name Yunalesca. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Yunalesca today is around 10 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Yunalesca births was 2023 (9 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Yunalesca. 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
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Yunalesca. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
59
~ 1 in 5,809,396 Americans
Peak year
2023
9 babies that year
Average age
10
years old
2023 SSA rank
#11,126
Tracked since 2007
Popularity
Yunalesca: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Yunalesca from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 28 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Yunalesca remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Yunalesca 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 Yunalesca during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Yunalesca
The name Yunalesca is believed to have originated from the ancient Sumerian language, which was spoken in the southern part of Mesopotamia, modern-day Iraq, around 3500 BCE. It is thought to be derived from the Sumerian words "yun," meaning "moon," and "alesca," meaning "blessed" or "divine."
This name's earliest known appearance is in a cuneiform inscription found on a clay tablet dating back to around 2500 BCE. The tablet, discovered in the ruins of the city of Ur, appears to be a record of births and contains the name "Yunalesca" inscribed alongside several others.
In later centuries, the name Yunalesca was associated with the moon goddess in the ancient Sumerian religion. Several hymns and religious texts from around 2000 BCE mention a deity called "Yunalesca," who was revered as the protector of childbirth and the bringer of fertility.
One of the earliest known individuals to bear the name Yunalesca was a high priestess who lived in the city of Uruk around 1800 BCE. She is mentioned in several cuneiform tablets as a prominent figure in the city's religious and cultural life.
Another notable figure named Yunalesca was a Sumerian queen who ruled over the city-state of Lagash in the 22nd century BCE. She is known for commissioning several monumental building projects, including the construction of a temple dedicated to the moon god Nanna.
In the 7th century BCE, a Babylonian astrologer named Yunalesca is credited with developing a system for predicting lunar eclipses. Her work was influential in the development of ancient astronomy and contributed to the growing understanding of celestial phenomena.
During the Hellenistic period, a Greek philosopher named Yunalesca lived in Alexandria, Egypt, in the 3rd century BCE. She is known for her writings on ethics and her contributions to the Stoic school of philosophy.
In the medieval period, a Persian poet named Yunalesca lived in the 11th century CE. She is celebrated for her lyrical poems that often explored themes of love, nature, and spirituality. Her work was influential in the development of Persian literature and is still studied today.
While the name Yunalesca has ancient roots and a rich historical legacy, it is relatively uncommon in modern times. However, its connection to the moon and its association with various cultural and religious traditions make it a name with a deep and fascinating history.
People
Yunalesca + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Yunalesca 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
Yunalesca: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Yunalesca?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 59 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Yunalesca 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 5,809,396 US residents.
Is Yunalesca a common name?
We classify Yunalesca as "Very Rare". It ranks above 56.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 59 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Yunalesca most popular?
The single biggest year for Yunalesca was 2023, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Yunalesca is about 10 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Yunalesca in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Yunalesca a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Yunalesca 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 Yunalesca still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Yunalesca 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 Yunalesca 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How common is the name Yunalesca?
If you just want to know how many people have the name Yunalesca, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.