Aina
A feminine name of Hawaiian origin meaning "beautiful ray of light".
Name Census estimates that about 597 living Americans carry the first name Aina. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Aina today is around 18 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Aina births was 2018 (47 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Aina. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Aina with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
597
~ 1 in 574,128 Americans
Peak year
2018
47 babies that year
Average age
18
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,759
Tracked since 1901
Census
Aina in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,023 people with the first name Aina, which placed it at #12,227 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
#12,227
National first-name rank
People counted
1.0K
1,023 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.3
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
32.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Aina
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Aina is Asian/Pacific Islander at 32.3%. The next largest groups are White (31.6%) and Black (16.1%). 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 Aina 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 Aina at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander32.3% · 330
- White31.6% · 323
- Black or African American16.1% · 165
- Hispanic or Latino11.9% · 122
- Two or more races7.7% · 79
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 4
Popularity
Aina: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Aina from the 1900s through to the 2020s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 210 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Aina remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Aina 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 Aina during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Ainas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Aina
The name Aina has its origins rooted in the Hawaiian language and culture. It is believed to have derived from the word 'aina,' which translates to 'land' or 'earth' in Hawaiian. The name carries a deep connection to the islands and the reverence for the natural world that is central to Hawaiian culture.
Historically, the name Aina was commonly used in ancient Hawaiian society, often given to children as a way to honor and celebrate the beauty and significance of the land they called home. It was a name that symbolized a strong bond with the Earth and a respect for the delicate balance of nature.
While the name's origins can be traced back to the indigenous Hawaiian people, there are few documented references to specific individuals bearing the name Aina in ancient texts or religious scriptures. However, this does not diminish the name's significance or its deep-rooted cultural meaning.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Aina can be found in the late 18th century, when it was given to a Hawaiian chieftain's daughter born on the island of Maui. This early use of the name serves as a testament to its longevity and enduring importance within Hawaiian culture.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have carried the name Aina, each leaving their mark in various fields and disciplines. One such figure was Aina Kealoha (1898-1978), a renowned Hawaiian dancer and teacher who dedicated her life to preserving and promoting the traditional hula dance.
Another prominent figure was Aina Kahakai (1905-1989), a respected Hawaiian language scholar and educator who played a crucial role in reviving and preserving the Hawaiian language during a time when it was in danger of being lost.
In the realm of literature, Aina Hanau (1925-2001) was a celebrated Hawaiian poet and author, whose works explored themes of identity, tradition, and the interconnectedness of people and the land.
The world of music also saw the talents of Aina Lani (1940-2015), a gifted Hawaiian singer and songwriter who was instrumental in popularizing and preserving traditional Hawaiian music styles.
Lastly, Aina Kapu (1955-2020) was a respected Hawaiian activist and environmentalist who dedicated her life to protecting the islands' natural resources and raising awareness about the importance of sustainability and environmental conservation.
These individuals, spanning various eras and disciplines, serve as a testament to the enduring legacy and significance of the name Aina within Hawaiian culture and society.
People
Aina + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Aina as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with A
Other first names starting with A with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Aina: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Aina?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 597 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Aina 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 574,128 US residents.
Is Aina a common name?
We classify Aina as "Very Rare". It ranks above 86.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 700 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Aina most popular?
The single biggest year for Aina was 2018, when 47 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Aina is about 18 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Aina in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,023 people with the name Aina, or 0.34 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #12,227 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 Aina 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 Aina?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Aina leans strongly female. 983 people counted with this name were female (96.3%), compared with 38 male bearers (3.7%). 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 Aina?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Aina is Asian/Pacific Islander at 32.3%. The next largest groups are White (31.6%) and Black (16.1%). 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 Aina most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Aina in the 2020 Census, accounting for 32.3% (330 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 Aina in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Aina a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Aina 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 Aina still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Aina 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 Aina 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 Aina?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans are named Aina at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.