Ainara
A feminine name of Basque origin meaning "the good one".
Name Census estimates that about 1,409 living Americans carry the first name Ainara. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Ainara today is around 6 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ainara births was 2023 (309 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ainara. 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 Ainara with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Ainara is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 6 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
1.4K
~ 1 in 243,261 Americans
Peak year
2023
309 babies that year
Average age
6
years old
2024 SSA rank
#961
Tracked since 2003
Census
Ainara in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 446 people with the first name Ainara, which placed it at #22,352 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
#22,352
National first-name rank
People counted
446
446 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Hispanic or Latino
88.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ainara
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Ainara is Hispanic at 88.6%. The next largest groups are White (8.5%) and Black (1.3%). 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 Ainara 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 Ainara at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino88.6% · 395
- White8.5% · 38
- Black or African American1.3% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 1
- Two or more races0.2% · 1
Popularity
Ainara: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ainara from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 934 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ainara 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 Ainara during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Ainaras live
The SSA's state-level files cover 22 states and territories. Texas, California, Florida recorded the most babies named Ainara, while Utah, Oklahoma, Maryland recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 42 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Ainara
The given name Ainara is of Basque origin, originating from the autonomous Basque Country region in northern Spain and southwestern France. It is believed to be derived from the Basque words "aina" meaning "lily" and "ara" meaning "valley," thus translating to "lily of the valley."
In Basque culture, names often reflect the connection with nature, and Ainara's etymology reflects the reverence for the natural beauty of the region. The Basque language is one of the oldest surviving languages in Europe, with roots dating back to prehistoric times, making Ainara an ancient name with deep cultural significance.
Historical records indicate that Ainara has been in use as a given name for centuries in the Basque Country. One of the earliest documented references can be found in the 13th century Basque epic poem "Euskal Herria," which mentions a character named Ainara.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Ainara. One of the most prominent figures was Ainara Ibarra (1906-1976), a renowned Basque poet and playwright who played a significant role in preserving and promoting Basque literature and culture during the Franco regime in Spain.
Another notable Ainara was Ainara Legarreta (1979-), a Spanish actress and television presenter known for her work in various Spanish soap operas and television shows. Her talent and popularity have contributed to the name's recognition beyond the Basque region.
In the realm of sports, Ainara Hernando (1981-) is a former Spanish professional basketball player who represented Spain in international competitions and won several titles with the Spanish national team.
Ainara Muñoz (1976-) is a Spanish singer-songwriter and actress who has released several albums and has appeared in various films and television series. Her artistic contributions have further popularized the name in Spain.
Ainara Elbusto (1992-) is a Basque writer and activist, known for her work in promoting the Basque language and culture. Her literary works have garnered critical acclaim and have brought attention to the name's cultural significance.
While these are just a few examples, the name Ainara has been carried by numerous individuals throughout history, each contributing to its rich cultural legacy and preserving its connection to the Basque heritage.
People
Ainara + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ainara 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
Ainara: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ainara?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,409 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ainara 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 243,261 US residents.
Is Ainara a common name?
We classify Ainara as "Rare". It ranks above 92.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,418 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ainara most popular?
The single biggest year for Ainara was 2023, when 309 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ainara is about 6 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Ainara in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 446 people with the name Ainara, or 0.15 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #22,352 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 Ainara 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 Ainara?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Ainara appears almost entirely female. Of the 446 people counted with this name, 99.6% were female and only a very small share were male. 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 Ainara?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Ainara is Hispanic at 88.6%. The next largest groups are White (8.5%) and Black (1.3%). 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 Ainara most often in the Census?
Hispanic is the largest reported group for people named Ainara in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.6% (395 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 Ainara in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Ainara a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ainara 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 Ainara still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Ainara 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 Ainara 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 many Americans are named Ainara?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.