Astra
A name of Indo-Iranian origin meaning "star".
Name Census estimates that about 671 living Americans carry the first name Astra. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Astra today is around 22 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Astra births was 2022 (69 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Astra. 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 Astra with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
671
~ 1 in 510,811 Americans
Peak year
2022
69 babies that year
Average age
22
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,167
Tracked since 1944
Census
Astra in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 575 people with the first name Astra, which placed it at #18,673 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
#18,673
National first-name rank
People counted
575
575 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
56.0% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Astra
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Astra is White at 56.0%. The next largest groups are Black (20.2%) and Hispanic (9.9%). 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 Astra 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 Astra at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White56.0% · 322
- Black or African American20.2% · 116
- Hispanic or Latino9.9% · 57
- Two or more races7.0% · 40
- Asian and Pacific Islander6.8% · 39
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 1
Popularity
Astra: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Astra from the 1940s through to the 2020s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 284 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
Astra 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 Astra during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Astras live
The SSA's state-level files cover 6 states and territories. California, Texas, New York recorded the most babies named Astra, while Massachusetts, Florida, Washington recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 15 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Astra
The name Astra has its origins in several ancient languages and cultures. It is derived from the Latin word "astrum," which means "star." This connection to celestial bodies is also found in the Sanskrit word "astra," meaning "missile" or "thunderbolt," referring to the fiery projectiles associated with gods and goddesses.
The name Astra was used in ancient Roman times, with records showing its presence during the Roman Republic and Empire eras. One of the earliest known individuals with this name was Astra Galla, a Roman woman who lived in the 2nd century AD and was married to the philosopher Claudius Severus.
In Hindu mythology, Astra is the name of a powerful weapon or missile associated with the gods. It is mentioned in several ancient Hindu texts, including the Mahabharata and the Puranas. One notable figure bearing this name was Astra Deva, a legendary warrior and teacher of martial arts who is said to have lived during the Vedic period.
The name Astra also has connections to Greek mythology. In Greek legends, Astra was the name of a nymph who was one of the companions of the goddess Artemis. She was known for her beauty and grace, and her name was often associated with the stars and celestial bodies.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Astra. One of the earliest recorded examples is Astra Satya, a Buddhist monk and scholar who lived in India during the 7th century AD and made significant contributions to the study of Buddhist philosophy and literature.
Another notable figure was Astra Khama, a Persian princess who lived in the 6th century AD and was known for her wisdom and political acumen. She played a crucial role in the affairs of the Sassanid Empire and was respected for her diplomatic skills.
In more recent times, Astra Woodcraft was an American artist and sculptor who lived from 1890 to 1975 and was renowned for her intricate woodcarvings and sculptures inspired by nature and Native American art.
Astra Sharma, born in 1995, is a contemporary Australian professional tennis player who has achieved notable success on the WTA Tour, reaching the third round of several Grand Slam tournaments.
Astra Agervold, born in 1958, is a Danish author and journalist known for her novels and non-fiction works exploring themes of feminism, relationships, and societal issues.
People
Astra + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Astra 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
Astra: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Astra?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 671 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Astra 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 510,811 US residents.
Is Astra a common name?
We classify Astra as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 705 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Astra most popular?
The single biggest year for Astra was 2022, when 69 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Astra is about 22 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Astra in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 575 people with the name Astra, or 0.19 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #18,673 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 Astra 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 Astra?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Astra leans strongly female. 560 people counted with this name were female (96.7%), compared with 19 male bearers (3.3%). 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 Astra?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Astra is White at 56.0%. The next largest groups are Black (20.2%) and Hispanic (9.9%). 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 Astra most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Astra in the 2020 Census, accounting for 56.0% (322 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 Astra in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Astra a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Astra 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 Astra still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Astra 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 Astra 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 people have the name Astra?
If you just want to know how many Americans are named Astra, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.