Dayona
A feminine name of unknown origin and meaning.
Name Census estimates that about 241 living Americans carry the first name Dayona. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Dayona today is around 24 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Dayona births was 2007 (20 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Dayona. 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
241
~ 1 in 1,422,217 Americans
Peak year
2007
20 babies that year
Average age
24
years old
2013 SSA rank
#17,212
Tracked since 1988
Census
Dayona in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 241 people with the first name Dayona, which placed it at #34,040 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
#34,040
National first-name rank
People counted
241
241 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
73.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dayona
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Dayona is Black at 73.4%. The next largest groups are White (12.9%) and Hispanic (6.6%). 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 Dayona 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 Dayona at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American73.4% · 177
- White12.9% · 31
- Hispanic or Latino6.6% · 16
- Two or more races5.8% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 1
Popularity
Dayona: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Dayona from the 1980s through to the 2010s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 144 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Dayona 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 Dayona during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Dayonas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Dayona
The name Dayona has its origins in the ancient Sanskrit language, which was prominent in the Indian subcontinent during the 2nd millennium BCE. It is derived from the Sanskrit word "daya," meaning compassion or kindness, and the suffix "na," which denotes a feminine form. The name Dayona can be translated to mean "the compassionate one" or "the kind-hearted."
In Hindu mythology, the concept of compassion is deeply revered and is embodied by various deities and divine figures. The name Dayona may have been inspired by this cultural and spiritual significance, reflecting the virtues of empathy and benevolence.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Dayona can be found in ancient Sanskrit texts, where it was occasionally used to refer to female characters or deities associated with mercy and kindness. However, there are no notable historical figures from antiquity that are widely known to have borne this name.
During the medieval period, the name Dayona seems to have been relatively uncommon, with few documented examples. However, in the 16th century, a notable figure named Dayona Devi emerged in the court of the Mughal Emperor Akbar. She was a renowned poet and scholar who composed works in both Persian and Sanskrit, demonstrating her literary prowess.
In the 18th century, a Punjabi woman named Dayona Kaur gained recognition for her bravery and leadership during the turbulent times of the Sikh Empire. She played a crucial role in defending her village against invading forces and is remembered as a symbol of courage and resilience.
Another prominent individual with the name Dayona was a 19th-century Indian philanthropist and social reformer from Bengal. Dayona Devi dedicated her life to improving the lives of women and children, establishing schools and advocating for female education at a time when it was still a controversial issue in parts of India.
In the 20th century, Dayona Ramana, a renowned classical dancer from South India, made significant contributions to the preservation and promotion of traditional dance forms. She was born in 1922 and received numerous accolades for her artistry and dedication to preserving cultural heritage.
Lastly, Dayona Jethalal, a notable Indian novelist and playwright from the late 20th century, gained acclaim for her works that explored themes of identity, family dynamics, and societal issues. She was born in 1945 and her literary works continue to be studied and celebrated in academic circles.
People
Dayona + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Dayona as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with D
Other first names starting with D with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Dayona: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Dayona?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 241 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Dayona 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 1,422,217 US residents.
Is Dayona a common name?
We classify Dayona as "Very Rare". It ranks above 76.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 246 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Dayona most popular?
The single biggest year for Dayona was 2007, when 20 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Dayona is about 24 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Dayona in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 241 people with the name Dayona, or 0.08 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #34,040 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 Dayona 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 Dayona?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Dayona appears almost entirely female. Of the 243 people counted with this name, 100.0% 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 Dayona?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Dayona is Black at 73.4%. The next largest groups are White (12.9%) and Hispanic (6.6%). 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 Dayona most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Dayona in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.4% (177 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 Dayona in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Dayona a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Dayona 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 Dayona still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Dayona 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 Dayona 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 Dayona as a first name?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.