Eira
A feminine Welsh name meaning "snow" or "snowfall".
Name Census estimates that about 755 living Americans carry the first name Eira. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Eira today is around 9 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Eira births was 2022 (80 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Eira. 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 Eira with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
755
~ 1 in 453,979 Americans
Peak year
2022
80 babies that year
Average age
9
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,385
Tracked since 1979
Census
Eira in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 674 people with the first name Eira, which placed it at #16,648 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
#16,648
National first-name rank
People counted
674
674 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Hispanic or Latino
42.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Eira
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Eira is Hispanic at 42.4%. The next largest groups are White (32.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (17.4%). 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 Eira 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 Eira at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino42.4% · 286
- White32.8% · 221
- Asian and Pacific Islander17.4% · 117
- Two or more races4.0% · 27
- Black or African American3.3% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Popularity
Eira: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Eira from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 358 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
Eira 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 Eira during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Eiras live
The SSA's state-level files cover 11 states and territories. California, Texas, New York recorded the most babies named Eira, while Washington, Tennessee, Michigan recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 18 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Eira
The name Eira has its origins in the Welsh language, deriving from the Welsh word "eira," which means "snow." This connection to snow suggests that the name was likely first used in the mountainous regions of Wales during ancient times when snow played a significant role in the local culture and natural environment.
While the exact time period of the name's inception is uncertain, its Welsh roots indicate that it likely emerged during the early medieval period or even earlier when Welsh was the predominant language spoken in the region. The name may have been inspired by the beauty and purity associated with freshly fallen snow, making it a fitting choice for a newborn child.
One of the earliest known historical references to the name Eira can be found in the ancient Welsh text known as the "Mabinogion," a collection of prose stories from the 12th and 13th centuries. This literary work contains tales of Welsh mythology and folklore, suggesting that the name Eira was in use during this time period and held cultural significance.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Eira. One prominent example is Eira Fukushima (1902-1995), a Japanese artist and printmaker known for her intricate woodblock prints depicting traditional Japanese scenes and landscapes. Another individual of note is Eira Vielhomme (1899-1942), a French resistance fighter who played a crucial role in the French Resistance during World War II, risking her life to aid Allied forces.
In the field of literature, Eira Stenberg (1884-1942) was a renowned Finnish author and playwright who gained recognition for her works exploring themes of feminism and social issues. Additionally, Eira Sørensen (1918-2007) was a Danish painter and ceramicist whose works are celebrated for their bold use of color and abstract expressionist style.
The name Eira has also graced the stage, with Eira Jones (1939-2021) being a Welsh actress and singer who had a successful career spanning both theater and television. Her performances in productions such as "Under Milk Wood" and "The House of Bernarda Alba" earned her critical acclaim.
These examples illustrate the diverse backgrounds and achievements of individuals who have carried the name Eira throughout history, highlighting its enduring appeal and the rich cultural heritage it represents.
People
Eira + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Eira as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with E
Other first names starting with E with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Eira: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Eira?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 755 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Eira 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 453,979 US residents.
Is Eira a common name?
We classify Eira as "Very Rare". It ranks above 88.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 762 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Eira most popular?
The single biggest year for Eira was 2022, when 80 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Eira is about 9 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Eira in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 674 people with the name Eira, or 0.22 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #16,648 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 Eira 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 Eira?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Eira leans strongly female. 657 people counted with this name were female (97.9%), compared with 14 male bearers (2.1%). 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 Eira?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Eira is Hispanic at 42.4%. The next largest groups are White (32.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (17.4%). 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 Eira most often in the Census?
Hispanic is the largest reported group for people named Eira in the 2020 Census, accounting for 42.4% (286 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 Eira in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Eira a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Eira 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 Eira still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Eira 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 Eira 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 Eira as a first name?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans are named Eira on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.