Era
A feminine name from Latin meaning "beginning of an epoch".
Name Census estimates that about 1,389 living Americans carry the first name Era. It is a predominantly female name (99.1% of registrations). The average person named Era today is around 43 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Era births was 1916 (157 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Era. 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 Era with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Although Era is used almost entirely for girls, the SSA data does show 54 boys registered with the name since 1880.
People living today
1.4K
~ 1 in 246,763 Americans
Peak year
1916
157 babies that year
Average age
43
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,890
Tracked since 1880
Census
Era in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,682 people with the first name Era, which placed it at #8,594 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
#8,594
National first-name rank
People counted
1.7K
1,682 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.6
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
57.0% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Era
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Era is White at 57.0%. The next largest groups are Black (22.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (10.0%). 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 Era 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 Era at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White57.0% · 959
- Black or African American22.7% · 381
- Asian and Pacific Islander10.0% · 168
- Hispanic or Latino6.0% · 101
- Two or more races3.3% · 55
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 18
Gender
Gender distribution for Era
Out of the 5,944 babies given the name Era since 1880, 99.1% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Era as a male name
- Ranked #9,221 in 2024
- 8 male births in 2024
- Peak: 1920 (10 births)
Era as a female name
- Ranked #2,890 in 2024
- 57 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1916 (157 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Era leans strongly female. 1,596 people counted with this name were female (95.0%), compared with 84 male bearers (5.0%).
Popularity
Era: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Era from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1910s, with 1,219 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1910s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Era 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 Era during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Eras live
The SSA's state-level files cover 16 states and territories. Alabama, Texas, Georgia recorded the most babies named Era, while New Jersey, Michigan, Florida recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 162 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Era
The name Era is believed to have its origins in the Latin language, derived from the word "aera," which referred to a specific period or era of time. This name likely emerged during the Roman era, as the concept of marking time by distinct eras gained prominence.
In ancient Roman culture, the term "aera" was used to denote significant historical events or epochs, such as the founding of Rome or the reign of a particular emperor. As a result, the name Era may have been bestowed upon individuals born during notable periods or to commemorate specific historical milestones.
Early records of the name Era can be traced back to ancient Roman inscriptions and manuscripts, where it appeared as a personal name or surname. However, the name's usage was relatively rare, as it carried a more symbolic or metaphorical meaning rather than being a conventional given name.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Era was a Roman priestess mentioned in the writings of the historian Livy, who lived in the 1st century BC. She was said to have played a significant role in religious ceremonies during her time.
In the 4th century AD, there was a Christian martyr named Era who was persecuted and executed for her faith during the reign of the Roman emperor Diocletian. Her story and martyrdom were documented in various early Christian texts, further contributing to the name's recognition.
During the Middle Ages, the name Era resurfaced sporadically in various European regions, particularly in Italy and Spain. One notable bearer of the name was Era of Cîteaux, a 12th-century French nun and abbess who played a crucial role in the reform of the Cistercian order.
In the 16th century, Era Rykaczewska was a Polish noblewoman and landowner who became known for her involvement in political affairs and her support for the rights of the Polish gentry.
Another historical figure named Era was Era Novello, an Italian composer and organist who lived in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. She was one of the few female composers of her time and is renowned for her sacred music compositions.
While the name Era has remained relatively uncommon throughout history, its unique origin and connection to the concept of time and historical eras have contributed to its enduring presence and occasional usage across various cultures and time periods.
People
Era + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Era 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
Era: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Era?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,389 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Era 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 246,763 US residents.
Is Era a common name?
We classify Era as "Rare". It ranks above 92% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5,944 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Era most popular?
The single biggest year for Era was 1916, when 157 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Era is about 43 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Era in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,682 people with the name Era, or 0.56 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #8,594 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 Era 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 Era?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Era leans strongly female. 1,596 people counted with this name were female (95.0%), compared with 84 male bearers (5.0%). 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 Era?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Era is White at 57.0%. The next largest groups are Black (22.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (10.0%). 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 Era most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Era in the 2020 Census, accounting for 57.0% (959 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 Era in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Era a female name?
Yes, 99.1% of people registered as Era 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 Era still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Era 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 Era 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 share the name Era?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.