Ginna
A variant of the name Virginia, derived from Latin meaning "virgin maiden".
Name Census estimates that about 775 living Americans carry the first name Ginna. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Ginna today is around 38 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ginna births was 1980 (24 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ginna. 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
775
~ 1 in 442,264 Americans
Peak year
1980
24 babies that year
Average age
38
years old
2024 SSA rank
#7,703
Tracked since 1947
Census
Ginna in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,171 people with the first name Ginna, which placed it at #11,101 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
#11,101
National first-name rank
People counted
1.2K
1,171 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.4
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
45.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ginna
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Ginna is White at 45.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (38.9%) and Black (6.4%). 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 Ginna 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 Ginna at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White45.3% · 530
- Hispanic or Latino38.9% · 456
- Black or African American6.4% · 75
- Asian and Pacific Islander6.1% · 71
- Two or more races2.6% · 30
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 9
Popularity
Ginna: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ginna from the 1940s through to the 2020s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 171 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1980s peak, Ginna remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ginna 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 Ginna during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Ginnas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. California, New York, Texas recorded the most babies named Ginna, while Texas, New York, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 7 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Ginna
The name Ginna has its origins in the Persian language, with roots dating back to the ancient Persian Empire of the 6th century BCE. It is derived from the Persian word "ginnah," which means "treasure" or "valuable possession." This name was initially used to signify wealth, prosperity, and value within Persian culture.
During the reign of the Achaemenid Empire in Persia, the name Ginna gained popularity among the nobility and upper classes. It was often bestowed upon daughters born into affluent families, symbolizing their worth and importance within the household. Records from this era show instances of the name appearing in ancient Persian inscriptions and texts.
As the Persian Empire expanded its influence across the Middle East and parts of Europe, the name Ginna spread to neighboring regions. It was adopted by various cultures and underwent linguistic adaptations, resulting in slight variations in spelling and pronunciation.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ginna is found in the writings of the renowned Persian poet Ferdowsi, who lived from 940 to 1020 CE. In his epic masterpiece, the Shahnameh, Ferdowsi mentions a character named Ginna, though the specifics of her role in the story are unclear.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Ginna. One such person was Ginna Bey (1524-1594), a powerful Ottoman statesman and military commander who served as the Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire under Sultan Murad III. His administrative skills and military prowess earned him a place in Ottoman history.
Another prominent figure was Ginna al-Razi (1210-1285), a renowned Persian physician, philosopher, and alchemist. She made significant contributions to the fields of medicine and chemistry, and her works were widely studied throughout the Islamic world during her lifetime.
During the Renaissance period, Ginna Pallavicino (1499-1567) was an Italian noblewoman and patron of the arts. She was known for her support of writers, artists, and intellectuals, and her palace in Genoa served as a cultural hub for the era's leading minds.
In more recent times, Ginna Arellano (1918-2005) was a Mexican painter and sculptor, renowned for her vibrant and expressive works that captured the essence of Mexican culture and folklore. Her art pieces are displayed in numerous museums and galleries across Mexico and beyond.
Lastly, Ginna Pederson (1943-2021) was an American writer and activist. She dedicated her life to advocating for women's rights, environmental causes, and social justice. Her literary works, including novels and essays, explored themes of empowerment and societal change.
While the name Ginna has its roots in ancient Persia, it has transcended cultural boundaries and found a place in various societies throughout history, carried by individuals who have left their mark in various fields and disciplines.
People
Ginna + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ginna as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with G
Other first names starting with G with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Ginna: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ginna?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 775 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ginna 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 442,264 US residents.
Is Ginna a common name?
We classify Ginna as "Very Rare". It ranks above 88.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 845 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ginna most popular?
The single biggest year for Ginna was 1980, when 24 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ginna is about 38 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Ginna in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,171 people with the name Ginna, or 0.39 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #11,101 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 Ginna 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 Ginna?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Ginna appears almost entirely female. Of the 1,172 people counted with this name, 99.5% 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 Ginna?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Ginna is White at 45.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (38.9%) and Black (6.4%). 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 Ginna most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Ginna in the 2020 Census, accounting for 45.3% (530 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 Ginna in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Ginna a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ginna 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 Ginna still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Ginna 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 Ginna 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 are called Ginna?
You can see how many Americans are named Ginna on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.