Halona
A feminine name of Polynesian origin meaning "beautiful ornament".
Name Census estimates that about 357 living Americans carry the first name Halona. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Halona today is around 25 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Halona births was 2006 (17 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Halona. 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
357
~ 1 in 960,096 Americans
Peak year
2006
17 babies that year
Average age
25
years old
2024 SSA rank
#9,122
Tracked since 1970
Census
Halona in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 308 people with the first name Halona, which placed it at #28,952 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
#28,952
National first-name rank
People counted
308
308 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
35.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Halona
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Halona is White at 35.4%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (20.5%) and Two or More Races (14.9%). 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 Halona 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 Halona at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White35.4% · 109
- American Indian and Alaska Native20.5% · 63
- Two or more races14.9% · 46
- Hispanic or Latino11.4% · 35
- Black or African American11.0% · 34
- Asian and Pacific Islander6.8% · 21
Popularity
Halona: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Halona from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 108 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Halona remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Halona 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 Halona during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Halona
The name Halona is thought to have originated from the Hawaiian language, with its roots tracing back to the Polynesian cultures of the Pacific Islands. The name is believed to be derived from the word "halo," which means peace or tranquility, and "na," which is a grammatical particle used to indicate possession or association.
In Hawaiian culture, names often carry deep symbolic meanings and are chosen to reflect desired qualities or characteristics for the child. The name Halona may have been bestowed upon individuals with the intention of bringing a sense of peace and calmness into their lives or to represent a connection to the serene natural surroundings of the Hawaiian islands.
While the exact time period for the name's origin is uncertain, it is likely that Halona has been used as a given name in Hawaii and other Polynesian societies for centuries, reflecting the rich cultural traditions and linguistic heritage of these regions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Halona can be found in the historical accounts of Hawaiian chieftains and nobility. Halona Kailikapuuwai, a high-ranking chieftess who lived in the late 18th century, was a prominent figure in Hawaiian history and played a significant role in the political affairs of her time.
Another notable figure bearing the name Halona was Halona Kalama, a Hawaiian poet and composer who lived in the 19th century. Her works were celebrated for their eloquence and captured the essence of Hawaiian life and traditions.
In the realm of literature, the name Halona appeared in the classic Hawaiian novel "The Bird of Dawning" by John Dominis Holt, published in 1888. The novel features a character named Halona, whose story is intertwined with the rich cultural tapestry of Hawaii.
Moving forward in time, Halona Kaipo was a Hawaiian activist and educator who dedicated her life to preserving and promoting the Hawaiian language and culture in the early 20th century. Her efforts played a crucial role in revitalizing and perpetuating the Hawaiian heritage.
Another notable figure with the name Halona was Halona Norton-Westbrook, an acclaimed Hawaiian singer and musician who gained popularity in the latter half of the 20th century. Her melodic voice and mastery of traditional Hawaiian music earned her widespread acclaim and recognition.
While the name Halona may not be as widely used in modern times, its historical significance and connection to the vibrant Polynesian cultures continue to make it a cherished and meaningful name within these communities and beyond.
People
Halona + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Halona as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with H
Other first names starting with H with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Halona: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Halona?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 357 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Halona 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 960,096 US residents.
Is Halona a common name?
We classify Halona as "Very Rare". It ranks above 81.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 370 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Halona most popular?
The single biggest year for Halona was 2006, when 17 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Halona is about 25 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Halona in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 308 people with the name Halona, or 0.10 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #28,952 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 Halona 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 Halona?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Halona leans strongly female. 301 people counted with this name were female (98.0%), compared with 6 male bearers (2.0%). 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 Halona?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Halona is White at 35.4%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (20.5%) and Two or More Races (14.9%). 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 Halona most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Halona in the 2020 Census, accounting for 35.4% (109 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 Halona in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Halona a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Halona 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 Halona still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Halona 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 Halona 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 named Halona?
Want to know how many people share the name Halona? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.