Mahina
Hawaiian feminine name meaning moon or lunar.
Name Census estimates that about 641 living Americans carry the first name Mahina. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Mahina today is around 14 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Mahina births was 2022 (53 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Mahina. 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
641
~ 1 in 534,718 Americans
Peak year
2022
53 babies that year
Average age
14
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,672
Tracked since 1974
Census
Mahina in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 492 people with the first name Mahina, which placed it at #20,854 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
#20,854
National first-name rank
People counted
492
492 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Two or more races
33.5% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mahina
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Mahina is Two or More Races at 33.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (32.9%) and Hispanic (20.3%). 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 Mahina 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 Mahina at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Two or more races33.5% · 165
- Asian and Pacific Islander32.9% · 162
- Hispanic or Latino20.3% · 100
- White11.4% · 56
- Black or African American1.4% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 2
Popularity
Mahina: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Mahina 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 227 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
Mahina 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 Mahina during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Mahinas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Mahina
The name Mahina originates from the Hawaiian language and culture. It is derived from the Hawaiian word "mahina," which means "moon." The name is believed to have been in use since ancient times in Hawaii, as the moon played a significant role in Hawaiian mythology and traditions.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Mahina can be found in the Hawaiian creation chant, the Kumulipo. This ancient chant, which dates back to the 18th century or earlier, references the moon and its various phases, including the word "mahina."
In Hawaiian mythology, the moon goddess Mahina was revered as the embodiment of the moon and its cycles. She was often depicted as a beautiful woman with long, flowing hair, representing the moon's changing phases. The name Mahina was given to children in hopes that they would possess the beauty and grace associated with the moon goddess.
One of the earliest known individuals with the name Mahina was Mahina Kekauilani (c. 1780-1825), a high chiefess and member of the Hawaiian royal family during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. She was known for her intelligence and political influence during a time of significant change in Hawaiian society.
Another notable figure was Mahina Ihu (c. 1815-1890), a Hawaiian historian and genealogist who was instrumental in preserving the oral traditions and genealogies of the Hawaiian people. Her work has been invaluable in understanding the history and culture of ancient Hawaii.
In the late 19th century, Mahina Kailikapua (1856-1924) was a Hawaiian musician and composer known for her beautiful and haunting melodies. She played a significant role in the preservation of Hawaiian music during a time when Western influences were becoming more prominent.
Princess Mahina Kekaulike (1896-1942) was a member of the Hawaiian royal family and a prominent advocate for Hawaiian rights and culture in the early 20th century. She played a key role in the Hawaiian Renaissance, a movement aimed at reviving and preserving Hawaiian language, arts, and traditions.
More recently, Mahina Tutuvatu-Schwalger (born 1982) is a Tongan-Australian artist and activist known for her work promoting environmental conservation and indigenous rights. She has been recognized for her efforts in raising awareness about the impact of climate change on Pacific Island nations.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who have carried the name Mahina throughout history, each contributing to the rich cultural heritage and traditions associated with this name of Hawaiian origin.
People
Mahina + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Mahina as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with M
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Mahina: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Mahina?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 641 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Mahina 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 534,718 US residents.
Is Mahina a common name?
We classify Mahina as "Very Rare". It ranks above 86.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 649 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Mahina most popular?
The single biggest year for Mahina was 2022, when 53 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Mahina is about 14 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Mahina in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 492 people with the name Mahina, or 0.16 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #20,854 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 Mahina 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 Mahina?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Mahina leans strongly female. 486 people counted with this name were female (98.8%), compared with 6 male bearers (1.2%). 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 Mahina?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Mahina is Two or More Races at 33.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (32.9%) and Hispanic (20.3%). 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 Mahina most often in the Census?
Two or More Races is the largest reported group for people named Mahina in the 2020 Census, accounting for 33.5% (165 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 Mahina in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Mahina a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Mahina 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 Mahina still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Mahina 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 Mahina 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 Mahina?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.