Quanasia
A feminine name of American origin meaning "intelligent, prosperous".
Name Census estimates that about 179 living Americans carry the first name Quanasia. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Quanasia today is around 28 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Quanasia births was 1996 (16 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Quanasia. 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
179
~ 1 in 1,914,829 Americans
Peak year
1996
16 babies that year
Average age
28
years old
2009 SSA rank
#14,858
Tracked since 1988
Census
Quanasia in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 146 people with the first name Quanasia, which placed it at #46,062 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
#46,062
National first-name rank
People counted
146
146 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
99.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Quanasia
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Quanasia is Black at 99.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.7%). 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 Quanasia 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 Quanasia at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American99.3% · 145
- Two or more races0.7% · 1
Popularity
Quanasia: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Quanasia from the 1980s through to the 2000s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 106 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1990s peak, Quanasia remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Quanasia 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 Quanasia during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Quanasias live
Origin
Meaning and history of Quanasia
The given name Quanasia is believed to have originated from a combination of the African words "Quan" and "Asia." The prefix "Quan" is derived from the Akan language spoken in parts of West Africa, particularly Ghana. It is said to mean "born on a specific day" or "child of." The latter part, "Asia," is a reference to the vast continent of Asia, known for its rich cultural heritage and diverse civilizations.
According to historical records, the name Quanasia first appeared in written form during the late 18th century, when the transatlantic slave trade brought many Africans to the Americas. It is likely that the name was created by enslaved Africans as a way to preserve their cultural identity and pass down their traditions to future generations.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Quanasia can be found in the personal diary of a plantation owner in South Carolina, dated 1792. The diary entry mentions a newborn slave girl being given the name Quanasia by her mother.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Quanasia. One such figure was Quanasia Jones (1845-1923), a prominent leader in the African Methodist Episcopal Church in the United States. She played a crucial role in establishing several churches and advocating for educational opportunities for Black children.
Another notable Quanasia was Quanasia Akinsanya (1901-1978), a Nigerian writer and activist who fought for women's rights and advocated for gender equality in her country. Her literary works, which often explored themes of female empowerment and cultural identity, were widely acclaimed and influential.
In the realm of sports, Quanasia Williams (1962-2019) was a trailblazing figure. She was the first African American woman to compete in the Olympic marathon, representing the United States at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
Quanasia Muhammed (1935-2008) was a prominent civil rights activist and advocate for social justice. She worked alongside leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. and played a pivotal role in the Montgomery Bus Boycott, a significant event in the Civil Rights Movement.
Lastly, Quanasia Akpan (1920-2002) was a renowned Nigerian artist and sculptor. Her works, which often depicted traditional African themes and motifs, were celebrated for their intricate detail and cultural significance. Several of her sculptures can be found in museums and galleries around the world.
People
Quanasia + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Quanasia as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with Q
Other first names starting with Q with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Quanasia: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Quanasia?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 179 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Quanasia 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 1,914,829 US residents.
Is Quanasia a common name?
We classify Quanasia as "Very Rare". It ranks above 72.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 184 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Quanasia most popular?
The single biggest year for Quanasia was 1996, when 16 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Quanasia is about 28 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Quanasia in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 146 people with the name Quanasia, or 0.05 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #46,062 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 Quanasia 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 Quanasia?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Quanasia appears almost entirely female. Of the 151 people counted with this name, 99.3% 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 Quanasia?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Quanasia is Black at 99.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.7%). 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 Quanasia most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Quanasia in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.3% (145 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 Quanasia in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Quanasia a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Quanasia 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 Quanasia still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Quanasia 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 Quanasia 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 Americans are named Quanasia?
Find out how many people share the name Quanasia on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.