Ramata
A feminine name of Mandinka origin meaning "good, excellent, or virtuous".
Name Census estimates that about 172 living Americans carry the first name Ramata. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Ramata today is around 14 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ramata births was 2010 (13 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ramata. 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 Ramata with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
172
~ 1 in 1,992,758 Americans
Peak year
2010
13 babies that year
Average age
14
years old
2024 SSA rank
#14,840
Tracked since 1993
Census
Ramata in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 325 people with the first name Ramata, which placed it at #27,889 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
#27,889
National first-name rank
People counted
325
325 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
95.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ramata
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Ramata is Black at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.2%) and Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Ramata 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 Ramata at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American95.7% · 311
- Two or more races2.2% · 7
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 6
- White0.3% · 1
Popularity
Ramata: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ramata from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 82 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Ramata remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ramata 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 Ramata during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Ramatas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Ramata
The given name Ramata has its origins in the Fula language spoken by the Fulani people of West Africa. The name likely emerged in the 13th or 14th century during the height of the ancient Fulani Empire which spanned across modern-day Guinea, Senegal, Mali, and Nigeria.
Ramata is derived from the Fula word "rama" which means "to trust" or "to have faith". It is a feminine name that conveys a sense of trust, reliability, and faithfulness. In the Fulani culture, names often carry deep spiritual and cultural significance, reflecting the values and beliefs of the community.
While there are no known direct references to the name Ramata in ancient texts or religious scriptures, it has been a popular name among the Fulani people for centuries. Some of the earliest recorded examples of the name can be traced back to the 16th century, during the reign of the Denianke dynasty in the Futa Jallon region of present-day Guinea.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Ramata. One of the earliest recorded figures was Ramata Diallo (1530-1590), a respected Fulani scholar and Islamic teacher who played a significant role in the spread of education and Islamic teachings in the region.
Another prominent figure was Ramata Touré (1768-1842), a Fulani princess and military leader who led her people's resistance against the French colonial expansion in present-day Mali. Her bravery and leadership skills earned her the respect and admiration of her people.
In the 19th century, Ramata Laye (1820-1890) was a renowned Fulani poet and storyteller whose works celebrated the rich cultural heritage of her people. Her poems and tales continue to be passed down through generations, preserving the Fulani oral tradition.
More recently, Ramata Diakité (1920-2005) was a Malian writer and activist who fought for women's rights and education in her country. Her work shed light on the challenges faced by women in traditional Fulani society and advocated for their empowerment.
Ramata Bakayoko (1945-2021) was a Ivorian politician and diplomat who served as the Minister of Women, Family, and Child Protection in Côte d'Ivoire. She was a prominent figure in promoting gender equality and women's rights in her country and across West Africa.
While the name Ramata has its roots in the Fulani culture of West Africa, it has gained popularity in various parts of the world, transcending cultural and linguistic boundaries. Its meaning and rich historical significance continue to resonate with people from diverse backgrounds.
People
Ramata + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ramata as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with R
Other first names starting with R with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Ramata: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ramata?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 172 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ramata 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 1,992,758 US residents.
Is Ramata a common name?
We classify Ramata as "Very Rare". It ranks above 72.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 174 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ramata most popular?
The single biggest year for Ramata was 2010, when 13 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ramata 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 Ramata in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 325 people with the name Ramata, or 0.11 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #27,889 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 Ramata 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 Ramata?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Ramata appears almost entirely female. Of the 322 people counted with this name, 99.1% 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 Ramata?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Ramata is Black at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.2%) and Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Ramata most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Ramata in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.7% (311 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 Ramata in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Ramata a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ramata 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 Ramata still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Ramata 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 Ramata 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 have the name Ramata?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.