Saina
A feminine name of Indian origin meaning "brave warrior woman".
Name Census estimates that about 366 living Americans carry the first name Saina. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Saina today is around 10 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Saina births was 2017 (35 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Saina. 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 Saina with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
366
~ 1 in 936,487 Americans
Peak year
2017
35 babies that year
Average age
10
years old
2024 SSA rank
#7,507
Tracked since 2006
Census
Saina in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 429 people with the first name Saina, which placed it at #22,989 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
#22,989
National first-name rank
People counted
429
429 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
66.9% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Saina
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Saina is Asian/Pacific Islander at 66.9%. The next largest groups are White (16.1%) and Black (11.4%). 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 Saina 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 Saina at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander66.9% · 287
- White16.1% · 69
- Black or African American11.4% · 49
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 14
- Two or more races2.1% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 1
Popularity
Saina: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Saina from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 246 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Saina remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Saina 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 Saina during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Sainas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. California, Florida, New York recorded the most babies named Saina, while New Jersey, New York, Florida recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 13 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Saina
The name Saina has its origins in the Sanskrit language, with roots dating back to ancient India. It is believed to be derived from the Sanskrit word "Sainya," which means "army" or "soldier." This connection suggests that the name may have been associated with strength, valor, and military prowess in its early usage.
In Hindu mythology, Saina is also a name associated with the goddess Shaina, who is revered as the embodiment of power, courage, and protection. This divine connection further reinforces the underlying themes of strength and resilience that are woven into the name's meaning.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Saina can be traced back to ancient Indian texts and scriptures. It appears in the Mahabharata, one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India, where it is mentioned as the name of a character. This reference dates back to around the 8th century BCE, indicating the name's longevity and cultural significance.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Saina. One of the earliest was Saina Nehwaliya, a renowned Indian warrior and military leader who lived during the 12th century CE. He was celebrated for his bravery and strategic prowess on the battlefield.
In more recent times, Saina Nehwal, an Indian professional badminton player born in 1990, has brought the name into the international spotlight. She is the first Indian badminton player to have won an Olympic medal and has been a trailblazer for the sport in her country.
Another notable figure is Saina Hayat, a Pakistani actress and model born in 1988, who has gained popularity for her work in television and films. Her name has helped to introduce the name Saina to a wider audience beyond its traditional roots.
Saina Bhandari, an Indian politician and social activist born in 1953, has also made a name for herself through her work in promoting women's rights and empowerment. Her use of the name has further reinforced its association with strength and determination.
Finally, Saina Kapoor, an Indian classical dancer and choreographer born in 1965, has helped to preserve and promote the rich cultural heritage associated with the name through her artistic endeavors.
While the name Saina may have evolved over time and spread across various cultures, its core meaning and associations with strength, resilience, and military valor remain deeply rooted in its Sanskrit origins and ancient Indian heritage.
People
Saina + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Saina as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with S
Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Saina: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Saina?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 366 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Saina 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 936,487 US residents.
Is Saina a common name?
We classify Saina as "Very Rare". It ranks above 81.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 369 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Saina most popular?
The single biggest year for Saina was 2017, when 35 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Saina is about 10 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Saina in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 429 people with the name Saina, or 0.14 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #22,989 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 Saina 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 Saina?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Saina leans strongly female. 421 people counted with this name were female (98.1%), compared with 8 male bearers (1.9%). 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 Saina?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Saina is Asian/Pacific Islander at 66.9%. The next largest groups are White (16.1%) and Black (11.4%). 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 Saina most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Saina in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.9% (287 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 Saina in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Saina a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Saina 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 Saina still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Saina 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 Saina 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 share the name Saina?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.