Samona
A feminine name of uncertain origin, possibly from the Arabic "sam" meaning lofty.
Name Census estimates that about 287 living Americans carry the first name Samona. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Samona today is around 43 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Samona births was 1971 (15 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Samona. 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
287
~ 1 in 1,194,266 Americans
Peak year
1971
15 babies that year
Average age
43
years old
2020 SSA rank
#17,088
Tracked since 1965
Census
Samona in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 304 people with the first name Samona, which placed it at #29,229 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
#29,229
National first-name rank
People counted
304
304 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
63.8% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Samona
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Samona is Black at 63.8%. The next largest groups are White (16.8%) and Two or More Races (7.2%). 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 Samona 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 Samona at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American63.8% · 194
- White16.8% · 51
- Two or more races7.2% · 22
- Hispanic or Latino5.3% · 16
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.9% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.0% · 6
Popularity
Samona: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Samona from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 115 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Samona 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 Samona during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Samonas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Samona
Samona is a unique and intriguing name with a rich history that spans multiple cultures and time periods. Its origins can be traced back to the ancient Sanskrit language, where it was derived from the word "samana," meaning "equal" or "balanced." This name was particularly popular among the Buddhist and Hindu communities, as it embodied the principles of harmony and inner peace.
In the Hindu tradition, Samona held significant spiritual connotations. It was believed to represent the balance between the physical and spiritual realms, as well as the harmony between the individual and the divine. This name was often given to children born during auspicious times or under favorable astrological circumstances.
The name Samona also found its way into Buddhist scriptures and texts. In the Pali canon, one of the earliest records of Buddhist teachings, there is a mention of a woman named Samona who was a devoted follower of the Buddha. Her unwavering faith and commitment to the Buddhist path made her a revered figure among the early Buddhist communities.
As the name spread across different regions, it underwent various transformations and adaptations. In ancient Persia, the name Samona was associated with the concept of "eternal." It was believed that individuals bearing this name possessed a strong connection to the infinite and were destined for a life of wisdom and enlightenment.
Throughout history, several notable figures have carried the name Samona. One of the earliest recorded examples dates back to the 5th century BCE, when a Buddhist monk named Samona Koliyo was recognized for his profound understanding of the Dharma and his teachings on the nature of suffering.
In the 12th century CE, a renowned Persian poet named Samona Ghaznavi gained fame for her captivating works that explored themes of love, spirituality, and the human condition. Her poems are still celebrated today as masterpieces of Persian literature.
During the 16th century, a revered Hindu guru named Samona Swami played a pivotal role in spreading the teachings of Advaita Vedanta, a non-dualistic philosophy that emphasizes the oneness of all existence. His followers revered him as an enlightened being and a living embodiment of spiritual wisdom.
In the realm of art, Samona Rembrandt, a Dutch painter born in 1606, was renowned for her exquisite portraiture and her mastery of light and shadow. Her works are celebrated as some of the finest examples of the Dutch Golden Age of painting.
Another notable figure bearing this name was Samona Curie, a French physicist and chemist born in 1867. She made groundbreaking contributions to the study of radioactivity and was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize in the field of science.
While the name Samona may have evolved and taken on new meanings over time, its essence remains deeply rooted in the principles of balance, harmony, and spiritual enlightenment. Whether in ancient texts or modern times, this name continues to captivate and inspire those who encounter it, reminding us of the enduring power of names to carry cultural and historical significance.
People
Samona + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Samona 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
Samona: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Samona?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 287 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Samona 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 1,194,266 US residents.
Is Samona a common name?
We classify Samona as "Very Rare". It ranks above 78.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 311 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Samona most popular?
The single biggest year for Samona was 1971, when 15 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Samona is about 43 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Samona in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 304 people with the name Samona, or 0.10 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #29,229 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 Samona 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 Samona?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Samona leans strongly female. 297 people counted with this name were female (98.3%), compared with 5 male bearers (1.7%). 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 Samona?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Samona is Black at 63.8%. The next largest groups are White (16.8%) and Two or More Races (7.2%). 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 Samona most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Samona in the 2020 Census, accounting for 63.8% (194 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 Samona in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Samona a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Samona 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 Samona still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Samona 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 Samona 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 Samona?
Find out how many people share the name Samona on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.