Sansa
A feminine name of uncertain meaning, possibly Germanic in origin.
Name Census estimates that about 242 living Americans carry the first name Sansa. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Sansa today is around 7 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Sansa births was 2018 (30 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Sansa. 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 Sansa with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
242
~ 1 in 1,416,340 Americans
Peak year
2018
30 babies that year
Average age
7
years old
2024 SSA rank
#7,508
Tracked since 2013
Popularity
Sansa: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Sansa from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 147 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Sansa remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Sansa 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 Sansa during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Sansas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Sansa
The name Sansa is believed to have originated from the Sanskrit language, which is an ancient Indo-Aryan language that was spoken in the Indian subcontinent. The earliest known record of the name Sansa dates back to the 5th century BCE, where it was mentioned in the Hindu sacred texts known as the Vedas.
In Sanskrit, the word "sansa" means "praise" or "celebration," and it was often used as a name for girls born during auspicious or celebratory occasions. The name was particularly popular among the Brahmin caste, which was the highest caste in the Hindu social hierarchy.
One of the earliest known historical figures to bear the name Sansa was Sansa Devi, a Hindu princess who lived in the 7th century CE. She was known for her beauty and intelligence, and was married to the famous king Harsha of the Pushyabhuti dynasty.
Another notable historical figure named Sansa was Sansa Devi Solanki, who was a queen of the Solanki dynasty in the 11th century CE. She was known for her patronage of the arts and literature, and was responsible for the construction of several temples and monuments in the city of Patan, which is now located in the state of Gujarat in India.
In the 12th century CE, there was a famous Buddhist scholar named Sansa Vamsa, who was born in the kingdom of Pagan, which is now located in modern-day Myanmar. He was known for his writings on Buddhist philosophy and his contributions to the spread of Buddhism in Southeast Asia.
During the 16th century, there was a Hindu saint named Sansa Bai, who was a devotee of the Hindu deity Lord Krishna. She was known for her devotional songs and her teachings on the importance of love and devotion in spiritual practice.
Another notable figure named Sansa was Sansa Rama Rao, who was a famous Indian actress and politician who lived in the 20th century. She was born in 1936 and was known for her roles in several popular Indian films, as well as her work as a politician and social activist.
Overall, the name Sansa has a rich and fascinating history that spans several centuries and cultures. While its origins can be traced back to ancient Sanskrit, the name has been embraced and celebrated by people from various religious and cultural backgrounds throughout history.
People
Sansa + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Sansa 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
Sansa: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Sansa?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 242 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Sansa 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 1,416,340 US residents.
Is Sansa a common name?
We classify Sansa as "Very Rare". It ranks above 76.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 244 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Sansa most popular?
The single biggest year for Sansa was 2018, when 30 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Sansa is about 7 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Sansa in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Sansa a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Sansa 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 Sansa still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Sansa 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 Sansa 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have the name Sansa?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.