Utha
A feminine name of Sanskrit origin meaning "light" or "rising sun".
Name Census estimates that about 1 living Americans carry the first name Utha. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Utha today is around 99 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Utha births was 1933 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Utha. 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.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Utha is about 99 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Uthas were born before 1937.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Utha. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
1
~ 1 in 342,754,338 Americans
Peak year
1933
7 babies that year
Average age
99
years old
1933 SSA rank
#3,717
Tracked since 1921
Popularity
Utha: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Utha from the 1920s through to the 1930s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 16 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1920s peak, Utha remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Utha 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 Utha during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Utha
The name Utha is believed to have originated from the Sanskrit language, which was prevalent in ancient India. The earliest known use of this name can be traced back to the Vedic period, which spanned from around 1500 BCE to 500 BCE. Utha is derived from the Sanskrit word "uttha," which means "risen" or "elevated."
In Hindu mythology, Utha is mentioned as the name of a warrior who fought alongside the Pandavas in the epic Mahabharata. This ancient text, dated to around the 8th or 9th century BCE, is considered one of the most significant works in Sanskrit literature.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Utha was a Sanskrit scholar and poet who lived in the 7th century CE. He is renowned for his contributions to the study of Sanskrit grammar and poetry. Unfortunately, little is known about his personal life or exact birth and death dates.
Another notable figure named Utha was a Buddhist monk who lived in the 11th century CE. He was a prominent figure in the Theravada Buddhist tradition and is credited with establishing several monasteries in modern-day Myanmar (formerly Burma). His teachings and writings had a significant impact on the spread of Buddhism in Southeast Asia.
In the 13th century, there was a Persian poet and mystic named Utha who gained recognition for his spiritual poetry and devotional works. He was associated with the Sufi tradition and is believed to have been born in the city of Shiraz, present-day Iran, in the year 1218 CE. The exact date of his death is unknown.
During the 16th century, there was an Indian ruler named Utha Singh who ruled over the princely state of Marwar (present-day Jodhpur, Rajasthan) from 1583 to 1595 CE. He was known for his military campaigns and for strengthening the fortifications of his kingdom.
In more recent history, there was an Indian freedom fighter named Utha Devi who actively participated in the Indian independence movement against British colonial rule. She was born in 1905 and was imprisoned several times for her involvement in protests and civil disobedience campaigns.
While the name Utha is not as common today, it still holds cultural and historical significance, particularly in regions where Sanskrit and ancient Indian traditions have had a lasting influence.
People
Utha + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Utha as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with U
Other first names starting with U with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Utha: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Utha?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Utha 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 342,754,338 US residents.
Is Utha a common name?
We classify Utha as "Very Rare". It ranks above 3.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 23 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Utha most popular?
The single biggest year for Utha was 1933, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Utha is about 99 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 Utha in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Utha a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Utha 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 Utha still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Utha 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 Utha 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 share the name Utha?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.