Yanae
A Japanese feminine name perhaps meaning "willow" or "valley".
Name Census estimates that about 49 living Americans carry the first name Yanae. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Yanae today is around 21 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Yanae births was 1999 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Yanae. 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
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Yanae. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
49
~ 1 in 6,994,986 Americans
Peak year
1999
7 babies that year
Average age
21
years old
2015 SSA rank
#19,001
Tracked since 1992
Popularity
Yanae: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Yanae from the 1990s through to the 2010s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 21 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Yanae 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 Yanae 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 Yanae
The name Yanae has its roots in Japanese culture and etymology. It is believed to have originated from the combination of two Japanese words: "ya" meaning "arrow" and "nae" meaning "to give birth" or "to produce." This suggests that the name may have been associated with fertility, new life, or the concept of nurturing.
In ancient Japanese folklore and mythology, arrows were often symbolic representations of strength, protection, and guidance. Combining this symbolism with the idea of giving birth or producing new life creates a powerful imagery that could have been the inspiration behind the name Yanae.
Records of the name's usage date back to the 8th century CE in Japan, during the Nara period. It was primarily given to girls born into noble families or those with ties to the imperial court. Some historical texts from this era mention women named Yanae serving as ladies-in-waiting or courtiers in the imperial palace.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Yanae can be found in the "Nihon Shoki," an ancient chronicle of Japan dating back to the 8th century CE. It mentions a woman named Yanae no Sukune, who was a celebrated poet and calligrapher during the Nara period.
Throughout Japanese history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Yanae:
1. Yanae Naganori (1141-1206 CE), a renowned Buddhist monk and poet of the late Heian period.
2. Yanae Yasumasa (1592-1630 CE), a skilled samurai and military strategist who served under the Tokugawa shogunate during the Edo period.
3. Yanae Sakiko (1866-1944 CE), a pioneering educator and advocate for women's rights in the Meiji and Taisho eras.
4. Yanae Sumiko (1907-1985 CE), a celebrated author and translator known for her works exploring themes of gender and identity.
5. Yanae Keiko (born 1937 CE), a respected artist and printmaker, renowned for her woodblock prints depicting traditional Japanese themes.
While the name Yanae has its roots in ancient Japanese culture, it has also gained popularity in other parts of the world, particularly among those with an appreciation for Japanese language and aesthetics.
People
Yanae + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Yanae as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with Y
Other first names starting with Y with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Yanae: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Yanae?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 49 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Yanae 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 6,994,986 US residents.
Is Yanae a common name?
We classify Yanae as "Very Rare". It ranks above 54% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 50 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Yanae most popular?
The single biggest year for Yanae was 1999, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Yanae is about 21 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 Yanae in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Yanae a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Yanae 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 Yanae still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Yanae 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 Yanae 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 common is the name Yanae?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.