Uma
Feminine
Uma is a name of Parvati, Shiva's consort, and the traditional explanation for it is a piece of wordplay so direct that it reads as a joke: her mother, watching her undertake extreme austerities, is supposed to have said u ma — oh, do not.
How old is the name Uma?
Uma first appears in US birth records in 1961 — 64 years ago. The typical Uma alive today was born around 2012, making them about 13 years old. About 1,900 people named Uma are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Uma most popular?
Uma peaked in 2006, reaching #2328 nationally. Today it ranks #2998, 670 places below that high. See the whole 2006 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
The story of Uma
Uma is one of the names of Parvati, the mountain goddess and consort of Shiva, and the story attached to it is about her austerities: she undertakes them to win him, and the exclamation is her mother's. Whether the name came from the story or the story from the name is the usual question with folk etymologies, and Sanskrit commentators were quite comfortable with either. It is in ordinary use across India, particularly in the south, and it reaches United States records with Indian families.
Meaningnot established
Not established
The traditional derivation from the exclamation u ma, 'oh, do not', is a pun of the kind Sanskrit literature enjoys rather than a genuine etymology, and it is recorded as such. Sanskrit uma is also an ordinary word for flax or turmeric, and for light or splendor, and any of those could be the source. Modern Hebrew has a separate uma meaning a nation. Nothing is settled.
Pronouncing Uma
OO-mah
Two syllables, stress on the first, with a long oo and an open final a. English speakers say it correctly at first sight, which very few Sanskrit names allow.
Nicknames for Uma
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1961
- Most girls named
- 200681 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #2328reached in 2006
- Change vs 2024
- −12.7%55 in 2025, from 63
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Uma in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- उमा in Sanskrit — transliteration
- Uma in Tamil — same name
- Uma in Hindi — same name
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, New York, Texas.
Umas among us
people named Uma are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 29,223 born in 2025 was named Uma
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Raynell test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Uma's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Raynell climbed just as high around 1948, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Raynell's path sketches the road Uma is walking now.
Uma sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Uma is headed
Uma should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
High confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Uma beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Uma in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- Three letters, two syllables, and said correctly by everyone without being told.
- A major goddess and a very widely used Indian name behind it.
- Short and open, which pairs well with a long or complicated surname.
- Its meaning is genuinely unsettled and the traditional explanation is a pun.
- It is very short and may read as an initial or an abbreviation on forms.
- In Japanese it is the word for a horse, which comes up occasionally.
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What they receive
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Uma
Feminine · #2998 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Umas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 1,900 people named Uma are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Uma in 2025?
- Uma ranks #2998 among US girl names in 2025, with 55 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Uma?
- About 1 in every 29,223 US girls born in 2025 was named Uma — 55 in all.
- Will my child share the name Uma with classmates?
- Uma will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Uma
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Imara#2998 · Aniston#2998 · Hilda#2998 · Leiana#2998 · Amna#2998 · Halia#2998 · Kassie#2998 · Alize#2998
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Uma? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Uma and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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