Una
Feminine · “one”
Una is Latin for one, and it is also an Irish name that has nothing to do with Latin — two separate names that English spelling collapsed into a single word.
How old is the name Una?
Una was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical Una alive today was born around 1927, making them about 98 years old. About 2,800 people named Una are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Una most popular?
Una peaked in 1890, reaching #329 nationally. Today it ranks #3211, 2,882 places below that high. See the whole 1890 chart.
Where it comes from
From Úna to Una
The story of Una
Spenser's Faerie Queene of 1590 gives Una to the heroine who represents the true church, and English readers took the name from there. Separately, Úna was a genuine Irish name of long standing, carried by figures in the medieval annals. Irish emigration brought it to America, where Una peaked around 1918.
Meaningscholars disagree
one; lamb
Two origins. The Latin una, 'one', used by Spenser for the figure of the one true faith. And the Irish Úna, of unrecovered origin, sometimes connected to uan, 'lamb', and anglicized as Una, Oona and Winifred. The two are unrelated and both are in use.
How the name formed
- Úna
- Una
Related forms: Úna · Oona · Ùna
Pronouncing Una
OO-nuh
Two syllables, stress on the first. Some English speakers say YOO-nuh, following the Latin.
Nicknames for Una
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
- 1880
- Most girls named
- 1921217 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #329reached in 1890
- Change vs 2022
- −22.2%49 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.
Una in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Úna in Irish — same name
- Oona in Irish — spelling variant
- Ùna in Scottish — same name
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, New York, Washington.
Unas among us
people named Una are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 32,801 born in 2025 was named Una
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
Fashion outlook
Una 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 Una is headed
Una should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
Medium 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.
Una beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Una in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- Two genuine traditions stand behind it, one Irish and one literary.
- Three letters, two syllables, and unlike anything else in a classroom.
- Spenser's Una is one of the memorable figures of English allegory.
- The first vowel splits between an Irish and a Latin reading.
- The two origins are entirely unrelated.
- It is period-coded to the early twentieth century in American records.
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What they receive
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Una
Feminine · #3211 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Unas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 2,800 people named Una are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Una in 2025?
- Una ranks #3211 among US girl names in 2025, with 49 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Una?
- About 1 in every 32,801 US girls born in 2025 was named Una — 49 in all.
- Will my child share the name Una with classmates?
- Una will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Una
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Kristine#3211 · Jalaya#3211 · Gladys#3211 · Amyah#3211 · Dhara#3211 · Janelly#3211 · Dariela#3211 · Quetzalli#3211
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Una? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Una and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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