Baby Names US
girls' name ★ peaked 2017

Moana

Meaning sea, ocean Gender Girl Rank 2025 #4,141 Trend ↓ Falling 29%

From Hawaiian Moana (“sea, ocean”), Māori moana, and other Polynesian languages.

Rank 2025
#4,141
among girls · ↓932 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
35
named Moana · -30% vs 2024
How common
1 in 45,922
girls born in 2025
Peak year
2017
141 babies
All-time total
1,146
#6,833 all-time among girls
First recorded
1941
in Social Security records

Moana popularity over time

1,146 babies have been named Moana since 1941, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.030.050.080.118801900192019401960198020002020Peak 2017Girls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – –
1890s – – – –
1900s – – – –
1910s – – – –
1920s – – – –
1930s – – – –
1940s 16 2 – #3,465
1950s 53 5 +231% #3,638
1960s 37 4 -30% #5,042
1970s 108 11 +192% #4,677
1980s 76 8 -30% #6,186
1990s 59 6 -22% #9,560
2000s 110 11 +86% #6,993
2010s 415 42 +277% #1,559
2020s (to 2025) 272 45 +9% #3,027

Where Moana is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 girls Implied rank
2026 33 0.02 outside top 500
2027 31 0.02 outside top 500
2028 30 0.02 outside top 500
2029 29 0.02 outside top 500
2030 28 0.02 outside top 500

The story of Moana

Moana is rare for girls in the United States, ranked #4,141 in 2025 with 35 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1941, 1,146 American babies have been named Moana. Its peak came in 2017, when 141 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2010s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Moana stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Moana?

The median living Moana is about 9 years old; half are between 6 and 32. An estimated 1,100 people named Moana are alive in the United States today.

median 9 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Moana year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank
2025 35 #4,141
2024 50 #3,209
2023 39 #3,893
2022 45 #3,516
2021 55 #3,027
2020 48 #3,265
2019 51 #3,153
2018 82 #2,252
2017 141 #1,559
2016 57 #2,956
2015 18 #6,904
2014 16 #7,544
2013 19 #6,644
2012 10 #11,003
2011 12 #9,550
2010 9 #11,958
2009 12 #9,808
2008 19 #6,993
2007 10 #11,388
2006 16 #7,744
2005 8 #12,649
2004 5 #17,936
2003 9 #11,026
2002 8 #11,835
2001 10 #9,872
2000 13 #7,892
1995 5 #14,982
1990 5 #14,457
1985 – –
1980 11 #6,186
1975 12 #5,052
1970 12 #4,677
1965 – –
1960 8 #5,042
1955 7 #5,050
1950 – –
1945 – –
1940 – –
1935 – –
1930 – –
1925 – –
1920 – –
1915 – –
1910 – –
1905 – –
1900 – –
1895 – –
1890 – –
1885 – –
1880 – –

Famous people named Moana

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Moana Pozzi Moana Pozzi Italian pornographic film actress (1961–1994) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Moana, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Moana?

The median living Moana is about 9 years old. Half of all living Moanas are between 6 and 32 years old.

How many people named Moana are alive today?

An estimated 1,100 people named Moana are alive in the United States, based on 1,146 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Moana mean?

From Hawaiian Moana (“sea, ocean”), Māori moana, and other Polynesian languages.

How popular is the name Moana in 2025?

Moana ranked #4,141 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 35 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Moana?

1,146 babies have been named Moana in the United States since 1941, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Moana most popular?

Moana peaked in 2017, when 141 newborns received the name.

Is Moana a boy or girl name?

Moana is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Moana rising or falling?

Moana is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Moana become more popular?

Moana is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 28 girls named Moana in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Moana?

Well-known people named Moana include Moana Pozzi (pornographic actor).

Names like Moana

Names that sound and feel close to Moana: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Moana with similar names → More names starting with M →