Fun Facts About the Name Onna
- 655 babies named Onna: U.S. records list 655 babies given the name Onna from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Onna Mean?
Onna is best explained as a spelling of Ona, the Lithuanian and Catalan form of Anna, and in that tradition it means "grace" or "favor." Anna comes from the Hebrew Ḥannāh, formed from a root meaning "to be gracious." The name passed through Greek Ánna and Latin Anna into most European languages; Lithuanian and Catalan kept the short form Ona, and Onna is an English-language rendering of it.
Japanese onna (女), meaning "woman," is a separate item. It is an everyday noun, not a personal name, and its resemblance to the European name is coincidental. The Okinawan place name Onna is written 恩納, with characters unrelated to the noun for "woman," so the two are not connected.
Some spellings of Onna may instead stand for the Irish name Úna, usually anglicized as Oona or Oonagh. The derivation of Úna is disputed; a link to uan, "lamb," has been suggested, but no explanation is firmly settled.
Onna Name History & Origins
Ona has a long record as the Lithuanian form of Anna and is the ordinary Catalan form of the same name. Anna spread through Christian Europe as the name of the mother of Mary, a figure described in the early text known as the Protoevangelium of James, and individual languages shortened it in their own ways. Onna belongs to that group of respellings rather than to a separate naming tradition.
In the English-speaking world Onna is uncommon. The Canadian choreographer Onna White, born in Nova Scotia, is an example of the name in use in the twentieth century; her name follows the same pattern of an English spelling of Ona or Anna.
In Japan, Onna is not used as a personal name. It identifies Onna Village (恩納村) on the west coast of Okinawa's main island, an area that includes Cape Manzamo. Because the village name is written with different characters from the noun onna, a Japanese origin for the given name is unlikely.
How Popular is the Name Onna?
Onna has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2015. Its best rank was #3,861 in 1941.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #8,736 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2024 | #14,792 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 2023 | #11,919 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2022 | #8,399 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 2021 | #7,175 | 16 | 0.0010% |
| 2020 | #9,388 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 2019 | #7,626 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 2018 | #12,219 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2017 | #7,027 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 2016 | #6,610 | 19 | 0.0011% |
| 2015 | #4,376 | 33 | 0.0018% |
| 2014 | #4,994 | 28 | 0.0016% |
| 2013 | #9,473 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2012 | #8,524 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 2011 | #10,228 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2010 | #13,163 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2009 | #7,977 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 2008 | #6,747 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 2007 | #9,409 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2006 | #9,755 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 2005 | #8,228 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 2004 | #7,309 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 2003 | #8,360 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2002 | #13,269 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2001 | #17,254 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2000 | #8,419 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1999 | #10,109 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1998 | #7,420 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1997 | #7,610 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1996 | #13,016 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1995 | #8,558 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1994 | #10,262 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1992 | #12,898 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1991 | #9,140 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1990 | #7,177 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1989 | #11,899 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1988 | #8,182 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1987 | #12,663 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1986 | #6,043 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1983 | #5,361 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 1982 | #6,236 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1979 | #11,398 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1977 | #6,712 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 1976 | #8,890 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1975 | #10,127 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1973 | #9,360 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1972 | #7,943 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1971 | #7,141 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1970 | #5,690 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1968 | #6,069 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1967 | #4,532 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1966 | #4,399 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1964 | #4,555 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1963 | #7,339 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1962 | #5,168 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1961 | #5,688 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1960 | #6,192 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1958 | #5,920 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1956 | #5,776 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1949 | #4,142 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1947 | #4,246 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1941 | #3,861 | 7 | 0.0006% |
| 1927 | #5,408 | 5 | 0.0004% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Onna Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You are patient, persevering and strong willed. You are a good student, absorbing knowledge easily and retaining it well. You are either a saint or a sinner. You tend to hold things inside and suffer in silence. You are frank, methodical and believe in law, system and order.
Position and social status is very important for you and you are always looking for way to improve your position in society. You have power and ability to chose your own destiny and achieve anything you want in life. You can expand in any direction according to your will and the set of values. You have passion for justice and belong to the position of authority. You have an inherent courage and endurance to accomplish "The Impossible Dream". With the power comes responsibility. You hold keys to the material world, but with this gift comes high spiritual responsibility to be fair and true to others. You are philosophical and mature, determined and intense with a desire to endure, often religious.
✦ Onna's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Onna's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.